Are fat balls poisonous to dogs, Mups?
It’s the high fat content Tiff.
I don’t use them for that reason.
Here’s a bit of info here:
" Fat balls for wild birds - the inherently high fat content makes these very attractive to dogs, but if eaten could result in pancreatitis. Store fat balls safely away from your dog, and site the feeders high up and out of reach."
I didn’t know that, I don’t have a dog now, but it’s good advice.
The rat I saw, Tiff, was out in the day,it had a dead bird in its mouth, plus I saw it walking along the top of my fence,:shock:
But then, how would I know it was the same one, I tell you, it was huge!..
When I fed my birds, their favourite was sunflower hearts, the problem was, I also had pigeons, they would sit on the top of my tv Ariel ,my decking is directly under it, when they poo it went all over my decking,…if i didn’t clean up behind them every day, especially in the summer, if that poo dried, what a job I had getting it off.
That reminds me, I must check to see if they have still been sitting up there, as I haven’t fed the birds in months, I haven’t checked my decking in ages.
Did you stop because of seeing a rat as well?
Today I have a Robin, a Great Tit, a Blue Tit, a Blackbird, a Blackcap & a charm of Goldfinches in my garden, plus the usual Corvids. Word is getting round that there is food here.
I did indeed, yes, it doesn’t take long for the birds to find food, especially in this weather.
You have some lovely birds, visiting your garden.
We were awoken to an awful racket.Two young Black Cockatoos demanding to be fed by their parents and they were all in the tree outside our window.They like the small grubs under the bark and it took a long time before they were satisfied.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a bBack Cockatoo, I’ll have to google that.
Just had a look, and I think the other colours are much prettier.
We have the Sulphur-Crested ones too.But the black ones are less common around here.At least they were but trees are being cut down everywhere and they are having to go further afield for their food.
Gosh how lucky you are these are quite a rare bird .
My garden now is shades of Alfred Hitchcock back yard with the corvids
But they are eating stuff like no tomorrow I shall have to elk it out somewhat under the next delivery comes
We rarely ever saw them but the pine trees which were planted as wind breaks year ago are being cut down everywhere.They like the seeds in pine cones and we’ve still got some trees left around here and we are benefiting from their search for food.So it’s not good really.
That sounds scary. We only get those occasionally and usually just the one. They frighten the little birds away and even the squirrels run off.
The garden is alive all the time with squirrels, small birds, some pigeons. In the Autumn my favourite were two visiting Jays. So beautiful. They like peanuts and sunflower hearts but for some reason none of them like the mixed birdseeds much.
I don’t put peanuts out because they get left and go mouldy which is bad for birds. We used to have a squirrel a few years back ( he liked the peanuts ) but he doesn’t come anymore.
Yes the rooks jackdaws and crows come like a black cloud in large nos but they don’t eat the small seeds so the little birds come out once they are gone .
I also put out Niger seeds as I understand finches like them but they seem to get left .
Haven’t seen a jay for years .
Same happens here with the Niger seed Muddy, it always got left so I don’t buy it any more.
How brilliant to get Cockatoos in the garden.
Same here, they frighten off the little birds too.
I saw a Squirrel just now i next doors garden, but it didn’t come here, don’t think it’s twigged yet that I have food now.
I find peanuts don’t get eaten too. Niger seeds too, they used to be eaten by the Goldfinches, but now they seem to prefer husk free Sunflower seeds.
I have no idea why the Goldfinches don’t eat the Niger now.
The male Blackcap came back.
I have never seen a blackcap .
We get them in Winter, Muddy, most of the year they live in woodland, but they’ve learnt that gardens have food when they can’t find it anywhere else.
A few years ago & the first & only time I saw both male & female together. The female has a brown head. I think they mate for life.