Feed the birds … twenty quid a bag …

Food for the garden birds is rather pricey. Certainly not the tuppence-a-bag of the song from Mary Poppins. Admittedly, the bags you buy are a lot more heavily laden with various seeds and grains.
Anyway, discussion is ongoing in my Wild Fen Edge group about when to feed garden birds, so here are some thoughts.
Birds need to eat all year round. So, I put food out all the time – mixed seed peanuts, nyjer seeds, fat balls, flutter butter. Different places in the garden, different heights if possible, near obvious perching points, higher than cat access, some out in the open. Also, not too many feeders close together to avoid disease. Feeders should be emptied and cleaned thoroughly with detergent on a regular basis.
I also have a couple of bird baths of different sizes (one on the ground, one on a stand) and a pond for their drinking and bathing. Birdbath water needs to be changed frequently as the birds commonly add droppings.
I have written about attracting birds to your garden previously, so check out that for more tips and tricks. I’ve seen at least a couple of dozen species in our garden over the years, including the common birds, but also the likes of Grey Heron, Great Spotted Woodpecker, Fieldfare, Redwing, Chiffchaff etc.
An additional point about gardens, native wildflowers are great for insects and so the insectivorous birds. Leave your garden a bit scruffy. Let a few weeds sprout. Create some wild patches, don’t have gravel and lawn throughout and n...

Source: David Bradley Sciencebase - Songs, Snaps, Science - June 28, 2023 Category: Science Authors: David Bradley Tags: Birds Source Type: blogs