Calling all Wild Bird fans - question please

I just noticed my blackbird collecting loads of bread in it's beak, so I'm guessing she has babies to feed. I always use sunflower hearts along with the coconut fat shells for all my feeders (yes, I've got loads of them!)and I'm wondering if there's anything I can get to help them feed their babies please? Those dried mealworms are a total waste of time, I've tried them, I've soaked them overnight, and they're pants!

Maybe I can get some live mealworms from somewhere, does anybody know please??? Anything else I can put out for them? I only put the bit of bread out today because there was still a lot of snow about and I thought a piece of bread would be beneficial on a day like this. I'm very surprised the babies are surviving quite honestly after yesterday's weather down here, but thankfully they must have if she's collecting food. Her mouth was stuffed full of bread as she flew off!

Hi Helena,

Down one side of our garden, we have a hedge about 10 foot tall and 80 foot long. I've currently got two lots of blackbirds and a pair of robins nesting in it. They all use the fat balls (you know the ones in the little green nets). I also find that the blackbirds go mad for cake crumbs. I just throw a handful everyday and keep the dogs in for an hour and the birds all come down and eat.

Also, they love bacon rind. I must be doing something right as this is the second year the blackbirds have been back and we have two cats. (both wearing bells, I might add).

Any good pet shop should have live mealworms and they will love them.

Hope this helps.

Julie and Teddy

I'd stear clear of putting too much bread out for them, as it has no nutritional value what so ever for them and will result in underdeveloped, deformed or even dead babies

I'm not sure what to put out for wild birds, but for cage birds that are breeding, I used to use and Egg food, but it can work out a bit expesive

Thanks Julie, and I've got exactly the same!!!! I've got a 200ft long 8ft wide hedge all up the side of our property, it's been growing for over 20 years now since we've been here and the birds just love it. I'm sure they're in there these blackbirds! Along with the numerous greenfinches and blue tits who keep zooming in and out of there! I never use the round fatballs now, coz the rats seemed to get those, but I buy those half a coconut shells already filled, and you can hang them up singly, which I do, dotted all around the garden, and the birds love them.

Now you've worried me Christine! It's been years since I put any bread out, mainly coz of the rats we attracted with it, but because of all the snow still lying around, I put a piece in a flower pot underneath one of the feeders which I can see from the kitchen window and I noticed the blackbirds feeding off it straight away. Don't worry, they get nothing but fillet steak here, pure sunflower hearts etc. I spend about £12 a week on the birds!!!

I hadn't thought of bacon though, and of course the robins will love that being meat eaters, so I'll be doing that in future. They get grapes and apples cut up too of course which the blackbirds love, but I'm really interested now that they have their young.

I've already asked at every single petshop within a 10 mile radius but they only have those awful dried mealworms. I think it'll have to be a fishing tackle shop next, but that's mile away! Maybe the RSPB do live ones through the post on their website? I'll take a look!

I might be wrong, but the black bird could be feedng his mrs while she is sitting on her eggs, maybe the babies have not hatched yet.

That's a thought Katie, it was the black one too which is the male, so you could well be right!

The starlings in this area are still building their nest (in my roof)

Their numbers are declining, so hopefully you can turn a blind eye to that!!!

They have been nesting there for years, they sort of get in through the eves and nest in the facia board. Once the eggs have hatched,and they start moving around, it sounds like they have hobnailed boots on. We also used to have sparrows nesting there as well, but they seem to have disappeared, like the Starlings, they are on the decrease.

We had the same thing, and I think maybe even the squirrel moved into the loft at one time but since having the loft conversion and new fascias and soffits, I never hear any hobnail boots now, except for the squirrel charging along the flat roof at the back sometimes! I think he leaps from the big lime tree where he lives, onto the roof in the mornings to come down for breakfast!