Away with the Birds

A long time ago, Monty Python's Holy Grail taught us that the African Swallow doesn't migrate. In fact while some winged wonders, shake a tail feather and take to the skies for a warmer clime, here at Flyte so Fancy we always turn our attention to those; too small, too weak or too lazy to make the trip. As such, its time to stock up on the wild bird feed and watch as terrified as Tippi Hedren, the sparrows accumulate on the hedgerows.

Of course, here at FSF we have everything you need to keep those garden birds happy and to help them through those cold British winters. We would especially hate to see our resident robin, Brian, catch a cold as he flits around the FSF garden.

We've started this year, by going around and making sure all our bird feeders are in fine fettle. We have an array of feeders around FSF HQ but near the oak tree, where a particularly vexatious squirrel lives, we have some of the brilliant anti-squirrel feeders. With their outer cages as protection, the feed within remains secure for the busy beaked birds and out of the hands of others. This also cuts down on the mess that feed-filchers can cause while raiding the supply of peanuts or seeds. Further away from the oak tree and around the garden we have some multi-ported feeders set up, making it easier for the garden birds to grab a snack.

We also checked that all the hooks and feeding stations are all in tip top shape. Sometimes when a swarm of garden birds land on one side, they can begin to resemble the leaning Tower of Pisa. We also gave our teak bird tables a once over to keep them looking smart, (which are currently on a super special offer by the way) we all know how easily the dining experience can be ruined by a shoddy surrounding. So, our solid teak bird tables are given the Michelin star treatment, to make sure even the fussiest of birds will stop in for a bite.

When it comes to dinner, make sure that you have an all round feed that is going to be beneficial to your garden birds. We love throwing them down some mealworms too (a handful has to go to the chickens also otherwise they scoff the lot) but giving them an all round feed mix or a no mess mix if you like your lawn, is best for their staple diet, and Nature's Grub have a fantastic range of wild bird feeds. Sunflower hearts and Niger seed are a great source of protein for little garden birds in cold times too.


Having got it all sorted and the garden birds ready for winter, we retreat back inside to work out the jobs we need to get started for our hens to be ready for winter too. Unfortunately as the feeders of nuts, seeds and no mess mix go down, the sparrows are slowly joined by three crows, a lazy blue tit and a couple of collared doves, all just sitting outside the window and staring at us. Time to go fill up the bird feeders again.