Feeders at the Ready

With the change in the weather there have been more birds visiting the feeders so it was time to check them over and top them up. A new(ish) feeder is this one:



It holds jars of peanut butter specially formulated for birds. Peanut butter for human consumption can have too much salt for feeding to birds. I get the pots from CJ Wildlife:



I did have it set up under the bird table over the Summer but it was ignored there and the contents went mouldy. I though I would try it on the side of the shed not far from the traditional feeders.

Rod, Pole or Perch

I wonder whether that title conjures up memories of using Imperial measures in maths lessons for those of a similar age to myself. Relax, no maths today though. I have seen what looks like a few beak marks in the top jar of the peanut feeder. Since I received the feeder I have had some doubts as to how easy it is for birds to actually get at the jars once they are inside the cage. To my mind it really needs a perch or two to make things easier for them. To that end I have installed a length of wood - one of several uses I find for spent rocket firework sticks found after Bonfire Night or New Year celebrations.



If that works I will install another perch near the bottom two jars.

For those not familiar with our old Imperial units of measurement there is a useful web page HERE which gives some insight into their origins. I wonder how many younger people know that the length of an adult cricket wicket is one chain. (1 chain = 22 yards = 4 rods)

On the weather front - I repaired the heater just in time
 

It is hovering around 0C this morning.

Enticement

Still no takers for the peanut butter feeder. Not a single beak mark.
It always takes time for birds to try out new feeders so I though I would add an enticement.



I've hung a fat ball feeder underneath as they are used to those.
As you can see the jars of peanut butter are well back from the front of the cage.
Even the long Magpie beak couldn't reach through far enough.

Not What I Expected

I spotted only one visitor to the new feeder yesterday.
I had expected it to be a House Sparrow or Blue Tit not ......



...... a Magpie.
It did its best to get its head through the bars but left empty beaked.
As far as I could tell it was the only visitor.
There were no beak marks in any of the jars of peanut butter.
Early days yet. It had only been up for a few hours.

The bird table has had lots of activity, mainly House Sparrows, Starlings and Blue Tits.
An occasional visitor is a Coal Tit.

 

As is usual at this time of year the Coal Tit will take black Sunflower seeds and hide them in the ground or in a crevice in a tree trunk. I have watched them do both in previous Winters.

New Feeder

Today I took delivery of a new bird feeder from C J Wildlife, where I purchase most of my bird food and feeders. Fast next day service with free carriage on all orders until the end of the year.



This one is designed to hold jars of peanut butter. This is specially made for birds and comes in several varieties.



Most peanut butter for human consumption is not usable as it contains added salt.

This feeder can hold three jars and has a guard to let smaller birds have a chance of feeding.
Here it is fitted to the end of my shed





Now I wait to see who will be the first to try it out. A few years ago I tried a single jar open feeder. The Starlings soon found it and the jar was empty in less than a week.

A Pine Cone Treat

I was looking through some of the ideas on the Instructables site when I came across an idea for making a pine cone treat for the birds. There were  few different suggestions which all used peanut butter and added seeds. The only problem I have with that idea is the use of peanut butter made for human consumption. Most varieties will have added salt which is not a good idea for bird feed so I decided to use some of the peanut butter I have which is specially made for birds:



Swings and roundabouts here - peanut butter for humans is reasonably soft and easy to smear but that made for the birds is much harder so the first job was to stand the jar in warm water to soften it up a bit:

   

Next raid my collection of cones to find a nice open one:



Now for the messy job - use a knife to wedge pieces of peanut butter well in the cone and attach a length of string to hang it up:



Finally hang it under my home made log peanut butter feeder and wait to see whether there are any takers.

   

Why a new peanut butter feeder? Hopefully this one will be more difficult for the raiding Starlings to grab everything which is going and let the smaller birds have a chance for a high energy treat in this cold weather.

More about my peanut butter log feeder can be seen HERE.

Friday at the Flicks - Starlings + Peanut Butter

 




The last bit of video was so short I slowed it down to about one third speed.

