Bird feeding...

Where I buy my food from on the net continues to improve. The latest news explains that the mixes have been improved and that much of what is in the mixes are grown on their farm and are clean. Also, alot of what's available in the shops is of little or no real nurishment to the birds. Having mentioned that I plan to add bushes and shrubs that will give coverage, protection and berries for the birds, I have discovered that this company has some items to grow to make a natural hedge and/or a cottage garden. You can even by a kind of turf with the Cottage Garden seeds in it so all you do is lay it out.

Postage and packing on any order large or small is only £2.50 and they've been quick to supply orders.

I've mentioned who they are before and can again or you can ask via a private message.

The lead in from the above is that I decided to get some peanuts today to top up the feeders and I discovered that the usual shops have stopped selling anything to do with birds. Now, its a typical thing isn't it?

They get you interested in feeding the birds during the Summer and in general as we've discovered during the Summer there is plenty of food available and often the birds fly off and find food elsewhere.

Now, when its important to keep them fed and help at a time of the year where the weather is at its worst, they pull out of supplying food and feeders.

I could not find a bag of peanuts(unsalted even in the Supermarket)

At least many bird food suppliers are mail order too so should net access be unavailable, you can still get supplies.

I do hope when Bill Oddie returns with Autumn Watch on tv soon, even if he doesn't promote any particular company he tells the audience at home that there are many good, reliable food suppliers to be used. Or maybe could issue a factsheet mentioning a few. Also, bring up the problems retailers are causing by stopping to sell items so suddenly and at this time of year.

Gildy

Can you get the solid blocks of mixed nuts and seeds to put out for the birds? The ones I get are fairly large, about 4 - 6" in diameter, and I wire them on to a solid post/branch. I put them out for the parrots, but they have to be quick to beat the introduced birds - sparrows etc.

My local pet shop has got masses of bird food in as this is the important time of the year that we feed them, as you say, rather than the summer. I buy the big fat blocks with the nuts in, which they love, especially the blue tits and robins, I also have a holder which holds four fat balls with nuts in, but the best food of all, which they fight over, is the sunflower hearts, not the sunflower seeds, but just the hearts. I bought a big bag of them from my pet store for only £1.59 which I thought was very cheap. They are actually leaving the seed alone now that they've discovered the sunflower hearts. I am filling the containers every day with this now - they're very fat my garden birds, and very greedy!

I made a big mistake and bought a very expensive tub of mealworms, which they didn't like at all! Then my mate Ashlady told me I had to soak them coz they were dried. So I tried soaking them overnight, put some out and they still wouldn't touch them! I thought the robins would love them, but sadly they left them for the mouse. Oh well, you live and learn.

Hi all. Gildy, I agree that some of the shops now think that the fickle amongst us only feed when it is convenient to do so, but we are fast approaching that time of year when the little ones need our help more and more if they are to survivie the winter (you'd think they'd know this wouldn't you?)

I will start to leave out the fat cakes soon, I mix seeds and crushed peanuts with the fat off the Sunday joint (well I don't, Charlotte does ) and place out once set. The starlings also enjoy boiled potato (cooked without salt) whether I mash it or not and I suppose at this time of year the extra carbs will help with the central heating

H - I used to read about mealworms on the Beeb and how they had mixed reactions from the birds, but I am a little tickle stomached to breed the live wrigglers myself and since they are very expensive to buy, my meat eaters will have to make do with my alternatives.

When I started feeding the hedgehogs I dicovered that anything left in the morning was quickly eaten by the meateaters, so once I had checked the ingredients out with the RSPB, I started to leave some out specifically for the birds. The food is called Hi Life. It is a moist, Henrys Mince Morsel type dog food which I break up into smaller pieces and have Robins, Blackbirds and Starlings gorging on a two squares a day basis There is a family of starlings that have been eating this since the parents used to collect it continuously for them as babes, they've eaten so much of it I'm suprised they don't bark

It is worth noting that the peanuts used for the birds should be checked for suitability. Standard human nuts contain that fungus that I can never remember the name of , which is incredibly dangerous for birds.

Happy feeding to all, keep up the good work

AL x

Hi Helena54 and Shadow Boxer,

I think I paid about £10.50 or was it £12 for a 6kg bag of sunflower hearts from the site I use online but they also do other mixes that offer no waste too.(Sounds as though you have a bargain) I have been known to make my own fat blocks and put a variety of items in with the fat.

When they are put out they go very quickly and usually its the Starlings that polish them off.

Mealworms, mine get eaten(I purchased a tub of dry ones)but one mix I am using at present has a few of them and waxworms included. If I could get my Robin used to me, they do come and take them off you(live or dry)they say the live ones are worth investing in(if you are rich, they are expensive)because in the Springtime they give protein to both parents and offspring but as baby birds cannot drink they get much needed moisture from mealworms too.

We do not have a local petshop to speak of so that's a disadvantage. Yep, I may have to order my peanuts on line...

As dusk falls the birds have gone to bed but are making noises as they settle down and a squirrel is still busy moving around the garden.

Gildy

Hi there Gildersleeve - you might remember me from the BBC boards I was Janay15 there too.
I'm sure Bill Oddie will probably mention a few things about good garden bird supplies on the AutumnWatch show ... the winter months are such a busy time at the bird table and many people will be looking for good bird food sources.
Don't forget that laying a couple of apples on the ground during the winter months will be very much appreciated by the local thrushes, and you might even be able to attract some scandinavian visitors to the garden too (if you don't already get them!). If possible it's best to give the birds organic apples - they're alot better for them and alot better for the environment.

Do you have a 'Pets At Home' store near you? They usually stock peanuts and quite a few other kinds of food too, thats usually where I get my peanuts and seed mix from.

Hello Janay and all,

I know that there are lots of bird food suppliers available on the net and if you are happy with your supplier...carry on. Its very much word of mouth and I hate to say buy from one place and you be disappointed but I have been using for best part of this year Wiggly Wigglers, they are friendly and offer such choice at reasonable prices. I thought that they were good but their new catalogue popped through the door and they have added some new mixes and improved those already being sold and so many other things to help all wildlife. I'm sure if all these items are available to view online at their site but it could be worth getting hold of their mail order booklet.

There is so much choice, I'm spoilt so I'm sure my birds will be too.

And now, not only does the owner of the company have a blog site, they are also doing a regular podcast of tips and news on natural gardening and wildlife if you have the capabilities of getting a podcast on your pc etc...

And yes, they have peanuts!