Is the person to speak to at the BTO. All the lit I have found is paywalled, if you get to your uni library its all there tho. If you are looking for somethign that says 'its fine to carry on using the feeders' it might take a while!
I don't think it is fine to carry on using feeders, I think?
I found thisÂ
RSPB Research Report 85
It's ok but quite a lot of the research is difficult to draw conclusion from as quite a lot was from other countries where they used completely different food type to feed birds etc.
I also wonder why goldfinches seem to thrive using feeders where other finches don't.
I stopped about 2 weeks ago and let the feeders run out over a few days. Probably had a week empty now.
We seem to still have lots of birds around but not the diversity - no finches or siskin, mostly blue tits and wagtails. Damn pheasant has cleared off too
This week has seen the air filled with various insect life which is a throwback to growing up in the 70s and 80s when cycling down the lanes was a mouth and eye filling cloud of bugs
On the plus side my two year old hedge is now seeing regular bird activities and we have a wagtail nest in the shed, which is quite exciting. I also planted a Blackthorn thicket this winter which will hopefully become good nesting scrub over time
I stopped about 2 weeks ago and let the feeders run out over a few days. Probably had a week empty now.
We seem to still have lots of birds around but not the diversity - no finches or siskin, mostly blue tits and wagtails. Damn pheasant has cleared off too
This week has seen the air filled with various insect life which is a throwback to growing up in the 70s and 80s when cycling down the lanes was a mouth and eye filling cloud of bugs
On the plus side my two year old hedge is now seeing regular bird activities and we have a wagtail nest in the shed, which is quite exciting. I also planted a Blackthorn thicket this winter which will hopefully become good nesting scrub over time
In our newest RSPB magazine the advice is:- Feed seasonally from....
1st November to 30th April, provide seeds, peanuts, suet/fat and mealworms.
1st May to 31st October, pause feeding, seed and peanuts.
Provide natural sources of food through planting in your gardens or balconies.
Feed safer,
Feed small amounts at a time.
Make sure seed is not accumulating on the ground below feeders.
Only offer water if you're able to change it everyday, and tap water is likely better.
Also advice is not to have any 'flat feeders' eg bird tables or feeding on the ground.
Obviously feeders should be cleaned thoroughly (we have a rotation system) and bird baths and any water containers cleaned too.
One feeder is now completely empty and the other is on its last few mouthfuls. I'm missing the siskins and greenfinches, the bullfinches are still around and this morning a sparrowhawk did a tour of the feeders (at high speed) without success.
A quote from the Chief Executive of the RSPB Beccy Speight - "You can be at the forefront of this movement for positive change. Protecting the birds we love means being willing to adapt and change how we help".
