Is there less planting in your current garden compared to the other one? Or is it more open/exposed? Are there trees round and about, or not? How long have you lived there?

Are there lots of berries in and around your garden and also do you have neighbours also providing for them, keep persevering you'll probably find there is a big difference as the weather turns more wintry, possibly cut down on the amount in your feeders for a while though as it can be costly and you do not want it going to waste....

Try a mix of sunflower and thistle seed.

I put fat balls and sunflower hearts out, no bird seed, and have Sparrows, a Robin, a Dunnock and Blackbirds coming in. Perhaps a change of menu would encourage them back!

According to The Woodland Trust the birds aren't bothering to visit the feeders in some areas as they are still finding plenty of food elsewhere out in the country. The weather has been so mild, there are insects still about & lots of berries. They will come when the weather gets colder & we start with the frosts.

This garden was almost empty when we moved in (two years ago in February) but now it's been planted up with shrubs, flowers and special plants for wildlife. There are trees right next door and behind. This spring we even had blue tits nesting in the brand new box on the pergola.

Our previous garden was a large rural one full of greenery and plants, hedges and trees, including a lovely cooking apple from which I hung the feeders. The house had been built on an old orchard in the 1960s. Also we are now in an urban environment rather than a small village so that must have some impact.

However, I stopped hanging fat balls because last year and early this year the starlings devoured them all, plus seeds in a few hours. No birds touched the nuts which surprised me so I stopped those too as they deteriorate. I suppose I shall just have to be patient again, not a virtue of mine!

Thanks for all the possible solutions.

Its amazing how even slight differences in surroundings make a difference to what birds visit, and how many. Where I used to live, not very far away, we got loads of greenfinch, bullfinch, bluetits, dunnocks, blackbirds, thrush, jays and obviously, robins and starlings. I live near open fields now, and on the feeders here we get mostly blue tits, great tits, no finches other than goldfinch occasionally, no thrush, loads of starlings in winter (yes, fat balls attract them), wren, robin, Spotted Woodpecker (never remember whether its lesser or greater spotted, but with the red on it) and parakeets, though they don't feed from hanging feeders. And I see the raptors circling over the fields, looking for prey...

I think you'll just have to be patient, Arbuthnot - if it gets very cold, you'll probably get some coming...

My daughter has new neighbours and they completely gutted both gardens back and front since moving in about 3mths ago, the birds completely disappeared for a few weeks only returning to her feeders in the last week, she was very disappointed but as she says they have a young family and will need a play area...

Aye Up!!!! I have just noticed I have turned into Iciar again, that baby has not played with me for ages....

Thank you for all the helpful comments. I particularly like the pastry idea.
Thanks again - I'll try to learn patience!

They will be back when it gets colder and food is short, i had a few though the summer but now it's getting colder there coming back, i'm filling the feeders every day now, 25kg peanuts with only last for 3 weeks now, 20kg niger seed with last 4 weeks so i'm going to have to start saving up the coins

Hi Lincs....that baby..!.
seem to be back to yourself now ?

i did the feeders on saturday, the berries have mostly gone except the holly
I have fat balls and sticks, no mess seed and niger seed
robin was there before I got my coat off closely followed by the blue nd great tits
Then this morning the greater woodpecker. ...more common than the lesser Bamboo....and goldfinches on the niger
they can be fussy, last year when I bought the reddish fruit flavoured fat block they all ignored it until I went back to rge insect ones...spoilt or what!
Not masses of birds, its going cold midweek......see what happens then

Hi Pam, I find the birds can be as fussy as my pets and will often turn their little beaks up if I change their food....

Spoilt rotten ?

such fun to watch.....cheer me up now its getting chilly

arbuthnot you haven't cleaned them in anything smelly or stored them near anything strongly smelling ?

That's a thought, Pamg. I could have done but it would have been quite a while ago. Besides, I hung up fat food in half a coconut and that's also untouched. I shall just have to wait a while and if they don't come when the weather is colder rethink the food.

As Linsclass said above they are very fussy about food but also containers too, I found. I had the latter where the perch was at the bottom and they could peck at the seeds willy nilly. The food disappeared quickly (much of it scattered) but they couldn't be bothered with the feeder with holes and perches.

Spoilt rotten they are but I do love them.

Black birds love porridge oats which i buy in 25kg's

I had a treat yesterday, not here but in the countryside and I saw a jay, it landed on the verge and then flew off....very pleased, not seen one before ?

the birds are getting busier on the feeders, I guess they know colds coming......hope your birds find the food Arbuthnot

Thats good Pam, I have never seen one in town but have seen them in the countryside on way to Peterborough, always around the same area...I was round my daughters house yesterday, she is one road across from us, her garden backs onto a huge playing field and a bird of prey was sitting on the fence, sods law came into its own and her flipping camera would not work, she has seen it before in and around the playing field, I will start taking my camera with me as I'm on puppy exercising for the next few months and go round daily, you never know I might be lucky, we are hoping it does not drive the birds away again ...

Gale force winds have snapped my 'Shepherds Crook' style feeder in half ... peanuts and sunflower hearts all over the grass now ... :o(

Its having a real "Barney" here......? sorry for the pun?

hope thats the only damage Shirley

we have a buzzard here, big but doesn't go after birds so much as small mammals..... you hear him, sort of a 'mew'

crows magpies and sparrow hawks are worse I think

Poor buzzard gets mobbed by tbd crows

Pam, I'm pleased to report that was the only damage from the windy weather last night. Just a few leaves left on the Grape vine now as they were blown all around the garden. Much calmer this morning, with sunshine too! :o)

Thats good Shirley...I think we've got son of Barney arrived now, strong winds and rain beating the windows ?

I keep my phone handy. This ones only a mini but takes a good photo.....if I'm quick enough!

How's the weather with you today, Pam? Not too windy here, just plenty of heavy rain falling. A pair of Magpies are in the garden, don't often see them here.

Not as fierce here but still wet and windy, bulb planting put on hold yet again, knew I should have resisted buying them, lol...

Same here Lincs, its not soo cold , been raining but tomorrow night into saturday looks set to be really cold
had flight of happy goldfinches today as well as the tits.....not many sparrows yet, we ususlly have quite few......
kep snug x