Bird Feeders

Bird feeders are an extremely popular way of feeding the birds in your garden. Not only are they cheap to make or buy but you can hang a variety of them up to attract lots of different species of birds. 

If you want to attract more birds to your garden and do your bit for the local wildlife population then hang up a few bird feeders and you will soon start to see an increase in visitors. 

There are many different types of bird feeder that you can put in your garden and all will attract different species of birds.

These are some of the more common bird feeders:

Mesh feeders: These can be filled with whole peanuts and are useful for attracting tits and nuthatches. Do not use in the breeding season when baby birds can choke on the nuts and make sure that the feeder is not made from nylon which a bird can get caught in.

Seed feeders: A seed feeder has smaller holes than a mesh feeder and is specially designed for holding bird seed. Seed feeders with very fine holes are ideal for niger seed which will attract goldfinches. You could also use a seed tray for attracting ground feeding birds. 

Fat feeders: You can buy many different types of fat feeders from specialist bird suppliers and garden centres including suet balls and fat cakes. However, it is very simple to make your own fat feeder. Below are a number of suggestions for making fat feeders from left over kitchen scraps.

Ground feeders: These are special trays that go on the ground to attract birds such as thrushes and blackbirds. You can buy special cages that go over ground feeders that are big enough to let the birds through but too small for squirrels and other predators to get at the food. 

Although you can buy fat feeders it is very simple to make your own. Not only is it a good way to get rid of leftover food but children will enjoy making them and it's a good way of introducing them to birds and nature.

You will need an old plastic drinks bottle, milk carton or yoghurt pot. Cut a hole in it so that the birds can reach the food. 

Melt down some lard or suet until soft and mix in bird seed, raisins, crushed nuts, bits of bacon and grated cheese. You can add some chilli powder to the mix which will prevent squirrels from eating it. 

Press the fat mixture into your chosen container and leave to cool. Once it is set you can attach a piece of twine to your feeder and hang from a branch or post. 

There are a number of other simple bird feeders you can make:

Cover a pine cone in peanut butter and roll in bird seed.

Spread a piece of toast with dripping and sprinkle on some seed or raisins.

Cut a coconut in half and smear with fat.

Wherever you hang your bird feeder make sure that it is somewhere that predators cannot get at and the birds can enjoy their feed in peace. Fat feeders are especially important in the winter months when birds need lots of energy to survive the cold. 

Niger seed is an oil-rich tonic full of essential nutrients and is adored by finches. It has been used for a number of years in North America and is now gaining popularity in Europe.

If you want to attract goldfinches into your garden then hang a few niger seed feeders and it won't be long before you are being charmed by their colourful displays.

Niger seed feeders have smaller ports on them to allow the fine seed through. Choose one that has perches on it so that the goldfinches are able to get at the seed easily. The more ports you have on your niger seed feeder the more goldfinches you are likely to see feed at it at anyone time. 

Niger seed is also known as nyger, ramtil, inga and black seed and although it is sometimes called thistle seed this is wrong as the plant is not a thistle. You need to ensure that as with any bird seed you buy niger from a reputable supplier and that it has been sterilised so as not to allow any non-native infections to invade your garden and surrounding area.