Peanut feeder recommendations..

[Jo]

Just read this with interest.

This is my set up (I think I might have posted it before)It's clickable so you can read the notes about what is where:



That set up cost us about £80 and our monthly feeding costs are about £40 -£60 depending on demand/weather. It's taken almost a year for our resident squirrel to figure out how high and far he can jump, but has now mastered it, and jumps more than 6ft eek from a table to the stick you can see going across. So my advice would be, if you have the pole in the ground within 10ft of anything climbable, move it

Oh and vinehousefarm.co.uk sell the best sunflower hearts I have come across. They are plump and juicy looking, and the birds go mad for them over any other brand we have tried. Spending a little more on the seed makes all the difference to numbers of birds you get. I keep meaning to take some footage of feeding time at ours to give people an idea. But we have had upwards of about 60 birds at one time on and around (on the ground under them) the feeders.

 

[markta]

Just read this with interest.

This is my set up (I think I might have posted it before)It's clickable so you can read the notes about what is where:



That set up cost us about £80 and our monthly feeding costs are about £40 -£60 depending on demand/weather. It's taken almost a year for our resident squirrel to figure out how high and far he can jump, but has now mastered it, and jumps more than 6ft eek from a table to the stick you can see going across. So my advice would be, if you have the pole in the ground within 10ft of anything climbable, move it

Oh and vinehousefarm.co.uk sell the best sunflower hearts I have come across. They are plump and juicy looking, and the birds go mad for them over any other brand we have tried. Spending a little more on the seed makes all the difference to numbers of birds you get. I keep meaning to take some footage of feeding time at ours to give people an idea. But we have had upwards of about 60 birds at one time on and around (on the ground under them) the feeders.

That's a hell of a set up you have there Jo

Spent quite a lot of time reading the Flickr comments and the clickable areas, you're obviously very devoted. The birdies must love you

Thanks for the heads up on the sunflower hearts. I've just ordered a 13kg sack of the complete sunflowers to see how the goldies get on with them, then may go for the hearts. The only advantages I see with the hearts is less mess and they can get through more money's worth. With the omni trays, the mess isn't such an issue

Defo bear the Vinehouse Farm place in mind for the hearts; I went for Really Wild Bird Co again because I'm saving about £10 in total on the Droll Yankee feeders, get free delivery of about 40kg worth of stuff, was very impressed with the service I got the first time I bought from them (£144 order) and with the £10 I saved, almost paid for 8kg of high energy food, which the tits and finches love. Based in Boston, I guess they're a lot closer for you to travel.

I kinda figured that if I got the sunflowers with shells, birdies would spend a little longer opening them up, whilst at the same time, getting some shots.

Would love to see some footage Jo. For a laugh, did you look at the Youtube footage of the Droll Yankees Flipper with the helium voice narration. Soo funny I thought

 

[two_lens_jackson]

The goldies won't be so keen on the whole sunflower, they much prefer the hulled stuff and niger - putting a couple of teazle heads out will also attract them.

Greenfinches are keen on the whole sunflower but if they take that in preference to the hearts is doubtful, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

 

[two_lens_jackson]

That set up cost us about £80 and our monthly feeding costs are about £40 -£60 depending on demand/weather.

That is a fine set up there for quite a reasonable cost - might I enquire where you got it from?

 

[markta]

t l j, thanks for the suggestions, really is muchly appreciated

I notice you post and keep track of this thread...rather than call you t l j, hope you don't mind me asking, but would you mind disclosing your first name?

Re the teazle head, I read up on that today whilst flicking through some goldfinch profiles, so will get a couple of those me thinks!

Thanks again Really value your contribution and ideas...

 

[two_lens_jackson]

Please to be of help markta

If you wish you can call me two_

























Just kidding

Chris.

