Feeding Wild Birds

During the months October to April, natural food available to wild birds such as insects, berries, fruit and seeds diminishes. At this time, providing food that will give birds the quick, usable energy they need to sustain the Winter cold will be most beneficial.   

Watching birds feed in your garden is rewarding enough for most people but for the gardener, birds have many ways of returning the favour. Birds are one of the best forms of biological pest control. When preparing borders and vegetable plots for Spring, birds will remove any pests that are over-wintering in the soil. Their pest removing activities will continue throughout the year but keep new seedlings and soft fruit well covered.

Good Bird Food Guide

Tips and Tricks

Remember you don’t need to have a garden to feed wild birds. If you are not displaying a Winter hanging basket, Why not use the wall bracket to hang a bird feeder from? Alternatively a bird table can be fixed to a window ledge.

Peanuts

Peanuts provide a good source of protein although it is recommended that you only feed those specifically packaged for bird feeding.

Whole peanuts should be fed from wire mesh feeders or nylon net bags, which prevent whole nuts being taken. This is important if feeding continues into the breeding season when it is possible for young birds to choke on whole peanuts.

Great tits, Blue tits, Coal tits, Greenfinches, Nuthatches and Woodpeckers are all attracted to peanuts.

Fat

Fat is an extremely valuable food source to birds especially during cold weather and can be fed in many different ways. Raw fat from uncooked (unsalted) meat can be cut into strips and hung from a bird table or branches by string. Fat strained from cooked meat should be poured into a suitable receptacle and left to cool before feeding to birds. Putting some mixed birdseed into the fat will be a real treat.

Suet is a fat derivative of beef or lamb. It can be moulded and offered to birds in a plain state or made into a cake by adding seeds and cereals.

Tips and tricks

Half a coconut shell with a piece of string knotted throught the top first makes an ideal fat feeder.

Seeds

There are various types of seed suitable for feeding wild birds. Many are rich in oil and provide a quick source of high energy. Sunflower seeds, millet, maize, wheat and oats are common in most seed mixes. Seed is best fed from dedicated seed feeders that dispense the seed at the base of a hopper. An open ‘tray’ type feeder creates more waste through birds searching out their favourite seeds. Lightweight seeds can also be blown away by wind.

Great tits, Blue tits, Coal tits, Greenfinches and Chaffinches are all attracted to seeds.

Household Scraps

Not all birds like tits and finches are adapted to swing inverted from hanging feeders much in the same way they would feed on their natural diet. Robins for example make regular visits to the bird table, whereas Blackbirds and, Thrushes will readily feed on the ground. In either case you can offer a wide range of household scraps.

Bread is the most popular and you don’t need to worry about it being stale. However you should break food into small pieces to prevent larger birds such as Crows and Gulls making off with the lot. A roof over the table will deter larger birds from snatching food, keep the food dry and provide some protection for small birds from predators.

Tips and Tricks

Clean off bird tables regularly to prevent the build up of old and decaying food. A gap in one side of the table will allow rubbish to be scraped away.

Live Food

Live food provides protein, which is a necessity in the diet of all wild birds for growth, development and energy. The decline in naturally occurring live food such as worms, larvae, and beetles has been a result of intensive farming and consequent loss of hedgerows, copses and woodland. Offering this natural food is therefore becoming very important for a whole range of birds from Robins and Blackbirds to the less common Woodpeckers, Wrens and tits. Live food can be offered all year round although is especially welcome during hard weather conditions when birds use up a lot of energy just keeping warm.  Another important period is the breeding season when the adults will probably take them back to their nests to help feed their growing offspring. See our article on Live Food for Early Birds.

Tips and Tricks

Put fresh live food out in the mornings when birds are most active and then replenish in early afternoon if necessary.

Grow Your Own

Due to gardens generally becoming tidier and the use of weedkillers and pesticides, the amount of natural food for birds has been reduced. Through changing the way we manage our gardens and by adopting organic methods we all stand to benefit.

When selecting plants for the garden, give some thought to plants, which offer fruit and seeds beneficial to birds and other wildlife. Cotoneasters, Holly, Honeysuckle, Ivy and Pyracantha all produce berries, which birds find attractive to eat. Sunflowers, Teasels and Michaelmas daisy bare seeds just to name but a few.

Tips and Tricks

Rather than let the last of the soft fruit fall onto the ground and rot, remove all fruit cage netting and allow the birds to clear away what’s left.

Bad Foods

There are some foods that birds do not find palatable and others that are potentially harmful. Always make sure you know the ingredients in all food you are putting out to feed the birds. Do not offer food that is high in salt such as salted peanuts or crisps. Fat from salted meats like bacon or spicy food must be avoided. Many birds like tits enjoy fresh coconut but you should never feed dried (desiccated) coconut. This can cause fatal swelling in the birds’ gut.

Predators & Pests

Feeding birds will inevitably attract predators and pests. Correct location and positioning of the feeding station/s is essential. Ensure these are away from dense undergrowth where cats and other predators can lurk. An open but sheltered position from sun and wind is ideal. A washing line or branch for the birds to perch on will act as a look out.

Other pests, which are more interested in the food itself rather than in the birds, are likely to be either squirrels or larger species of bird. Some bird feeders have been designed to keep squirrels out but squirrels are highly intelligent and will seek out ways to extract the food. A roof over the table will deter the likes of Gulls and Crows snatching food and is less likely to attract flocks of starlings.

Tips and Tricks

The only way to reduce the squabbling amongst different species of bird is to provide multiple feeding sites.

Don’t Forget Water!

It is a good idea to provide water all year round for birds to drink and bathe in. Although some birds get enough moisture from the food itself drinking water is especially needed when feeding a dry diet such as seeds.

A birdbath or dish regularly filled with clean fresh water will suffice.