What's happened to all our garden birds?

[PEV]

Hi everyone Happy new Year and pleased to be on the forum with you.
This is my first post having signed up just now!
My garden always had plenty of Greenfinches sparrows and Tits, Great and Blue feeding on bird feeder. This winter almost nothing just Wood Pigeons and Doves feeding on bread we put out.
Friends say they still get Tits feeding on ytheir peanut feeders, what has happened to my birds? -I am in a good location adjacent to open farmland but with trees and undergrowth for cover. I have had Green Woodpeckers and used to have a pair of Great Spotted visit.
Have finches and Tits suffered some kind of disaster?
Cheers
Ray (Pev)

[rolf]

Hi Ray, welcome to the forum.

Have to say that my small birds are all still around, perhaps yours have found a more favourable or plentiful local food source?

If you are only throwing out bread, you may want to try putting up a couple of seed and peanut or fat ball feeders, as they all love these.

[PEV]

Hi Ray, welcome to the forum.

Have to say that my small birds are all still around, perhaps yours have found a more favourable or plentiful local food source?

If you are only throwing out bread, you may want to try putting up a couple of seed and peanut or fat ball feeders, as they all love these.

Hi Rolf,
I do have a feeder out full and ready for them but no show! I've lived here in this house for 23 years and always had tits nesting in several locations in my roof, front facia tiles etc. There have been a couple of Tits scratcing around the nesting sites but none feeding for ages. I heard the wet summers have caused problems for insect reliant birds but seems stange as just like you, others haven't noticed any major drop in numbers!
I know wholemeal bread is not ideal bird feed but our attitude is in this weather any nutrition will help the Pigeons/Doves and our Resident Robins and blackbirds(who seem unnafected).
Cheers
Ray

[rolf]

In that case I'm not really sure why they are absent Ray, but perhaps one of the other members will be able to add some ideas tomorrow.

Neighbours' cats can often discourage bird feeding, but not normally to that extent.

[PEV]

In that case I'm not really sure why they are absent Ray, but perhaps one of the other members will be able to add some ideas tomorrow.

Neighbours' cats can often discourage bird feeding, but not normally to that extent.

Thanks Rolf
It's not cats for sure as we get very few in the garden and the birds always treat the one slow old one we get with the utmost contempt.
I have also noticed that the extensive coppice and overgrown shrubs that borders my garden have next to no small birds such as Tits, Chaffinches etc compared to previous years so I think it must just be due to a very bad breeding season last year (there I've probably answered my own original question!) Anyway been nice communicating with you and will try to keep posting on this forum.
Best wishes
Ray (PEV)

[Babs]

Hi Ray and welcome to the forum, sorry to hear that the birds visiting your garden have decreased. Could it be that they are visiting your neighbours gardens. Maybe one of the neighbours has only just started and put out all kinds of different wild bird foods to attract them.

I find at this time of the year especially that most of the birds tend to feed on the fat we put out, sunflower hearts and peanuts.