View Full Version : Hungy birds - help please
Since the little upstairs shop in Wick Market Place closed I've been going to Jimbews in Thurso for my bird food as it seems about the best and cheapest (although I know people who disagree). I'm trying to save petrol and as I'm in Wick more often than Thurso it seems silly going to Thurso just for this so can anyone recommend somewhere in Wick that I can buy nuts and seed in reasonable quantity? They get a bit cross when I don't keep the feeders topped up. Thanks
the ironmongers and the 99p shop in wick both sell seeds and nuts but cost more than jim Bews in thurso. I go to thurso a lot and buy a big bag of mixed seeds there and would be happy to get some for you next time i am there, probably tomorrow????
Thanks Fran, that would be great. I usually buy a big bag of small seed and one of nuts. I do go to Thurso sometimes but not this week and I've run out completely. I'll be in Wick on Wednesday from mid-morning. Do you want to pm me so I can pick them up? I'll tell the birds help is on its way :o)
I buy my wild bird food from Pultneytown Garden Centre as it is really good quality and reasonably priced.
I can't remember whether it is a 10 or 15kg bag for just under £10.
Also, if you buy peanuts etc in bulk you get it cheaper.
Hope this helps.:grin:
Thats very handy to know Liz, thankyou, i hadn't thought of going there, i will compare prices.
CorneliusC
20-Feb-06, 14:33
If you want to buy good quality stuff in bulk, these people are great: http://www.birdfood.co.uk. Delivery is sometimes just the next day (though possibly not up to Caithness!) It's not cheap, but get's better value for money the more you buy.
Badger,
Have you considered buying your seed by phone or over the net?
CJ Wildbird Foods do delivery in the UK with orders above £50 being free.
www.birdfood.co.uk
Oops - CorneliusC beat me to it - but having two folk suggest the same place can't be a bad thing....:D
I used to order from CJ Wildbirdfoods but Pultneytown Garden Centre is cheaper and also really good quality. I think some of her feed is Ernest Charles which is a reputable company.
C J Wildbirdfoods are really good for feeders etc though.
Trouble with some foods is down to the quality - the market was flooded with cheap peanuts a while back which had high traces of aflatoxins. I guess paying a bit more might reduce this risk.
Trouble with some foods is down to the quality - the market was flooded with cheap peanuts a while back which had high traces of aflatoxins. I guess paying a bit more might reduce this risk.
Totally agree with you. It is awful to think there are foods on the market which are actually harmful to wild birds and others which are such poor quality that they have no nutritional value at all.
As I said though the food on sale at Pultneytown Garden Centre is Ernest Charles who are a well established company with quality food.
Thanks everyone. Didn't realise Pulteneytown was still there as it's been on the market for a while but will have a look when I'm in Wick. Did wonder about buying online so will also look at that. Been a bit unlucky lately in that direction as I ordered some feeders because I couldn't find anything I liked locally - first they said the ones I ordered were discontinued, then they sent one unpainted (it's sort of silver) and it's rusting already. The painted one is fine so may have to complain again. Also ordered some biscuits I couldn't get locally and received 10 tubes anchovy paste [mad] . Yuk. What might turn up if I order bird seed? I'll look at the website and compare with PGC.
I do hope those little birds appreciate all this effort.
Hi Badger
Yes PGC is on the market but even when it is sold should still set pet and bird supplies.
Looking at CJ Wildbirdfoods website again their prices are actually quite reasonable.
I can vouch for the quality of all their products and excellent customer service.
It is a good idea to add Oystershell grit (or some kind of calcium) to the food as this helps with egg production. You just need to add a wee bit to the food but I see that CJ Wildbirdfoods have some food with this in it already.
I can also recommend the hygiene products they sell. Can't remember the name of the product but they have a powder which you sprinkle all around the feeding area. It lasts for ages only using it once a week.
Sure your feathered friends will appreciate it!:lol:
Thanks Liz - had a look at the site and looks very good. Think I'll give PGC a go, in the interests of supporting local shops [smirk] but have put the site in my favourites just in case. Also made a note of your advice. I have a lovely flock of finches (various) so want to keep them happy.
Castletown garden centre has wild bird food too. Your lucky Badger - I'd love to attract finches to my garden. Does anyone in Wick get them or are they more in rural parts?
Hadn't thought of Castletown although I've bought plants there. Be much closer for me if their prices are OK. I have a small wood and think the finches live there judging by the racket that comes from it. Also neighbour with chickens and ducks so they pick up feed there. Wish I knew more about birds as they are so pretty. My garden is a firmly cat-free area.
Wish I knew more about birds as they are so pretty.
Join the RSPB?
Yes you're right. I know. I should. My daughter gets frightfully cross when she visits and I don't know enough about the native birds. Maybe I'll go to an evening class, or buy a book, or look online, or something. I am ashamed of my ignorance - it's embarrassing. :(
CorneliusC
20-Feb-06, 16:59
I've spent £££ with CJ over the years, but their stuff is really good. All the feeders are RSPB-approved and sturdily built, and there is a lot of useful information in their catalogues and on their website.
It's especially useful to me to be able to buy high energy and "no mess" foods, such as peanut granules and sunflower hearts; you don't end up with e.g. sunflower shells all over your lawn, and the lack of cereal in the standard mixes discourages pigeons. I chuck the robin or ground-feeder blend on the lawn, and then make my own mixture up for a main seed-dispenser, alongside nyger seed, peanuts, different varieties of peanut cakes and apples.
Badger - if you have some goldfinches in your flock, they would really appreciate some nyger seed, but you'll probably need to get a special feeder for it, as the seed is very fine/flyaway. A tray underneath is useful to catch the strays and provides more of a perch for the birds too.
Being consistent with feeding does pay off - my little garden off quite a busy road near Watford has had reed buntings and both coal and long-tailed tits this year, alongside the usual suspects. If you're keen - join the BTO's Garden Birdwatch scheme, which helps build up a picture of the UK's bird life.
Trouble is - to be perfectly honest - I'm not a keen birdwatcher. I just like to see them out of the windows and feel guilty if they're not regularly fed. I don't have pets because I don't want the commitment so suppose they're the nearest thing - that and the frog in the teeny pond I built for it. Love frogs. Don't really mind the moles but they never come out to chat.
Badger I'm like you in that I know very little about birds and to be honest it doesn't really matter. It's enough that you are kind enough to feed them.
I agree they do become like your 'pets'.:o)
I get chaffinches, greenfinch, sparrows, starling, collared doves and dunnocks in my garden. Did get some beautiful goldfinch when my garden was full of dandelions! Might try the Niger seed to see whether this will attract them again.
Cornelius C I would love to buy the 'no mess' variety but it is very expensive and I go through two big bags of seed and a lot of sunflower seeds, fat balls and peanuts per week so can't afford to spend more!
Good luck with your search.
cuddlepop
20-Feb-06, 19:43
Is it true that if you start feeding the birds in your garden regularly then you should continue all winter?What happens if you go away?Ifill the feeders but the crows just dive bomb them,any suggestions would be helpful.
We're convinced one of the baby birds we rescued in late spring cant fly very well and is living in our headgerow.... dont want it to go hungry but it tends to get picked on[para]
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