 Basic Advice on Feeding Wild BirdsBoth the RSPB and the BTO recommend all year round feeding of wild birds as their energy requirements are fairly constant throughout the year. However, greater emphasis should be given to feeding wild birds in winter and early spring when resources are in short supply.
Wild birds will quickly become dependent on your feeding them once you have enticed them into your garden with a good supply of bird food. Once you have started feeding them it is important to maintain a good supply of food particularly through the winter months and if you go away please remember to fill your feeders before you go. A good clean source of drinking water is a good bonus for the birds and if they also start bathing in the water you will need to make sure that it is topped up regularly.
As birds can loose up to 10 per cent of their body weight overnight, especially in bad weather, it is important to feed birds with food containing a high fat and carbohydrate which will help them to regain their lost weight and build up energy reserves. Windfall apples and pears, and baked potato skins are worth putting on the bird table during the winter months.
However, bread which is commonly put out for the birds is not particularly good for them especially white bread as it can be very dry. It would be better to soak the bread first in either water of even better fat or suet. Peanuts are best fed to birds in a wire feeder so that they are not left lying around loose. Whole peanuts can cause young birds to choke on them.
There are basically three ways of feeding the birds. One: ground feeding; two: feeding from bird tables and feeding stations and three: from hanging feeders. Many garden birds such as Robins, Wrens, Dunnocks, Blackbirds and Song Thrushes are largely ground feeding birds and scattering bird seed on the ground is great for them. Bird tables on the other hand provide a more secure environment for feeding and if the bird table has a roof, it keeps the food dry. Many species will come to the bird table to feed as well as using hanging feeders. Hanging feeders are great for the tits, Greenfinches, Goldfinches, House Sparrows, Starlings and Great Spotted Woodpeckers.
With three basic ways of feeding the birds it is good to establish several feeding areas and if possible move them around to avoid bacterial build up. Feeding stations should be cleaned regularly, preferably with a safe disinfectant, and please always wash your hands after handling bird feeding equipment and food products.
Remember the best bird feeding gardens are those which provide a combination of natural habitats and foods supplimented with the provision of man-made feeders supplying a variety of food stuffs.
The most common birds that you are likely to attract into the garden with feeding may include: Robin, Great Tit, Blue Tit, House Sparrow, Starling, Wood Pigeon, Collard Dove, Blackbird, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Long-Tailed Tit, Goldfinch, Dunnock, Song Thrush, Bullfinch, Wren and Great Spotted Woodpecker. Once a feeding station has been established for a while you may find that a Sparrowhawk begins to visit because of the number of small birds that are around.
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 | January
With most of the country experiencing very cold conditions and plenty of snow, it is important to continue supplying the birds with plenty of food - seed mixes, fat balls, suet blocks .etc.
January is a month when most of the natural food supplies have almost disappeared. Under these conditions many birds begin to rely on us and often additional birds are drawn to the bird tables.
If you have any rotten apples, don't forget to put them out.
Please don't feed the wild birds white bread as this tends to swell up inside them and they can die unnecessarily. Also don't forget to keep any drinking water free from ice for the birds to be able to drink. |
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 February February can perhaps be the coldest month in the British calendar. It's certainly the time to make sure you keep the bird feeders stocked as the birds will have come to rely on them as a food source. The resources in the hedgerows and fields are at their lowest before things begin to come to life in the spring. Sunflower hearts are a continuing favourite with a good number of birds including long-tailed tit, greenfinch and goldfinch. Suet pellets are loved by a good number of birds including the tits and starlings. The Garden Bird Watch seemed to have gone well, we certainly had a record number of birds in our garden compared to previous years. Wether that had anything to do with the colder weather brings them in to the garden, I'm not sure. Don't forget that it is National Nest Box Week from 14th - 21st February 2010. |
 | March
Time to think about providing soft fruit and mealworms for those early chicks. But it's wise not to provide loose peanuts as these can choke many young birds. Peanuts are best provided in a hanging feeder or basket so that the birds can only get small pieces out at a time.
