We're in Marple (near the Ring o'Bells) and often see a rook on the feeder stand in our garden - we have squirrel buster feeders and a caged fatball feeder. THe rook can easaily pick off bits from the fatballs through the anti-squirrel cage, and by using the stand to hang off, can also pick up sunflower hearts without activating the spring that closes the feeder
-- Edited by Julian Winstanley on Wednesday 15th of December 2021 06:19:09 PM
-- Edited by Julian Winstanley on Wednesday 15th of December 2021 06:19:27 PM
Doc Brewster said
Thu Nov 25 9:28 PM, 2021
We have a few Rookeries around our village, Moulton in Cheshire, and Rooks commonly use our small hanging fat ball feeders in the enclosed back garden without being at all shy. I suppose we could be classed as rural, but we are surrounded on all sides by houses. They've been doing this regularly for the last 15 years at least. Attached is a record phonescoped shot from 2016. This one is on a fat slab feeder but they also hang on the fat ball ones too, it's just they flap so much for balance on those a picture is impossible
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 25th of November 2021 09:29:55 PM
I've seen all the other Corvids attempting to feed from bird feeders (with the exception of Chough of course!). I'm in my seventies but I've never witnessed Rooks feeding on them until today. I was walking down Grange Rd North, Hyde and watched 2 taking it in turns to feed from fat balls in a feeder hanging loosely from a small Rowan tree. I could understand it more in a rural setting but not in an urban setting where Rooks passing through high overhead are scarce and even scarcer on the ground.
-- Edited by Julian Winstanley on Wednesday 15th of December 2021 06:19:09 PM
-- Edited by Julian Winstanley on Wednesday 15th of December 2021 06:19:27 PM
We have a few Rookeries around our village, Moulton in Cheshire, and Rooks commonly use our small hanging fat ball feeders in the enclosed back garden without being at all shy. I suppose we could be classed as rural, but we are surrounded on all sides by houses. They've been doing this regularly for the last 15 years at least. Attached is a record phonescoped shot from 2016. This one is on a fat slab feeder but they also hang on the fat ball ones too, it's just they flap so much for balance on those a picture is impossible
-- Edited by Doc Brewster on Thursday 25th of November 2021 09:29:55 PM
I've seen all the other Corvids attempting to feed from bird feeders (with the exception of Chough of course!). I'm in my seventies but I've never witnessed Rooks feeding on them until today. I was walking down Grange Rd North, Hyde and watched 2 taking it in turns to feed from fat balls in a feeder hanging loosely from a small Rowan tree. I could understand it more in a rural setting but not in an urban setting where Rooks passing through high overhead are scarce and even scarcer on the ground.