If you’re seeking to invite wild birds in your area to taste treats in your garden, there are several tips and tricks that will help.
While different kinds of garden will always attract certain birds depending on the shrubs and plants they feature, you can encourage a variety of species to sample from your feeder or bird table by offering nourishment specifically sought after by them.
It’s not just a question of diet, however, when welcoming winged guests into your garden. Offering them accommodation in the form of nesting boxes, or areas to roost like overgrown shrubs and the evergreen ivy popular with many British birds, is also a wise idea.
Where you place your feeding stations is equally essential when considering caring for the birds you attract. Too many of these stunning creatures are harmed flying into windows each year and this is an important element worth reading up on. Manmade hindrances are important to bear in mind, but keeping the birds safe from potential predators is vital as well.
Health and safety are crucial considerations when attracting wild birds to feed on your property. In this helpful article, we’ll show you the best practices to keep you and your feathered friends safe and healthy. Home to an abundance of beautiful birds, gardens across the United Kingdom regularly enjoy visits from chaffinches, robins and blackbirds, but owls can be seen too by those who live on the cusp of the countryside.
Choosing the right types of food
As a rule, the more diverse your selection of nourishment offered is, the more varied your visitors will be. Always put out the highest quality food that’s affordable to you on your bird tables and in feeders. Here at Burleydam, you’ll find all manner of mixes including special seed mixes, nuts and dried fruit presented in the perfect size for birds to consume. Whenever possible, always go for 100 percent natural products.
While it’s true that birds require our assistance more during the colder months when food is scarce, it’s a good idea to feed all year round in your garden. When the temperature lowers, birds need their energy to stay warm. While using it to survive the cold nights, they’re unable to fly further afield in search of new sources of nutrients. Those you have fed over summer will know they can return in winter for more sustenance.
Some consideration of kind of food you offer, and at what time of year, will also help welcome different species to your property. Over autumn and winter, both water and food should be put out regularly. Food at this time should have a high fat content, allowing birds to endure freezing temperatures outdoors. If offering scraps of your own food, always make certain they’re high quality and not harmful.
In summer and spring, a protein-rich feed is advisable as this is when birds moult their feathers. Foods superior in quality, such as black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, soaked raisins, loose peanuts, currants and sultanas, along with mealworms and waxworms, are ideal. You can also offer soft fruit such as pears, bananas, grapes and apples.
What not to feed birds
There are some foods particularly harmful to birds that should always be avoided. Notoriously less than fussy when it comes to food, our winged friends are prone to putting anything edible in their beaks, but often shouldn’t. Avoid salted snacks like processed peanuts with flavouring, bacon and crisps, along with oily spreads such as margarine which can get smeared on feathers and damaging them. Birds should never be given milk as they are unable to digest it. While mild cases cause stomach complaints it can sometimes result in death. Coconut should be avoided too – if not properly soaked, it can be lethal. Out of date food, like off bread is also a bad choice.
The size of the food you offer is important too. Avoid large pieces of dry bread, whole peanuts and hard fat. All these can be harmful to birds, presenting potential choking hazards. Getting the size right is even more essential over the summer and spring months of the year. In these seasons, birds will be breeding and taking food from your table and feeders back to their nests to support their offspring. Food that could choke a fully grown bird presents a terrible danger to chicks.
Consider what type of feeder you choose and where you station it
Allowing wild birds to feed safely in your garden will encourage them to visit frequently. Fat balls and nuts are often sold in mesh style bags manufactured using nylon. Food should never be put out for birds in such bags, as they can ensnare the bird’s feet. The results can be catastrophic, including torn and broken limbs for birds. Species that are equipped with a barbed tongue, such as woodpeckers, have been known to suffer a trapped beak when they get caught in the meshing.
Precisely where you station a feeder is well worth thinking about too when it comes to the safety of your avian guests. Extensive number of birds are killed and injured in collisions with windows every year. To prevent this occurring, feeders should be placed 30 feet away from windows, or within three feet. The first of these measurements lowers the possibility of birds seeing windows as potential flight paths, while the second makes certain birds can’t build the momentum necessary to injure themselves fatally.
Feeders should always be located outside the reach of our garden predators such as common house cats. They should always be stationed away from any cover that predators, such as hunting birds, can make use of when stalking their prey.
With a wide selection of natural foods to consume and a safe place to eat and nest, your garden could soon become a hotspot for wild birds of the region. Taking care of these beautiful creatures across the UK can be a rewarding experience. Enjoy feeding your garden guests today and keep on the lookout for any new visitors. You never know who might drop by next when you follow these handy hints.