Its also a good idea to clean out those feeders after the cold and wet winter and replemish the feeders with clean dry food.
There are a number of seed mixes that are wheat free and therefore fairly fledgling safe and suitable for parents to feed to their young birds. |
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 AprilApril is a wonderful time when spring should be well under way. Many of the early breeding birds are well away with nest building. Many birds continue to come and feed on the feeders. Sunflower hearts are very popular with many birds that make a b-line for the food and are often disappointed when the feeders become empty, so remember to keep them topped up. |
 | May
By now there will be a number of young birds in and around the garden being feed by their parents or feeding on their own. The frequency of birds coming to the bird tables and feeding stations will probably have dropped off a little, but there will be some regulars coming to feed for themselves as well as to collect food for their youngsters. Whatever you do, please make sure that there are no whole peanuts lying about that can be feed to young birds as this has the potential to choke the young birds. Keep you whole peanuts in a peanut basket, please.
The provision of water for drinking remains important especially if it becomes at all dry. At this time of the year more birds appear to come and bathe in the water baths which tends to splash water everywhere. You may therefore have a running battle to keep the bird baths topped up. |
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JuneIf you are going away on holiday during the summer months try and get a neighbour to top up your bird feeders and water bath. It's amazing how the birds seems to get through all the food in the feeders when you are away, but do not seem to get through it so fast when you are at home! |
JulyWith potentially dry weather during July and August, it is especially important to keep the bird baths and drinking water for birds well topped up, particularly when we have not had any rain for a couple of months.
There should be a good abundance of insect food for many birds, but with all the young birds around, birds like Blue Tits appreciate supplimentary feediing. they seem to go for the sunflower hearts and peanuts. Bird suet is not very practical duing the summer manths as it tends to go soft in the warm weather and is better left for the colder months.
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AugustDuring the last few years autumn fruit has appeared early in the hedgerows providing a good source of succulent fruit for the birds. However, it is particularly important to keep feeding the birds. when the ground is parched and very dry, a number of bird including blackbirds and Song Thrushes will find it very hard to extract worms. It would be worth considering providing them with some food on the ground that includes soft fruit such as Harrison's Song Bird Mix, and Nature's Feast Robin & Songbird Food.
Moulting birds need a good food supply to replace their old worn feathers with a new set for the forthcoming winter, so don't give up on filling up the feeders just because the breeding season is over. Moutling birds use up a lot of energy growing new feathers, so a reliable source of high protein feed is essential. |
SeptemberLeave some windfall fruit on the ground for the birds especially for the thrushes and starlings. Any other soft fruit in the garden such as blackberries and raspberries are always welcome, providing that you are not wanting to eat it yourself. If you do pick the soft fruit for yourself, leave some for the birds as well. |
OctoberNatural food is still plentiful in the countryside, so that bird numbers may still be lowish in the garden. So it is time to give your bird feeders a good clean before the onset of colder weather. Also time to clean the bird baths out. |
NovemberThe need for supplementing feeding wild birds gains importance from November throughout the winter period to late March / early April when the birds to some degree disperse for breeding.
This is certainly the time when you can get the bird suet and suet pellets out with the colder weather as the suet is not likely to go soft as it does in the summer warm weather. It is also useful in giving an energy boost for the birds to help them survive the colder winter evenings. |
 DecemberThe daylight hours have about decreased to their minimum giving birds less time to forage for food when it is most needed to survive the winter. Natural food resources are also diminishing. Hence the importance of feeding the birds on a regular basis through the winter months so that the birds keep their energy levels up to survive the cold weather. this is the time to feed high energy products such as Sunflower Hearts, Peanus, Suet Pellets and Fats Balls. |
Food StorageStorage of wild bird food products is important. The food needs to be kept dry and in a cool place. The food really needs to be kept in containers that keep mice, rats and slugs out and depending on the quantities that you buy can range from dustbins with a good lid to breakfast cereal storage containers. With the larger containers you may well find it useful to purchase a seed scoop which is a very useful tool for topping-up cylindrical feeders thus avaoing excess waste. |
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