My birds are conservative.

Finch
Last summer my husband and I visited Scotland. We took a long walk in the pouring rain. (We ignored the rain) At some point we passed by a house with a bird feeding station on the drive. More than 25 birds flew back and forth and another 25 birds were scurrying on the ground underneath. I wanted to know more about that!

The owner of this bird feeding station arrived just at the moment we were watching the birds. Proudly he told us about the large numbers of birds in his garden. I asked him what he was feeding his birds. It turned out to be niger seed, from Africa.

Niger seed. That was new to me. But the next day I found a store where those seeds were for sale. So I bought myself a bag of 2 kg of those niger seeds and put it in the backpack of my husband who, without a murmur, carried it the whole day. Also I purchased a bird feeding station. As I tell the saleswoman that I will feed niger seed to the birds, she replies: "Niger seed? That's what the birds love best. If you do so, your birds will become so thick that they will not be able to fly anymore ". So as you all will understand, my expectations were sky-high.

Back home I place the bird feeding station in front of the kitchen window. I put the niger seed in the specially purchased holder. And wait.

I wait one week, two weeks, three weeks, four weeks, five weeks ..... Nothing happens!

Then I buy some sunflower seeds and hang these in the bird feeding station. Immediately it gets busy. Great tits fly off and on. This bustle around the bird feeding station has drawn the attention of my neighbours’ cat too. Every day he sneaks under the yew and lurks ... I am witnessing an almost accident. Fortunately, the bird is quicker.

Sporadically, a great tit looks at the niger seed. I hear him think: "Niger seeds? Nèh ".  And without tasting, it flies back to the sunflower seeds.

Beside the fact that a lot is happening around my bird feeding station, after three months of observation my conclusion is:

I probably will be stuck with two kilos of niger seed. Because for the conservative birds that visit my garden it is: unknown, unloved, unwanted!
My feeding station
My feeding station
blue tit
Blue tit
blue tit
Blue tit likes mixed seeds
Finch
Finch
Black bird
Black bird, looks a bit tatty
Dunnock, Hedge sparrow
Dunnock, Hedge sparrow
Cat
The cat of our neighbors 
Cat
And another even more dangerous cat!
Niger seed
Niger seed
Niger seed






Comments

  1. My recent blog post is on the birds at my feeder. I use black sunflower seeds and corn. I also use suet for the cold winter months. Niger seed is available in my region but it is quite pricey and like you my birds don't seem to like it. I am sending a link to my blog if you wish to view it. This is Eastern Canada. Take care..Thelma..
    https://thelma-day.blogspot.com/2018/12/birds-at-feeder.html

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  2. Hetty, that is just so funny! Who knew that birds could be so persnickety? And that feeding station is very attractive, I must say. I have never tried putting out a bird feeder here because I have a problem with pigeons. Last year, they completely destroyed one of my new porch sofa seat cushions. Instead of a bird feeder, we have been joking about getting a shotgun!

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