How do I attract birds in the summer?

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I am working on making a hide for the summer holidays. I want to take pictures of birds in my garden. In the winter I got some shots of birds when I put out a bag with nuts.

But so far I have not had any luck with the nuts n the summer.
What do you use in the summer?
Is it better to put it on the ground or on a tree?
If you could post a picture you got of a bird or of the set-up you used that would be great.

Cheers Scott
 
Do you have a water bath for the birds?

They may come in for a drink and a cool down in the water if it's there.
 
wippers said:
The Mods may be better moving this to the Birds forum. There are a lot of guys on there who are more than helpful.
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CrazyJay said:
Do you have a water bath for the birds?

They may come in for a drink and a cool down in the water if it's there.
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That's a good idea! Would a tub or something that I can fill with water do? Or would a real bird bath be better?
 
Mine are going mad to feed their young on fat balls at the moment, Im going through loads of wild bird seed too!
 
PhotoshopEditer said:
That's a good idea! Would a tub or something that I can fill with water do? Or would a real bird bath be better?
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a bird bath would be better, and more attractive.
It has to be shallow enough that small birds can stand in it. You don't want birds drowning.

also worthwhile setting up a natural looking perch which will probably then be used if birds are waiting to use the water.
 
I have got a mix of seeds and feeders. Got a feeder with just peanuts, but like you, don't get a lot of interest in that. Got mixed seeds and they love those. Also got some sunflower hearts and they REALLY love them :)

Got some nyjer seeds as well but these are generally for more specific birds like finches.

Be careful with ground feeding. It attracts a lot of birds but if there is too much, it can also attract rats :(

Good luck :)
 
rackhs said:
I have got a mix of seeds and feeders. Got a feeder with just peanuts, but like you, don't get a lot of interest in that. Got mixed seeds and they love those. Also got some sunflower hearts and they REALLY love them :)

Got some nyjer seeds as well but these are generally for more specific birds like finches.

Be careful with ground feeding. It attracts a lot of birds but if there is too much, it can also attract rats :(

Good luck :)
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I have not got a proper feeder just the sort of bags with nuts that you hang on trees. Can you change what's in the feeder and how are they priced.
 
They love the sound of running water. I have two bird baths and a water feature which consists of a small three tier waterfall with a small sunken pool at the bottom. They always choose the water feature before the baths. This year we have had two families of blue tits bathing in it plus, great tits, chaffinch, goldfinch, goldcrest, chiffchaff, wren, dunnock, sparrows, blackbird, thrush. The jackdaws, pigeons, doves, starlings tend to use the baths and the magpies and jays don't seem to use either.
 
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Fat balls Wilkinsons £7.99 for 50 or scroungs some fat of your local butcher, buy the seeds and make your own.

Also try the same with dried fruits like blackberries and raspberries set in fat they will go after the sugar.

Make a tray thats off the ground and about 2" deep, fill it with sand, birds like a dust bath as well as a wet bath.

:D
 
We have loads of birds this year. About 10 great tits, 5 or 6 blue tits, 6 blackbirds, 2 doves and a load of pigeons. Plus an occasional sparrowhawk.
Last year we didnt have any, but this year I put out loads of fat balls, wild bird seed and mealworm mix. I have 3 feeders hanging off trees with the nuts and mealworm, another with 3 fat balls and then a few fat balls in net bags hanging around the garden.

Even supermarkets sell this kind of stuff now. I got the last lot from Morrisons 2 weeks ago.
 
Strangways said:
They love the sound of running water. I have two bird baths and a water feature which consists of a small three tier waterfall with a small sunken pool at the bottom. They always choose the water feature before the baths. This year we have had two families of blue tits bathing in it plus, great tits, chaffinch, goldfinch, goldcrest, chiffchaff, wren, dunnock, sparrows, blackbird, thrush. The jackdaws, pigeons, doves, starlings tend to use the baths and the magpies and jays don't seem to use either.
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OK I have a small burn going down behind my garden would that attract them?
 
We feed pretty much the same year round - fat balls, seed, peanuts, dried mealworms and so on - and get a lot of bird life in the garden. Might be worth mentioning that fat balls usually come wrapped in green plastic netting. I remove this because birds can get their feet caught in it.

Ground feeding and spillage can attract rats, yes. My wife puts out extra food for them. Don't ask.
 
MartynK said:
We feed pretty much the same year round - fat balls, seed, peanuts, dried mealworms and so on - and get a lot of bird life in the garden. Might be worth mentioning that fat balls usually come wrapped in green plastic netting. I remove this because birds can get their feet caught in it.

Ground feeding and spillage can attract rats, yes. My wife puts out extra food for them. Don't ask.
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I wont ask, believe me;) I know the feeling.
 
I buy the half coconut shells from Tesco and the wild bird seed I get from my local petshop.
 
MartynK said:
..........................wrapped in green plastic netting. I remove this because birds can get their feet caught in it.

