Feeding Birds

[Ember]

How is it that when I put food out for the birds, there is not one in sight yet in no time at all, seagulls, magpies, sparrows and others home in the food, how do they all know. O K I know the sparrows perhaps are hiding in the trees, but the seagulls are over on the golf course. Anyone know the answer?

[Janetex]

Big Bird is watching you!

[Cetti]

It does seem as though there are spies posted PG but in truth gulls do have amazing eyesight for the smallest scrap, and it only needs one flying out of our range of sight to alert the others.

[andy hughes]

As muh colleague advises - you may not be able to see them, but they can see the food. Birds are in sight of a regular food source from considerable distances, and once it appears, so do they.

[Cetti]

We have a very fit Robin in our garden TW who will take on allcomers including Magpies. He must have missed Darwin's theory LOL!!

[wildwood]

Birds have a very good memory of the places where they find an abundance of food. Once they find a good spot they will come back frequently to check out the goodies.
When you put the food out there is bound to be one sparrow in the vicinity who spots you and comes down, this is a sign for the other sparrows who will soon follow suit. More than one sparrow/finch feeding together is indicative of a food supply and soon attracts other birds, especially if they have found food at that place before. As has been said, gulls are scavengers as well as predators, and beside scanning for food, will watch each other to see if one lands, indicating possible food. If they have found food in P.Greenwood's garden before, one of them will be keeping an eye on the place, the other gulls rely on it.

[Ember]

Thanks folks for your answers, I guess I am just a big softy and will go on feeding the birds, but its now considerably more than tuppence a bag.