Birdfeeding - how to succeed

In order to succeed, you should start early. Then friends "the regulars" make sure that there is food at your place. The composition of the regulars varies. In residential areas and other city environments, it often involves house sparrows or finches. In more rural environments, it is tits and occasionally finches. These are birds that nest nearby and stay in the area all year round. Getting them on your side is important because they attract more random visitors. If a passing flock of bullfinches sees that there is heavy traffic at the bird feeder, they will often settle down to take part in what is offered.

Different types of birds like different types of food. Here are some tips:Sunflower seeds - Greenfinch, bullfinch, Eurasian jay, great tit, woodpecker.Oats, bread crumbs, cooked unsalted rice - Yellowhammer, house sparrow, Eurasian collared dove, rock pigeon.Wild birdseed, caged bird seed, flax seeds - House sparrow, tree sparrow, chaffinch, brambling, greenfinch, redpoll, siskin, dunnock.Beech nuts - Chaffinch, brambling, woodpecker.Acorns - Eurasian jay, nutcracker, rock pigeon, woodpecker.Hazelnuts - Nutcracker, nutcracker, woodpecker, greater spotted woodpecker.Peanuts - Most tits, woodpeckers, siskin.Suet, lard, coconut fat - Blue tit, great tit, kingfisher, greater spotted woodpecker, nutcracker, magpie, treecreeper.Apple, pear, banana, rowan berries, medlar - Thrush, waxwing, starling.Remember not to feed birds with food containing salt, moldy bread, or bread with saffron. If you want to give them something extra special, they like butter/margarine and raisins. Butter and margarine contain a little salt, but not more than birds can tolerate.