Feeding the birds (1 Viewer)

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

On the news a few days ago,it said to wet the bread first.

 

[тхеодоре кацзынски]

On the news a few days ago,it said to wet the bread first.

surely the bread will just freeze up though?
ill try remember to feed those pigeons who gather every morning outside my window in future.

 

[GARYXKNIFEDX]

That's what I thought,but they said it.

 

[magicbastarder]

the fuckers haven't noticed the fat balls or peanuts we've left out for them.

fantastic deals on bird feeders in mr. middletons on mary street at the moment...

 

[ann post]

doth bread contain salt???

 

[nooleen]

that'll keep the freezing point down so

 

[Pedronimus]

oullfella (he writes nature columns) was saying he has really high hopes that the new zealand worms* will perish in this big freeze due to naivety.

*they were introduced at some point to kill some type of bug/plant, now they are beating the fuck into irish worms.

My da loves worms but he doesn't write nature columns. Is there anyway to tell the difference between the Irish and the New Zealand worms?

 

[nooleen]

blegh

http://www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/flatworm.htm

ugly buggers

 

[psyzzle wazzle]

the fuckers haven't noticed the fat balls or peanuts we've left out for them.

i saw something on telly last week about fat balls being bad for birds and that you shouldn't feed them it. sure they love peanuts though..

 

[ann post]

this is lifted directly from birdwatchireland.ie

think i was wrong about the feeding / breeding cutoff point previously in the thread.

The menu is easy. Wild bird seed, peanuts and sunflower seed can found in local supermarkets and garden shops, as can the special wire or plastic feeders that they should be put in; these feeders can then be suspended from tree branches or a bird table. Apples, whether cut in half and speared on branches or just left out whole on the lawn, are also a great source of food, particularly for Blackbirds and other members of the thrush family, as well as Blackcaps (small warblers that have only recently begun to spend the winter in Ireland). Kitchen scraps, such as bacon rinds, cheese (particularly loved by Robins), suet, raisins, moistened bread, melon seeds, fruit, stale cake, cooked potato, oatmeal, fresh coconut and uncooked pastry, also make welcome meals. Fat is an especially important source of energy for birds, so please don’t waste it! Lumps of suet may be hung out on strings or in plastic mesh vegetable containers, and meat trimmings, bacon rinds and other scraps will also be eaten. Melted fat may be poured over bread or cake scraps to make “bird cake”.

There are a couple of items which should never be fed to birds. These include desiccated (dried) coconut, uncooked rice or dry bread, which may swell up in the bird’s stomach.

It is equally as important to ensure that your garden birds have a constant supply of fresh drinking water, something that can be very hard for them to find when ponds and puddles are frozen over. As well as needing to drink it, they also need it for bathing, to ensure that their feathers are kept clean so that they will insulate them effectively against the cold weather. A simple bird-bath can be made from an inverted dustbin lid sunk into the ground; remember to keep the surface ice free.

Once you begin to feed the birds they quickly become dependent on you, so please be sure to continue feeding right through to mid-spring. For further information on what you can do to help the birds around your home, please have a look at our Garden Bird Factsheets page and Garden Bird FAQ.

 

[therealjohnny]

Is there anyway to tell the difference between the Irish and the New Zealand worms?

the trick is to ask them if they are Australian- if they appear annoyed then you've got yourself a kiwi mister

 

[Pedronimus]

I'll tell my Da so.