Bird food. How much?

[Tim Hall]

We have a selection of bird feeders in the front and back gardens. Seeds, peanuts, fat balls.

On the way back from the butcher this morning, we dropped in to the garden centre and bought a Big Sack of mixed seed and a 500g bag of dried mealworm.  Or didn't.  When we got to the till the total was over 40 quid. With the seed at 18 quid or so, it turned out the 500g of meal worm was a bit north of twenty notes. That's forty quid a kilo.  Back on the shelf with it.

Sirloin steak at the butcher was less than that.

[bumper]

Mealworms are now a special treat for our birds, again £19 per large bag. 20kg bags of mixed seed are £15 which isn't  too bad but all mixes these days are full of oats to make the weight up, not much eats them!

Black sunflowers or sunflower hearts are best value, more expensive but with no waste. It's an expensive purchase these days.

[Mrs Pingu]

The last place Pingu bought seed from grows it's own. They send out a little newsletter and it said that this years weather meant that most of their crop had failed so I expect the price of bird seed will be through the roof this year.

[Mrs Pingu]

19 squids for 800g at Wiggly Wigglers. They also do grow your own
http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/product.html?product_id=19&-session=shopper:577230DE04f592262DRot14FD946
http://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/shop/product.html?product_id=10&-session=shopper:577230DE04f592262DRot14FD946

[Canardly]

Decent mix of seeds hereabouts is £13 for 20 kilos. Agree increasing use of bulking agents tho.

[numbnuts]

Do we really have to feed the birds, why not let nature take it's course, we do for all the animals in the woods.

[Biggsy]

My neighbours put out tons of food.  Assming it's the right sort, can it ever be too much, or do birds have more sense than dogs and not over-eat?

Do we really have to feed the birds, why not let nature take it's course, we do for all the animals in the woods.

Depends if you want certain species to die out from the destruction of their enviroments by humans.  You can say: so be it, humans are part of nature.  Or you can say: I enjoy seeing and hearing the tweeting little bastards birdy wirdies in my garden so I will feed them.

[Pingu]

A lot of the birds are in our gardens because there's little for them on farmland.

[Feanor]

Today, we noticed a large number of Buzzards and Red Kites circling in the air, as we cycled past the 'Natural Burial Woodlands'...

[Tim Hall]

Today, we noticed a large number of Buzzards and Red Kites circling in the air, as we cycled past the 'Natural Burial Woodlands'...

Sky Burial FTW