Birdseed - What Did I Do Wrong ?

[atalanta]

I heard on the radio about the RSPB's garden watch, so I went out and bought some ( apparently appropriate) birdseed. I put a handful of seed in a shallow dull-coloured dish on the patio. No birds arrived. I put the dish further away, on the grass. No birds.
However, when I threw out some stale bread, I had swarms of pigeons and thrushes. I know there are sparrows very close, but why didn't they ( or any other birds ) come for the seeds ?

[Tilly2]

They haven't discovered them yet. It takes a while.

[paddywak]

Sorry,atalanta it's the way it goes, Over the years Trish and I have spent a small fortune on different bird foods.They all seem to get eaten by invisible birds.Chuck out a handfull of bread crumbs and they all appear out of nowhere.

[melv16]

I only feed sunflower hearts. Most of the birds eat them. BTW, the birds tend to hang around much longer if you use a seed feeder rather than putting them loose on a table or on the ground.

[VHG]

Some birds are ground feeders or like feeding from a flat dish (robins for example) other birds prefer hanging from a bird "cage (tits, sparrows etc)

[carolegif]

Are there cats in the area? If the dish is on the ground then the birds won't use it.

[wildwood]

You will have many birds in the near future if you put some small containers on fence-walls or trees where they will feel safer. It is not natural for wild birds to eat from a dish so it will take a considerable time before they feel safe enough to come down to eat from that. Bird tables/feeders placed sensibly are great for small birds. If to many pigeons or large birds can gain excess to the food, place some 2" wirenetting around the feeding station.

[Old_Geezer]

I planted some birdseed once. Didn't get a single bird come up :-(

[waterboatman]

they are more likely to come to a bird table as they feel safer than on the ground.

[murraymints]

I find they only take seed from a suspended feeder or table..never on ground

[melv16]

It also helps if you site the feeders near a shrub or a hedge. It gives them cover if a sparrow hawk attacks.

[Tilly2]

The sparrowhawk spoiled my RSPB birdwatch. The birds kept disappearing.

[RATTER15]

I berd table is high on my list of things to make. Im on AL for 8 days, I may crack on with it, along with a 1001 other things on the agenda.

[RATTER15]

*A bird table*

[RATTER15]

How about one of these :-) http://robrendallcarpenter.co.uk/bespoke-bird-table/

[Prudie]

I have one of those wire ball ones hung in a tree that only the little birds can get in. It gets emptied of seed every couple of days, I find it really good.

[tamborine]

Try this

http://youtu.be/7yV6V6rtpyc

[melv16]

The plastic bottle feeder would last about 5mins in my garden due to squirrels.

[Helenafiona]

I had never seen a goldfinch until I put a proper feeder full of sunflower hearts hanging from a tree and now I can have up to 20 all trying to feed from it!