About two thirds of all households in Britain feed their garden birds at some stage of the year. It’s a great way of supplementing their natural diet, particularly in areas where food may be scarce.
Follow these simple tips and after a short time you should be attracting lots of different birds to your garden.
Use a bird table for putting out kitchen scraps such as animal fats, grated cheese, over ripe fruit and soaked dried fruit, rice, breadcrumbs, nuts, and unsalted bacon. Avoid putting out raw meat and vegetables which birds will find difficult to digest and which can attract pests.
Hang a variety of bird feeders around your garden at different levels filled with favourite treats such as sunflower hearts, seed mixes, fat balls and peanuts to attract tits, goldfinches, and nuthatches. Species including treecreepers, goldcrests, and woodpeckers will enjoy eating suet or peanut butter rubbed into the bark of trees.
Many birds such as blackbirds, robins, and thrushes prefer to feed on the ground. A ground feeder protected with a cage will provide a safe space for you to feed them their favourite foods including mealworms, seeds, and pieces of fruit
Place your feeders and bird table no more than 2 metres from a shrub, fence, or tree so the birds have somewhere to escape to if threatened by cats or other predators. Feeders should be placed either very close to windows or very far away to minimize the risk of collision.
Give your bird feeders and bird table a good clean at least once a week to prevent the build-up of leftover food particles and droppings. Dirty bird feeders can harbour dangerous bacteria and can cause the spread of disease through a garden bird population. If it takes a few days for birds to eat all the food you leave out for them, reduce the amount offered so it doesn’t go off.
Cultivated and wild flowering plants such as sunflowers, evening primrose, teasel, and campion will provide seeds and attract insects, all great natural sources of food for birds. Leave the stems long to provide shelter in the winter and then cut down early in the spring. If you have the space, a wildflower meadow is an excellent way of providing a haven for birds, insects, and other wildlife.
Berry-bearing trees and shrubs such as hawthorn, rowan, holly, honeysuckle, and ivy will not only provide fruit for birds to feed on but also give them somewhere to shelter and nest, and attract insects for them to eat. Don’t throw away cuttings. In autumn a pile of dead wood can provide shelter for hedgehogs, and in spring birds will use twigs and leaves to build their nests.
Put out a fresh supply of water every day – use a large dish, an upturned dustbin lid, or a bird bath. You could even build a pond if you have the space. In the winter float a ping-pong ball in the basin of your bird bath or install a small heater to prevent the water from freezing. Never use anti-freeze or any other chemicals that could be toxic to birds.
Store your bird seed somewhere cool and dry in a clean, air-tight container. Seed that isn’t stored correctly can rot causing mould and mildew to form that could harm birds. Rats can chew through paper and plastic so use a metal container to ensure you don’t end up with a rodent problem.
If you’ve just started out bird feeding, it may take a while before birds find their new source of food. Birds can sometimes take a few weeks to start using new feeders, particularly if there are other sources of food nearby. Keep on offering a little food each day and don’t be tempted to move the feeders about too much or check on them too often.
