With the Garden BirdWatch well underway, people across the UK are setting up their rattan garden furniture and doing some very important counting for the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. To encourage our feathered friends to visit your garden, there are many things that you should do, as well as many things that you shouldn’t be doing.
Do: Clean your bird feeder once a week
At a minimum, you should be cleaning your bird feeder once a week and topping it up more regularly than that. This is because if you have many visitors, you’ll also probably get their droppings too, so you want to make sure other birds aren’t eating that. Some people have one feeder that they clean and one that is active, rotating as and when needed.
Do: Replace old food with fresh food
Birds can be like us when it comes to enjoying their food, so if their food isn’t fresh, they are less likely to visit. Throw away any old or gone off food and replace it with a fresh scoop.
Don’t: Place your bird feeder next to a window
While it might be tempting to put your bird feeder near your window so you can watch them come and go, it might be hazardous to their health. Often, birds are unable to detect a window and might come flying straight into it. Studies show bird feeders should be at least 18 inches from a window for birds’ safety.
Don’t: Ignore the weather
Weather has an impact on your bird feeder and you should keep an eye on it in, particularly harsh conditions that may cause damage.
