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Our ladybirds seem to be choosing strange places to hibernate this year - here a group have decided on one of the metal plant stakes;
not much plants yet
Our ladybirds seem to be choosing strange places to hibernate this year - here a group have decided on one of the metal plant stakes; (Attachment Link)
Hi bird watchers. It’s nature watch time.I have a large Bramley apple tree, maybe 70 years plus old. Hanging from it are 3 bird seed feeders. 2 identical spring loaded anti-squirrel types and 1 caged to keep them out, all with clear plastic tubes. They are each ~10 feet apart. I normally only feed with hulled sun-flower seed, so essentially all are identical. After a time they get quite grubby, partly from grease from the seed and dirt in general that you would expect from 100’s of bird visits. I clean them every so often of course. The grease from the seed takes some cleaning off.Often I notice that 1 of the feeders attracts little attention, (or conversely all the attention) and when I fill them up maybe 2 are empty and the other almost full. I used to think this was the position as 1 is close to the hedge, 1 in clear open space beneath the centre of the tree, and the other nearer the house. I cleaned 2 of them a couple of weeks ago but left the other, less dirty, until later. I have only recently realised that it is the 2 clean feeders with visibly clearer tubes that get all the attention. If I swap them around the birds change which ones they use within an hour or so and the grubby one is left almost full. It works every time. Even when 2 are completely empty there are few if any small birds on the grubby one. Just a Greater Spotted Woodpecker left feeding this afternoon. No small birds at all.Who would have thought that garden birds were that choosy about free food? I assume it is because the grease that comes out of the seed stops a clear vision and they don’t recognise the seed. Any other ideas?
