I love seeing the Siskins and the Golfinches, I really do, but they can be a little overpowering: they have completely taken over the feeders and little else gets a look in. I have tried positioning a feeder right next to the house for the more timid Blue Tits and Great Tits, but the Greenfinches decided that they would take over that one, thus once again leaving these diminutive Tits, my original 'Garden' birds, out in the cold. When I first got a decent DSLR the Tits were the mainstay of my photography, though my ability to use the camera well was lacking, so I got few really good shots. Now that I have the photographic ability, I don't have the birds, and I miss their acrobatic presence. In the winter I use fat balls which the Tits enjoy, but I am reluctant to use those in the summer in case they go rancid in the heat. Does anyone else use fat balls in the summer? I would be interested to hear of your experiences of using them?
Though the Siskins are smaller than the Sparrows they still bully them:
Though the Siskins are smaller than the Sparrows they still bully them:
"Get away, you! Get away! This is my feeder!"
Blogger seems to be on the blink again with disappearing comments. :-( Apologies if you posted and one and it didn't appear. I did moderate them but then they vanished.
Lovely shots Kerry, especially like that last one.
ReplyDeleteI feed the birds in the garden all year round.
Various seed mixes, apples, nuts, peanut butter, and raisins. The fat balls don't seem to last long enough to go off, and it was interesting to see the Blue Tits use it sometimes, to supplement the feeding of the young in the nest box. It certainly didn't do them any harm; they raised about a dozen, which still visit the garden on their own now.
Thanks for your input Holdingmoments. I had never thought of feeding peanut butter. I stopped feeding peanuts as I found they quickly went mouldy in this damp seaside atmosphere and the birds always preferred the sunflower hearts. I shall give the fat balls a go.
ReplyDeleteHmmm, my comments keep coming and going too. Lovely photos. I am off to big up my new telephoto lens today - bird photos here I come!
ReplyDeleteLater in the year the Tits will be back in force Kerry.
ReplyDeleteEveryone seems to having 'comments' problems on their sites.
Beautiful photos. I also get swarms of them in. But they spend most the time eating the dandilion seeds. We don't mow till they are done eating all the seeds. By this time in the summer their is so much natural food available the only one who comes to the feeder is the squirels and chipmunks. Thanks for sharing. Carrie
ReplyDeleteHaven't fed the birds fat balls so far this summer but the seeds, nuts and dried mealworm I put out don't last long at all so I wouldn't worry about them going off in the heat.
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