Last Sunday afternoon we watched Disney's Mary Poppins (1964) on terrestrial tv and perhaps subliminally I got the message to 'feed the birds'. Fat-balls, even at the bargain price of two packs for one, cost considerably more than tuppence a bag and I was initially disappointed to see that apart from the bluetits there was no return on my outlay. So it was time for a rethink.
Over to my husband to rejig what had been handed on to us to make it more accessible for small birds. The double cage structure (possibly squirrel-proofing?) disappeared, the inside was retained and what he labelled a 'budgie perch' made of some old garden stick was attached.
Down to me then to re-read the packet instructions and ask him, nicely, to reposition the holder we inherited from one of our gardening customers closer to the hedge to give our avian visitors a better feeling of security. A few additional pieces of useful string (thanks to my niece) and our redesigned feeder was ready.
This time we have been rewarded. We have seen a pair of nuthatches, bluetits, coal tits and long-tailed tits plus hedge sparrows. It is a delight to watch them alight on the landing stick and then balance on the wire. The blackbirds, who are too heavy for the budgie perch, peck around at the bottom eating up the crumbs that fall and then fly to the raised beds and happily turn them over in search of insects.
The robins are bobbing along our fence. The woodpigeons roost high up in the trees in the park, coming down to flap about in the ivy. Long may they remain there. Unlike Disney's lyricists I do not love pigeons.
PS It has taken the blackbirds less than a day to work out how to land on the perch.
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