Re: Feeding Birds
Originally Posted by
swimfeeders
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Hi
I have a birdbath further down the garden.
I will not do ground feeders as they attract vermin.
I had an understanding with the wood pigeons at my house in the village, they ate my veg, I ate them.
Shooting them is not an option living in the town now.
I don't do mealworms, but they get all my left over fishing bait. maggots and casters.
I am loathe to move my feeder, it is close to the house and low enough for Jacob, who is autistic, to load up when he comes.
He is a creature of habit , loves feeding them and watching them.
Would he be patient enough to train them to come to his hand?
It does involve being very, very still for a while, over and over again, day after day.
What I did was to sit near a table and put the meal worm on the table.
Then, as the bird got confident, I sat nearer and nearer the table.
Then I put my hand on the table, palm uppermost and flat, not too close to the mealworm.
Then I put my hand closer and closer to the mealworm.
Then I would put a mealworm on my flat palm. That was the tricky bit...getting them to take it off my hand.
When they were happy doing that, I offered the mealworm on my open palm above the table, getting a bit higher each day.
Then I would stand, with my open palm with mealworm over the table.
Eventually, I didn't need to be near the table, but had to keep very still.