General Chat

Whilst emptying the fruit bowl this morning of everything that did not get used over Christmas, I decided to chop up an apple to throw it out for the birds. The plethora of visitors this had bought to my patio table is unbelievable. Back to the kitchen window to keep watching
Julia in Derbyshire

Hi we had a pair of wrens on my baskets in the yard female blackbirds a Robin who is so cheeky he goes in my shed.

Must have hit wrong button I thought I had added.

Ann is bread bad for them then?

I put some bits of cheese in with their crumbed toast lol

I buy (cheap) apples and throw them out, have done this for years.This way they get some liquid along with the fruit.Not all birds like apples though, so have a big seed thingy hanging in a tree....have scraped some snow away and out cereal & bits of bread out for other types.

Aww :((
I bet there will be a lot of birds and animals wont have survived.

I don't think bread is bad for them but if it is dry it can swell up inside them. I soak mine in some water first. But there is not a lot of energy in bread for them which is why fat, cheese and fruit is good.

I HAVE JUST BOILED SOME RICE

they love that

haha i ut some apples up for on me garge roof after id fed me ginny n rabbits,

i just realised i gave them ll tot he ginnys n rabbits haha

gud job i left 3 lol xxx

Hopefully, weather permitting, I am going for morning coffee at the garden centre on Sunday, as I am beginning to suffer from 'cabin fever'. I will pick up plentiful supplies of wild bird food, for the little darlings.
Julia in Derbyshire

I'll give them some cheese and some apple tomorrow then.

I would love to put food out for the birds in my garden but I have a cat. He sits on the table looking through the window for them.

Two of my neighbours put food out so I have to look on the fences before I let him out.

I feed the birds at school with the left over sarnies etc they have tuna,ham, potted meat, cheese plus sausage rolls ,buns and I also feed wild bird seed and nuts. The Christmas hols have cost me a fortune as no sarnies. I have fed webox dog meat and bread liberaly spread with marg plus the seed and nuts. Originally it was for the birds that live and nest in the school grounds,it is an old school with all types of trees and shrubs (a pain in Autumn ). However, the word has got out, I blame the one black headed gull who happend to see me. The next day it was waiting on the roof and as I aproached it called she's here and about a dozen more came from nowhere. Now they are welcome to some but my poor crows who nest here don't get a look in, the smaller birds do because I feed them on an old horse chestnut tree stump which is surrounded by more trees. I am going to have to take out a mortgage in the Feb break if they keep spreading the news. (I may not be able to answer anyone as I am only allowed 1 go at the reply button). Elaine.

Just found this

http://www.rspbliverpool.org.uk/helpingfood.htm

Mesh bags – a warning
Peanuts and fat balls are regularly sold in nylon mesh bags. Never put out any food in mesh bags. These may trap birds’ feet and even cause broken or torn off feet and legs. Birds with a barbed tongue, eg woodpeckers, can become trapped by their beaks.


Bread: has very low nutritional content and is essentially a filler. All types of bread are acceptable to birds, but ideally only if it is just one component in a varied diet. Soaked bread is more easily ingested than stale dry bread, and brown bread is better than white. During the breeding season, crumble the bread into tiny pieces so that it is only eaten by the adult birds, and never put out an amount that will last more than one hour. Dry chunks of bread will choke baby birds.

Dog and Cat food: Meaty tinned dog and cat food can be very useful for birds, and form an acceptable substitute to earthworms during the warm, dry part of the summer when worms are beyond the birds' reach. Blackbirds readily take dog food, and even feed it to their chicks.

Peanuts: are rich in fats and are of major importance to tit and greenfinch flocks during the winter and cold spring months. Never place out loose nuts during the breeding season. Salted peanuts should never be used for bird food.

Rice and cereals: Cooked rice, brown or white (without salt added) is beneficial and readily accepted by all species during severe winter weather. Porridge oats must never be cooked, since this makes them glutinous and can harden around a bird's beak. Uncooked porridge oats are readily taken by a number of bird species. Any breakfast cereal is acceptable, put out small quantities at a time. It is best offered dry, with a supply of drinking water nearby, since it quickly turns into pulp once wetted.

Coconut: Give fresh coconut only, in the shell. Rinse out any residues of the sweet coconut water from the middle of the coconut before hanging it out to prevent the build-up of black mildew. Desiccated coconut should never be used as it may swell once inside a bird and cause death


The RSPB recommends five kitchen scraps:
Uncooked porridge oats
Cake crumbs
Potatoes – baked, roast and even mashed
Grated cheese
Windfall, soft or over-ripe fruits

These contain fats and sugars which help birds with their one aim: surviving the winter in order to breed next spring.


+ lots of other good advice

I think i'll go and get some cat/dog food

I am glad mashed potato is mentioned as I have some left over tonight.That will be off down the garden tomorrow now.

I was looking because i've got some oats and i thought i would have to soak them but it tells me not to....so i won't.

Had to clear 5 inches of snow off of the table this morning before I could restock it. All the time I was doing it a cock blackbird sat on the hedge 'swearing at me'. Obviously he thought I was being a bit slow lol

Well I've done my bit. weetbix,crackers. toast,porridge oats, a few bits of cooked tattie and a few soaked cat biscuits.

The strange things is that our birds eat most things on that list but I can't get them to eat rice.

Chopped apple and an out-of-date cake are on their menu this afternoon, in the back garden for the ground feeding birds. Plenty of fat balls are hanging in the container on the nearby tree.
I do sometimes put scraps out the front, but the seagulls descend like something out of the film The Birds, and I'm not keen to encourage them.

Gwyn

........my birds must be finding food elsewhere.......put a load of fresh bread out at lunchtime, and its still there....