Feeding the Birds

Curry_Queen

Galtizz has already posted some fab sites so the only thing I want to add is that it's not a good idea to put out loads of bread, can swell in their crop and kill them, or any form of salted nuts, particularly in winter.

The best forms of bird food are the seeds/nuts etc that are melted into fat, normal lard will do, and hung up or place on bird tables for them all to share.

Can I just add though, that feeding birds isn't just a sporadic thing and many will come to expect food, and build their nests in the area, if you start to place food out for them, so it has to be a constant round-the-year job, and they also need bowls/baths of water put out to use, especially during winter

aurorahelios

Good point about feeding them all year round Curry Queen, a lot of people feed them in the winter and then stop in spring and summer thinking there is plenty of natural food around for them. In fact, because of the extra demands of rearing young this is the time they need the extra food. Autumn is the easiest for them in terms of plentiful food.

Curry_Queen

Whilst on the subject of birds, can I add that placing nest boxes at strategic points in your garden (on sides of house/shed/garage or even in trees) will eventually attract families of birds such as blue tits etc, providing you provide a constant food supply) and it is truly a rewarding experience to watch them raise their families.

The last garden I owned was a plethora of wild animals, including numerous bird species, small rodents, hedgehogs, rabbits and even foxes, despite the fact I owned domestic cats and rabbits, amongst many others, too!

I also had a pond with fish, frogs etc, and planted specific plants to attract butterflies and a whole host of other invertebrates, and each day was a joy to spend in it

spendaholic

gemmaj wrote:

Lard cakes sound good for winter but I read you aren't supposed to give them fats in summer, just seeds and nuts and things.

LOL - try telling our starlings that! They LOVE any kind of fat we put out and it never lasts long, rather like the bread - and wholemeal is much better, btw. But yes, some have said not to put fat out during the summer (and the shops used to stop stocking it in the summer but are gradually starting to now), and lots say not to put out bread.

However, I think the "experts" are starting to recommend that it doesn't really matter what we put out so long as we are sensible, i.e. no whole peanuts at this time of the year (only we always serve them in wire feeders anyway) and no salt, and so long as we are consistent. Birds will fly for miles if they know there's food in your garden. Imagine how much energy they'll have wasted if they get there one day and there's none.

In our garden we have lots of different types of seed to attract different types of bird, and we're very lucky that we don't have squirrels here, although we did get over the squirrel problem at the last house by ensuring there was squirrel food out too.

The only thing I am religious about is cleaning everything thoroughly, particularly just before the babies arrive.

Curry_Queen

spendaholic wrote:

Birds will fly for miles if they know there's food in your garden. Imagine how much energy they'll have wasted if they get there one day and there's none.

Thanks for bringing that up hun :T

I mentioned about the fact birds will nest in an area of abundant food supplies, but completely forgot about the ones flying in to grab "known" food sources ... (my memory fails me so much these days )

But it's completely true and birds have a remarkable memory (unlike me!) and will often fly hundreds of miles to return to a previous food source, and use up all their energy in doing so, expecting to find a constant supply, hence it being a 365 day job once you start

apprentice_tycoon

I've been reading about you all feeding seeds to your birds, is this just over a path? when I've left seed feeders out I have been inundated with odd 'bird' seedlings growing with all my flower seedlings in the soil under the food. What's the solution?

spendaholic

Put the feeders in places where you don't mind the seeds germinating, or get a little trough and place it on a slab.

Queenie

All year feeding is the right way to do it ...

... BUT ... do reduce the amount you put out in the Autumn months (August - October). Their natural foods such as seeds and berries are at their peak and it will prevent local birds becoming too dependant on you.

Other foods which attract birds are:

cooked potatoes
cooked rice (unsalted)
Dog food!
Dried fruit .. (I trained blackbirds and thrush by putting out el cheapo sultana's)


To protect any home grown veggies and fruit .. then you will really need to get some netting.

Noozan

Galtizz wrote:

It's my first year of gardening and I've just got things growing, I understand that thrushes eat snails so they would be good, but are they going to eat all my strawberries and seedlings? If they do I might just put loads of food out in autumn and winter.

They will definitely go for the strawberries! So make sure you net them off as soon as they appear as the birds around here will take them when they're still green :rolleyes:

Encouraging birds definitely helps if you're growing organically; we have had blackbirds, starlings, sparrows and blue tits nesting in the garden. We also get greenfinches, robins, gold finches, bull finches and coal tits visiting us.

I put out commercial food (£8 for 25kg sack from local feed store) along with stale bread, niger seed, peanuts (in feeder), sunflower hearts, raisins, suet sticks (commercial food with bits of insects in), cake and biscuit crumbs, leftover cheese scraps and bacon rind. I also hang fat balls out (Poundland £1 for 8) and they absolutely love these!

I do see the birds rooting about for slugs and worms in amongst the veggies and flowers and I've watched the tits picking off aphids too. I am sure they will enjoy any caterpillars later in the season...

Queenie

Couple of other points if you are new to bird tables ...

scrub them with disinfectant once a week and rinse clean (droppings can contaminate the food and cause salmonella!)

don't serve salty or mouldy foods

serve in small amounts - that way it's used up by the birds and isn't left to attract rats/mice.

Finally, if you are using a bird table/feeders .. more them every so often to prevent a build up of droppings in one concentrated area