Desperately trying to feed wild birds ....

[CBC]

I have recently bought some 'boules de graisse' to feed and further encourage the wild birds to spend more time in our garden.  However, since attaching it to a young tree about a week ago, there seems to have been no interest.  Is it because they haven't spotted it's there, is it too much on view ....?  I know it's not the cat putting them off as they are very happy to peck in the gravel and on the lawn.  We have a good mixture of birds - blackbirds, robin, finches, wagtails etc. 

Any suggestions most welcome.  I wondered if I should buy some loose grains and sprinkle them on the grass below the tree/change tree it hangs on/put the ball on the ground/etc.

Thanks.

[Missy]

Don't put the ball on the ground you could attract rats.

I make some 'cakes' by melting lard which I mix with seeds (pumpkin, sesame, sunflower .... ) roughly chopped monkey nuts and apples, bread crust or stale bread cut up small. I pour this mixture in a tin, baked bean or tomato soup type tin, put a small stick which will act as a little perch for the bird, wait for it to set and cold and secure that tin horizontally in the branches of the trees in my garden.  I have about 5 tins in anyone tree and need to replace them about once a month. 

[Megan le Fey]

When we moved into this house about a year ago, there was hardly a bird to be seen.  We are fairly isolated and the house had been empty for a while.  We put out the  boules de graisse in the trees as well as a couple of feeders and for almost a month we saw very few birds using them.   Perhaps they just didn't understand what they were.  After that, the word seemed to get around and I am hard pressed to keep up with their appetites'.   I need to fill the feeders almost every day and I put out about 6 - 8 boules also every day.  I have noticed that the boules in yellow netting seems to be more popular than those (usually cheaper) in the green net.  Perhaps the yellow ones look more like something edible to them, or are birds colour-blind?  Whatever the reason, from not a bird in sight, the garden  always has flocks of them and whilst not exactly tame, the robins and the t*ts will sit on a branch waiting whilst I am hanging the food items out and if there is nothing on their table, they will make a real old racket of complaints.[:-))][:-))]