Peanut Butter for Birds

Now we are nearing colder weather I decided to start adding peanut butter to the Birdy Bistro range of feeders so I looked out the log feeders I made a few years ago. One has one inch holes, the other half inch holes, to hold the peanut butter:

   

 Photo form 2012:



The main thing to keep in mind when choosing a peanut butter is that most made for human consumption must not be used as they have added salt. Here are two types I use:



The one on the left is specially made for birds and costs up to £2.49 for a 330g jar. On the right is a variety for humans which has no added salt and costs around £5 for a 1Kg tub. The CJ Wildlife contents are finely ground, fairly dry and crumbly whereas the Meridian Foods one is much softer to handle though with larger peanut pieces.

This year I have hung the logs together and put them with the other feeders.
In the past they were hung in a different part of the garden.




It takes a while for the birds to get used to them being there but once the Starlings find the peanut butter it won't last very long. Blue and Great Tits also like it as does the occasional passing Great Spotted Woodpecker. Some people spread the peanut butter in the bark on tree branches for the more timid birds to enjoy a high energy treat.

Less than 24hrs later there was never a doubt about which birds would be first:

 





It can be a bit of a messy job stuffing the peanut butter in the holes, usually every day, but worth it to help birds through bad weather with an energy boost and for the entertainment value watching the antics of Starlings as they work out the best way to get at the goods.

Friday at the Flicks - Hungry Starlings

About a week ago I dug out the home made log feeders which have peanut butter in holes for birds to dig out. The intention being to try attracting more visits from a Great Spotted Woodpecker. It took most of the week before anything was bold enough to try them out and then it was the Starlings which have started visiting in larger, greedy, squabbling numbers.




Remember - if you are going to put out some peanut butter use an unsalted variety. Most of that made for human consumption has added salt which is bad for the birds.



These are the two varieties I have used.

Friday at the Flicks - Those LTTs Again

During the week I made another log feeder for the peanut butter. Also I now have two varieties of the butter. A few days ago Shirl (of Shirl's Gardenwatch ) mentioned the variety she uses so I had a look on the net to see if it was available mail order. Not only did I find several places where it could be ordered but it was better value, money wise, than that sold specifically for birds.





On the left is the 330g jar of peanut butter for birds at £2.99

On the right a 1Kg tub of pure unsalted peanut butter at £5.49












The new peanut butter feeder. Made with smalller holes, half inch diameter instead of one inch. It is taking a while for the birds to get used to the new peanut butter but, like most new foods, it is slowly catching on.







A quick capture of a few Long Tailed Tits sampling the new stuff.




Have a great weekend observing the wildlife around you.

Female Great Spotted Woodpecker

Talk about being in the right place at the right time ..... I was literally just positioning the camcorder to video anything of interest attracted by my home made peanut butter feeder when a female Great Spotted Woodpecker arrived. At least, I assume it was a female and not a juvenile. The adult male has a red patch on the back of its neck.

This one stayed for a couple of minutes and was the first bird I have seen see off a Starling which tried to barge in on the act. Just as well as once the Starling brat pack arrives it is difficult for other birds to get a look in.



Audio track was made using the Animoog app on an iPad2
The peanut butter used is specially formulated without salt for feeding to wildlife. Many varieties made for human consumption have added salt which is not good for the birds.
It looks as though I got the length of the log just about right as woodpeckers press their tail feathers against the wood for balance as they cling on.

Determined Magpie

Where there's a will there's a way!
If you can't cling on to a vertical surface to get at the peanut butter, use the battering ram technique:



Video processed at half speed.

Blue Tit at the Peanut Butter Feeder

A regular visitor to the home made feeder.
I have also seen them use the commercial feeder as well.



Really pleased today when I spotted a whole bunch of Long Tailed Tits descend on a peanut feeder. No photo though there may be some video for Friday.

Who Will be the First?

An extra feeder put up yesterday. A new item from CJ Wildlife, my regular bird food supplier. This is a well built hefty metal bracket which holds a jar of peanut butter. These jars are filled with peanut butter which doesn't contain the salt the human variety has. There is a bolt at the top which is gently screwed down on the neck of the jar and stops it from falling out.



I wonder who will be the first to find,  investigate and try it out.
Although there is a bit of a 'perch' under the jar I think it needs a bit of tinkering as the metal coating is very smooth and slippery. Maybe a felt or rubber pad to give a bit of traction.