Running low on most types of bird feed I've been putting out, I put in a new order with the RSPB yesterday, putting all the things in my virtual basket that I'd need: four different types of seed (table, feeder, ground and nyjer); suet sprinkles; fruity nibbles; suet cakes. I also ordered the wide-meshed ground feeding sanctuary I've been thinking about for a while.
So, feed the birds, tuppence a bag? No chance - and no change out of £150, either. Even discounting the sanctuary, that's around £130 worth of bird feed. That said, I also support the RSPB through their weekly lottery, and a couple of weeks ago I won £100, so I think it's only right that the money goes back to helping the birds. It's all karma, probably. And hopefully with the pigeon proofing I won't have to spend that much quite as often as I used to!
What am I getting for my money? Well, three of the bags of seed are 12.75kg each, which is over four times the size of the standard 3kg bags you see in the shops (Sainsbury's sell them, for example), and buying in bulk is definitely cheaper, at least now I've sorted out how to store it somewhere safe and dry (metal flip top bins with plastic inner buckets, as a matter of fact). In the case of Feeder Mix Extra, for example, it's £1.96 per kilo (£24.99 for the sack), compared to £2.92 buying it in smaller bags. The only problem is that they tend to deliver the bags in twos in cardboard boxes which are therefore very heavy to carry! I usually arrange for delivery to my work address, and then have to lug them from our reception to my car, always trying to remember health and safety guidance on lifting as I grunt and strain boot-wards. I only buy the smaller bags of nyjer seed, though, partly because it's very expensive (£9.99 for a 3kg bag, £29.50 for the 12.75kg sack) and partly because I don't need to refill the feeder so often, as it's a specialised food for goldfinches (and once in a while a siskin).
Mind you, the ground feeder mix is even more expensive, now I come to think about it (£30.99 per sack) - but that's the main one that was being scoffed by the pigeons so shouldn't need so much any more.
I've also got quite a lot of suet and fat treats for my money, especially as the suet cakes were on half-price offer (£1.74 each rather than £3.49) so I got six - they aren't lasting long at the moment. I also got some square suet cakes as different birds seem to like different styles of fat feeder - the woodpeckers and rooks like the round cakes and fat balls, the starlings like the sprinkles and nibbles, the bluetits and finches like the square cakes. And the pigeons don't bother with them. Result!
As hobbies go, bird feeding can be quite pricey, but I've tried "budget" feeds before and ended up with a lot of uneaten seed, to be honest - false economy, definitely. And in my view, if it isn't from the RSPB or maybe the BTO, then why bother? The quality of the product is much better from the people who know and care about the birds, and their profits are going to help other birds, not lining the pocket of someone who's bulked up their bird feed with rubbish stuff anyway!
And it's a much cheaper and healthier way of relieving stress than taking up smoking...
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