Llanelli Naturalists Newsletter - March 2003 - No 69
Kath Cottingham

Following my success last winter in attracting Reed Buntings into our Llangennech garden by scattering pieces of white bread on the lawn, quite by chance we seem to have stumbled upon an even more attractive bait! 

My mother gave me a couple of tubs of Olivio margarine which had long passed their sell-by date. Not being bothered with transferring the fat to a more aesthetically-pleasing container, I just placed a newly-opened tub of margarine on to the bird table and within an hour two Reed Buntings appeared and continued to feed intermittently for the rest of the day.  Were they initially attracted by the white container?

The birds have been back to feed every day since, despite the aggressive behaviour of two Robins who seem to think they own the bird table!  A Song Thrush has also been gorging itself on the bounty!