Garden Birds

[Bill]

Just to say this weather is better for ducks than our usual visitors! It's been so wet I haven't been able to re-fill their feed. The wind was so strong last night that we've lost our tv reception. What a good thing I've got time to sort it before the last Autumnwatch!

[Slothette]

Lol...hope you manage to sort your tv. You can't miss Autumnwatch! The weathers been terrible here too....the birds dont seem to mind though....Lex

[magpie girl]

well today ive been out to the lake near were i live to feed the ducks,geese,swans,coots and moore hens.The poor things were starving today.If any one has cereal thats not getting eaten please put it out for the birds,this weather is really taking its tole on the wildlife.I made 20 fat balls using palm oil and hung aload from trees in my area,its a good job my parrots dont mind sharing

[Slothette]

hi Magpie...i live near to a canal and often take bread and seed to the ducks, geese and swans.

How do you make fat balls from palm oil? I havent heard of that before. I use lard for mine....take care, Lex xx

[kazzie]

Can I please have the recipe magpie

Last fatty thing I put on tree was ignored and melted in summer lol

Kaz x x x x

[Slothette]

Hi Kaz....mine always melt in the summer and go green..lol xx

[Bill]

I did try fatballs but for some reason the birds ignored them and the only thing they did attract was the dog who kept sniffing the air trying to reach them! They eventually went rock hard so I had to chuck them. Mind you, the dog's always sniffing around for anything the birds drop. Have you noticed that when a sparrow picks out food it scatters them whereas the blue tits select one and are very neat!? You can tell where the sparrows feed because the grass is growing nicely!

[magpie girl]

palm nuts are what african greys eat in the wild,and palm oil is abstracted from the nuts.You can buy it from asda in a jar and its bright orange with little white balls in it !!!!!!,I melt it down just like lard or just mix it up in a bowl,i add nuts seeds corn,bacon rind cereal crackers anything you can break down.Then i just grab a handful and make it like a dumpling. In the winter i keep all the tubes from the cling film and foil roll them in honey then roll them in seeds and nuts and put in the fridge to harden then poke holes in the top for string I also put honey and seed in old yogurt pots once they harden just cut the pot off simples

[Slothette]

Hi Bill...yes I noticed how nice and neat the blue tits are. The goldfinches are messy too. They drop seed everywhere. Quite a few greenfinches came today and sat on the feeders for ages until the big ginger cat down the road appeared and started licking his lips...lol

Just wanted to say that I also use bird watching as a distraction technique. Say for instance I'm a passenger in a car on the motorway, I will spend time counting and identifying as many birds as possible. Seems to work and stops me panicking!


Hi magpie....I'm definately gonna try that fat ball recipe. I will get some of that palm oil when I'm next in Asda and give it a whirl. I will let you know how I get on....thanks for that

[kazzie]

Cheers will give it a go

Kaz x x x