Ground feeding and spillage can attract rats, yes. ...........
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dont use mesh ........period

dont put whole peanuts on the ground .. the adults 'may' feed to the fledglings who will choke

if putting out ground feed - add soft fruit/ raisins for the blackbirds

and at least 6 feet from foliage - my farm cats are super ninja ambushers...:thumbsdown:

sunflower hearts are dearer but no goddamn mess with black sunflower husks

niger seeds are a must for Goldfinches

dont stop feeding come winter - they will have 'locked-on' to your feeding station
 
We used dried Sunflower heart seeds the birds go crazy for them, we never used to see goldfinches- woodpeckers - tree creepers- nut hatches or the 26 different varieties of birds that now visit us. Definately not cheap to buy ( we get bags wholesales) and you need different feeders to those you would use for peanuts.
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Realspeed
 
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You've obviously no squirrels!
 
well i find that lounging seductively on the beach wearing a muscle tee while half out of my head on magners does the trick.....



oh sorry you mean the sort that fly :lol: ... water, bird feeders, fat balls , meal worms etc - basically the same way you attract them at any other time of year - remember that in the summer a lot of birds will have young so they still welcome additional food sources
 
big soft moose said:
well i find that lounging seductively on the beach wearing a muscle tee while half out of my head on magners does the trick.....



oh sorry you mean the sort that fly :lol: ... water, bird feeders, fat balls , meal worms etc - basically the same way you attract them at any other time of year - remember that in the summer a lot of birds will have young so they still welcome additional food sources
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Ha ha, I thought that this was a follow on to the "what do fat blokes over 40 wear in the summer" thread
 
big soft moose said:
well i find that lounging seductively on the beach wearing a muscle tee while half out of my head on magners does the trick.....
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I thought I was on the wrong forum altogether for a moment ...
 
I can't believe it took 24 replies before the obvious reply was posted, though ChrisH's post (post 13) started off with 2 words that seemed to be heading that way...
 
Well it is good to see so many wanting to feed the birds in their garden :thumbs: but could I just put out a freindly reminder to anyone who is not aware. Avoid putting the fat balls out in the plastic nets, their claws and somtimes their whole foot can go inside of the net, especialy if it is partly empty. If the bird is startled for some reason then it will attempt a quick escape with it`s limb still inside the mesh, this can be fatal as it could easily lose a leg or foot. More than likely it will result in death at some point. One of the cheap wire peanut feeders is ideal for placing your fat balls in.
 
I bought some sunflower heart seeds today, and put a water bath on the table too. It's like the bird equivalent of the Hilton here now! Just hope the cats b****r off!
 
Agree with the comments about sunflower hearts - a wide variety of birds love them. They are expensive compared to mixed seeds , but in our garden a lot of the mixed seeds are wasted as the birds drop them on the ground.

For these you'll need a feeder, like the ones shown in the photo on an earlier post and if you have squirrels in the garden you may need a cage around it.

In our garden, fat cakes (the square ones that fit in a small cage) are liked by quite a few birds, especially starlings; but the best food we've found are live mealworms. Everything likes them - great tits, blue tits, robins, house sparrows, greater spotted woodpeckers, magpies, crows.


Dave
 
We have most of our bird food delivered, in sacks. We buy from Ernest Charles, Jacobi Jayne and CJ Wildbird. In an emergency your local RSPB shop will have a selection or, easier to get to and probably with a wider range, any large garden centre.

We feed Sunflower Hearts, Sunflower with husks (Greenfinches seem to prefer them), Nyjer Seed, Peanuts and Suet Pellets. We used to put a high-energy ground mix out for the Pheasants, Moorhens, Water Rails, etc. But the rat population exploded. Now ground feeding is reserved for cold snaps in the winter and all the feeding poles have squirrel baffles - don't stop the squirrels as they can leap high enough to grab the feeders, but it does stop the rats.

We're lucky enough to have a small stream running through the garden, as well as a pond. So birdbaths are a bit redundant.
 
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Put plastic drainpipe over your posts, the little b`stards don`t seem able to climb it very well.........:thumbs:
 
I find me fat balls take a huge hammering this time of year. I think it's down to handy supplies for nesting parents who just want a quick bite and then it's a handy source of high protein food for the fledged youngsters. They disappear at an alarming rate - much faster than in the Winter when you think they'd need them more..
 
CT said:
I find me fat balls take a huge hammering this time of year. .
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Sorry, would you care to go into more detail Cedders?


:D
 
u8myufo said:
Well it is good to see so many wanting to feed the birds in their garden :thumbs: but could I just put out a freindly reminder to anyone who is not aware. Avoid putting the fat balls out in the plastic nets, their claws and somtimes their whole foot can go inside of the net, especialy if it is partly empty. If the bird is startled for some reason then it will attempt a quick escape with it`s limb still inside the mesh, this can be fatal as it could easily lose a leg or foot. More than likely it will result in death at some point. One of the cheap wire peanut feeders is ideal for placing your fat balls in.
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That sounds painful too!
 
Not sure if it helps, but 2 days ago I got a chainsaw and cut down about 8 medium/large conifers (7-8ft) in my garden. Decided to leave the chainsaw dust and small twigs etc on the grass.

But since then have noticed a massive increase in bird activity - no idea why as I haven't had a chance to see what their doing, but definitely thought it was weird, as at any one time I pop into the garden I have between 1-3 birds playing around in the chainsaw dust/twigs.
 
Nesting material I expect, and a dust bath. Our hanging baskets have been demolished as they were in straw like material. the birds have nicked it all and left soil everywhere. They have also pulled up all the soil from between the paving slabs which is bloody annoying as I swept it all up the other day!
 
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