Tell me the best place to source free standing bird feeders, bird baths etc. as well as bird food/seed supplies? Looking for a store that is located in Geneva/Terre Sainte/ or even over the border Ferney-Voltaire/Divonne. Places that are easy to reach via public transport/via foot would be appreciated.
I wasn't going to put out the feeders and birdbath I brought with me due to the large number ( 10+) of outside cats in my immediate area. However, my inside feline friend and I really miss seeing feathered friends. Thinking a raised feeder and some creative landscape work might keep feline friends at bay and allow feathered friends a safe spot in the yard.I figure with the cooler weather on the way birds might appreciate a little extra help when it comes to food and drink. Plus humans and inside feline get the enjoyment of watching them.
Coop sells good fatty seed mixture- most bags of mix include far too much corn which is only any good for pigeons, mice and rats!!! Grrrr. I buy 5 kg bags of sunflower seeds from HyperU in France.
Due to sudden weather change, I've got dozens of birds on the feeders now. The type of birds we have here changes a lot depending on the season- but the sparrows are a constant- they keep warm in the gap between the house and the garden shed where I've installed a 2 m long perch for them.
Migros do 5k bags at a reasonable price too. I used to get mine from Landi, but I haven’t seen them stocking them for some years now. They’re good for the bird seed balls though.
Best price is Zooplus.de, delivery to Switzerland no problem. I buy the Lilibro ambrosia-controlled seeds (different birds, different kinds) and both the winter and summer Meisenknödel (fat balls).
Landi also has pretty good prices, especially when you buy the 25 or 35kg bags. Be aware that there is a lot of hemp in the mixed Freilandvögel seed. Birds might like it, but the gardener in me somewhat less so. (Teenager next door asked for a few plants, but was crushed when I explained that these volunteers likely wouldn't meet his expectations...)
For some reason my birds don't seem to like the Coop seed all that well - I find more kicked to the ground than with the other varieties.
During the early spring I put out dried Mehlworms, available at Zooplus and Fressnapf.
Right now the big hit is the Meisenknödel - I'm going through about a dozen a day, over twice the usual rate.
Is it a good idea to feed the birds inside cities? I think it is forbidden in Lausanne and Geneva, as the pigeons become impossible, and then have to be shot.
I also have a problem with visiting felines in garden.
So, my one solution was an open feeder on top of a pole (platform still waiting for a roof) , with a very wide board underneath - it prevents cats being able to climb up/jump onto the feeder.
Another one in a very open area for chunks of bread/meat/fat/etc for the big eagle type birds, they swoop down and scoop. This summer sunflowers came up around the pole and eagles couldn`t negotiate the tight turns.
Other contraptions I made (raft-like platforms) I hung in trees - but then the big black crows try to land there and bugger everything up.
So - traditional birdhouse feeder in a tree, and those hanging balls works fine for the many small birds.
(Crows can be SO funny to watch - real arrogant hooligans)
We always buy the fatty type food as I can't stand the stuff with corn and other grains as they make a real mess and start sprouting in the garden.
We also had the hemp problem a couple of years ago and our son was terrified that the police were going to come and arrest us. After giving him a couple of clues he went off and did some research ( including looking at the offending bird food under his microscope) and ended up with a very nice project which he presented at school.
I've now also forbidden OH from buying the loose sunflower seeds as aside from the mess left by the empty shells in the garden the unopened seeds dropped by the birds resulted in hundreds of sunflower seedlings growing under the feeder this year which I had to weed out. ( I left a few to grow into big sunflowers)
We've found Hornbach to be the best place to buy the large bags of fatty food at reasonable prices.
We have one of these poles to hang the feeders on to prevent the cats from catching the birds.
I like your birdfeeder hanger Belgianmum - may I ask where you found it?
(Mine are currently hanging from a tree - and I worry that the predatory neighborhood cats hide in the thicket, waiting. A nice wrought iron hanger would be just the thing..)
We bought it in Jumbo a couple of years ago at around this time of year.
It was a birthday present for OH as he likes watching and photographing all the birds and the boy and I thought it would be nice in the garden of our new house which we moved into a couple of months after his birthday.
As said, do check the mix- cheaper mixes contain lots of corn which is totally unsuitable for song/smaller birds, and will attract pigeons, etc.
Coop has bags of sunflower and hemp seeds, and Migros bags of luxury seeds without corn. Bon à Savoir consumer magazine denounced last year that most birdseed merchants add lots of corn to make the mix more profitable.
I brought my squirrel-proof hangable feeders from England, but Landi does a good sunflower- and hemp-seed based premium bird food by the kilo. Or by the 5kg or 25kg sack if you prefer and have a wheelbarrow to carry it back in.
Back home in Indiana squirrels have evolved problem-solving skills to the point where they could give the Army Corps Of Engineers a run for their money.
Every year FIL would build increasingly complicated bird feeding fortresses in an attempt to defeat the crafty critters. As he proudly explained his latest squirrel-proof design, out of the corner of your eye you'd see one perched in a tree working out the trajectory and angles - and then laughing while flying in to bypass FIL's Maginot line.
One cheeky fellow would even hop up on the window sill and stare at the ILs whenever the bird feeder was empty. In the end FIL surrendered to the inevitable and built a squirrel feeding station.
Just a quick thanks to all for taking the time to respond to my message and provide me with all of the helpful information!
I have located the closest Jumbo and Lidl. Still have to see where the closest Hornbach is located. Quick check looks like Rolle which MIGHT be a bit far. I'm eager to steal the car from my better half and get supplies as the creature below showed up in my yard yesterday. (*Note I didn't take this photo. Found it on line as I was trying to figure out WHAT it was!)
I also think I have what looks like a winter hedgehog home in the hedges.
Meloncollie my cat and I share your sentiment. Although part of me is glad that there aren't any about as I fear they would become toys for the neighbors cats. Perhaps a picture of one might make you smile today? This fella was a regular visitor to my deck last year.
Not the big grey American ones but the much smaller red ( or almost black here) European ones.
Also have woodpeckers, the green ones are ground feeders and the great spotted ones feed from the feeders and tree trunks, they can be very noisy when they start hammering on tree trunks looking for insects.