Bird Table Or Feeding Station

[sherrardk]

Which is best - a bird table or feeding station? We have a visiting wren (he seems to live in the fence and the shrubbery on the other side), robin and blackbird that I would like to encourage. We have a cat (very fat and lazy at this time of year) if that makes any difference. Thank you

[Rosie29]

If you have sqirrels around then a squirrel proof station of some sort would be better.

[Cloverjo]

When I used a table we got seagulls nicking all the food and making a noise. With a feeder we just get the little birds.

Make sure the lid doesn’t blow off. One poor little thing got stuck head first yesterday after diving in for some seed.

[jakep]

Could you have both?
Different sorts of seeds, sunflower hearts and nuts on feeder.
Leftover rice, bread, cereals etc on table.
‘Our’ wrens feed under the shrubs and around the pots. I’ve not seen them on the feeders or table.

[ladybirder]

Yes wrens like to feed on the ground. Personally I don't like bird tables because they are a magnet for the big birds and squirrels. Worse than that in makes the smaller birds a magnet for the predators such as sparrowhawks and are so easily taken from a table.
//Sparrowhawks spend more time hunting in habitats where prey availability is high and the chance of success is greatest. They have learnt that gardens are an easy source of prey, bringing the realities of nature up close to our homes.\\

[sherrardk]

I was looking at bird tables with a roof on, would that make it safer. Ps - I’d welcome a squirrel, I think they’re funny.

[iluvmargie]

I have a cage type thing especially for feeding birds. Nothing bigger than a blackbird can get through the gaps, so it keeps out the greedy pigeons. I also hang nuts and coconut feeders with suet in from the tree branches. I very occasionally see a squirrel and I love it!

[shoota]

Sherr - Squirrels eat young chicks, you don't want them if you have nesting birds.

[Rosie29]

Sherradk 16.48 squirrels aren't very funny when they nest in your chimney and dash about the house when you're on holiday making mayhem.
( Babies removed safely by Tiggywinkles and cowl fitted on chimney ) :-)

[Maydup]

Squirrels are complete pests, try not to encourage them. We have a coupl of feeders hanging inside a table. That way the debris fall onto the table and not the floor as that attracted rats in our garden.

The small birds will enjoy the feeders, the robin might have a look at whats on th table, but the blackbirds like to feed in the ground. Just cut an apple in 4 and throw it onto the lawn, then watch them enjoy every last mouthful! Wrens on the other hand are timid and will stay in the fence and the shelter of the ivy. No need to feed them, once you have a wren you know they have found a perfect home.

[rowanwitch]

Both, some birds like dunnocks, blackbirds, and thrushes prefer to feed on the ground others like robins, and finches prefer to be off the ground. make sure a ground feeder provides clear sight lines if there are cats about and a bird table has leafy cover close by. most birds will use hanging feeders with big enough perches.

When I had a garden it was a case of multiple hanging feeders , seed mix, sunflower hearts, peanuts Nyger seed and suet blocks, large ground feeder, two bird tables. One was used for corvids and had soaked crushed dried dog food, the other a seed mix, dried mealworms used to go on an old log and became robin central in addition a metalwork feeder and two bird baths one raised and one at ground level and in summer the contents of the slug traps tipped onto the lawn for the magpies.

As a result I could spend hours watching a wide range of birds including some less common. it really is worth going big on the feeder front. It will repay you every single day

[rowanwitch]

Best way to manage squirrels is to feed them at the edge of the garden they are lazy and if they can run along your boundary and get some nuts from a dish they generally won't bother coming any further.

Open tables are easier to clean and give more directions for birds to escape. If a sparrowhawk moves in you could just accept a few losses to enjoy these amazing birds. With generous feeding you can spare a few bluetits

[smurfchops]

If you have a bird table or bird bath please keep it clean ... bird poo will poison other birds x

[iluvmargie]

I don't regard the squirrel I see occasionally as a pest and if it wants to come and feed in my garden, it is more than welcome, especially in the colder months.

[ladybirder]

Margie, Jay's out of the patio door like a bullet the minute he sees a squirrel in the garden. Of course he doesn't stand a chance but it doesn't stop him. My blinds are cream-crackered since having him:-))

[Toorak]

We only have an elderly cat now (who only goes out accompanied/supervised) so we are going to augment our different feeders this week and look forward to what we will see

[Canary42]

I use both. My home-built bird table went through several modifications to get a suitable roof which would keep the greedy pigeons out who would otherwise strip it in minutes. I had lots of entertainment watching them tackle each new version, and even now they try again at the pigeon-proof version but never succeed. They get quite enough feed from the spillage so I'm not really depriving them.

[ladybirder]

Pigeons are useful for picking up the spillage aren't they. If they didn't, rats would!

[iluvmargie]

My dog chases squirrels too lb, but he doesn't stand a chance, just like your Jay! In fact when he has actually surprised one and got right up to it, he then doesn't know what to do, just a big softie.

[ladybirder]

Margie I may have told this story on here before, can't remember, but in one of the parks here in Hove a dog chased a squirrel and it got the dog by the throat and the dog had to be rushed to the vets. It did recover but it was nasty.
So I'm very happy that this squirrel (only ever see the one) always outsmarts Jay.

[iluvmargie]

Blimey, poor dog, but then I guess that the squirrel is only defending itself after all.