 

[Jo]

That's a hell of a set up you have there Jo

Spent quite a lot of time reading the Flickr comments and the clickable areas, you're obviously very devoted. The birdies must love you

Thanks I think they are happy enough. We get a nice variety of birds, including our GSW and this year its family

Thanks for the heads up on the sunflower hearts. I've just ordered a 13kg sack of the complete sunflowers to see how the goldies get on with them, then may go for the hearts. The only advantages I see with the hearts is less mess and they can get through more money's worth. With the omni trays, the mess isn't such an issue

In all honesty you will get about 20% of the action with full seed than the hearts. It really does make that much difference! I wouldn't worry about them not sticking around long enough for shots, as they still do their little routine (tits putting them between their talons to peck at) to remove the skin.

Defo bear the Vinehouse Farm place in mind for the hearts; I went for Really Wild Bird Co again because I'm saving about £10 in total on the Droll Yankee feeders, get free delivery of about 40kg worth of stuff, was very impressed with the service I got the first time I bought from them (£144 order) and with the £10 I saved, almost paid for 8kg of high energy food, which the tits and finches love. Based in Boston, I guess they're a lot closer for you to travel.

Vine house is on the way to Peterborough for us, and we go about once a month anyway. I've tried more local, but the quality just isn't as good. You really do get what you pay for. Either that or we have some birds with very high standards

I kinda figured that if I got the sunflowers with shells, birdies would spend a little longer opening them up, whilst at the same time, getting some shots.

Would love to see some footage Jo. For a laugh, did you look at the Youtube footage of the Droll Yankees Flipper with the helium voice narration. Soo funny I thought

Not yet, but I will do in a moment

The goldies won't be so keen on the whole sunflower, they much prefer the hulled stuff and niger - putting a couple of teasel heads out will also attract them.

Greenfinches are keen on the whole sunflower but if they take that in preference to the hearts is doubtful, sometimes they do and sometimes they don't.

That is a fine set up there for quite a reasonable cost - might I enquire where you got it from?

Well they are reasonably easy to find. Our one on the left was from B&Q, and I think they do the bigger one to the right too, but that one we bought from our local garden centre. Very reasonably priced too. The hoods you can possible get from Pets At Home or even ebay. Ours was again, from our local garden centre. HTH

EDIT: The brand of the frames is Gardman btw. When I did a quick search on them, interestingly the first link to come up was this one showing their squirrel proof nut feeder CLICKY

 

[CT]

A quick question.

My intended interest lies with photographing birds, I have had a life long love of all things birdy. The trouble is around here there seems to be as many grey squirrels as birds and when I have had the feeders going in the past in the garden it has always been more food going to the squirrels than the birds - so the question is do the squirrel baffles that fix to the lower end of the pole help stop the squirrels getting to the feeders?

Yes!!. If you're talking about the perspex inverted half dome type, they totally defeat the squidgers. We have one under a pole mounted peanut feeder and it's so funny watching the squidgers climb up there and admit defeat. Sometimes they try to run straight through it - desperation stakes.

The only thing you have to watch is there isn't a fence or tree close enough from where they can take a flying jump straight onto the feeder.

 

[Jo]

Was this the clip you meant?

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[markta]

Was this the clip you meant?

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yep, that's the one I had to watch it again, though I wish I didn't as my jaw's been aching ever since

Ok, thanks to you both, I've now changed my order to sunflower hearts, a big 13kg bag, though I doubt if they'll last that long Jo, if your Flickr account is anything to go by

Wish I'd got the sunflower hearts a few weeks ago but order was just below £150 Maybe that's what the birdies were chatting about in the fir type tree

Thanks again Chris and Jo

 

[markta]

Just to give an update...

I've seen 6 goldies perch on the niger feeder at any one time, a pair of coalies seem to like either the sunflower hearts or the high energy mix.

Blue tits seem to go for either the mealworms or sunflower hearts or peanuts, as do the great tits.

No sign of the woodies as yet, haven't seen him for about a week

Also no sign of squirrels, though a collared dove seems to have taken a liking to the sunflower hearts and returns very couple of days for his feed.

Anyway, here's a picture showing all the feeders, all in all, I'm getting quite a few visits The birds usually emerge from the shrubbery behind the feeder, after spending 30 seconds looking around to make sure it's safe to make an appearance