Protect your feathered friends on Bonfire Night

We have all been told of ways of protecting our cats and dogs on Bonfire Night, but what about our feathered friends who have no option but to be outside while they are surrounded by strange lights and loud noises.

While we can keep our pets tucked up inside in the warm away from the fireworks going off, it is vitally important that we take into consideration the potential dangers and harm we may cause to wild birds during the next couple of weeks.

One of the most common issues that occurs around this issue is from people building their bonfires too close to trees and nest boxes.

The issue here isn’t of fireworks actually harming birds physically, but is more to do with loud bangs happening close to where they are nesting that result in them having to move elsewhere.

This can be particularly harmful at this time of year as birds need to preserve as much energy as possible over the long cold nights that are fast approaching.

'Early birds' find worms for dinner - BBC Nature

We've just spotted this really interesting article about the feeding habits of wild birds on the BBC website and thought it would be good to share with you ...

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Birds, such as great and blue tits, search for food in the morning but only return to eat it in late afternoon, scientists have found. The team believe the behaviour maximises their chances of avoiding predators during the day without starving to death overnight. Researchers from the University of Oxford tracked the birds' winter foraging movements using tiny tags.

All five of the studied species of songbirds behaved in the same way. The results are published in the Royal Society journal Biology Letters.

"Our results are important because they provide a new hypothesis for how animals forage," said Damien Farine, lead author from the University of Oxford.

"They suggest that animals integrate the different risks they face into one strategy that can be applied to satisfy both their need to avoid predation and avoid risk."

Scientists have been studying bird populations at Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, UK since 1947. Finding food becomes more and more relevant towards the end of the winter when large sources of food, such as beech mast, have become depleted. The team knew from previous studies that, when the predation risk appears high, birds delay putting on fat until late in the day.

"In the 1970s, when there were almost no sparrowhawks, tits used to be much fatter [in winter], which helped them avoid the risk of starvation.

"When sparrowhawks returned [in greater numbers], the average body weight of great tits, for example, decreased," Mr Farine told BBC Nature.

According to Mr Farine these birds had shifted from a strategy of being fat, to a strategy where they delayed putting on fat until late in the day.

... please follow this link to read the full article ...

Kennedy Wild Bird Foods has a wide range of food, seeds & nuts for domestic and wild birds as well as  cat and dog food.

Bird Watching for Beginners

A lot of birders have their first eye-opening experience with the avian world in their own back gardens - and usually from a young age. It could have been a robin nibbling on the berries on a frosty morning, a nuthatch visiting the feeder or a beautiful goldfinch singing on a warm Spring day. Whatever the species was, it opened the door to a wonderful world of wild birds. Most of us found soon after that while getting a handle on "garden" birds was pretty easy, the birds encountered further afield are another story.

Many are unfamiliar, only offer fleeting glimpses, or identification is elusive because they look just too much like several other species. When you are just starting out with birdwatching, identifying all of the birds you come across can seem to be overwhelming. However, before you decide to limit your birding to the confines of your garden, keep in mind that even seasoned experts run into birds that they can’t put a name to. Some birds will be a mystery but with practice, you should learn to identify most of the birds you see.

For better bird identification, try these suggestions:

• Study the field guide: Don’t just flip through your trusty field guide, take time to study it on a regular basis. Try learning how to recognize different bird families first before focusing on the species. This provides the framework needed for easier identification and makes it easier to learn about the differences between similar groups like hawks and falcons or ducks and grebes. Once you have a good handle on the bird families in your region, then you can start studying the species in each of those families.

• Field marks: This refers to the diagnostic characters that help identify birds at the species level. Instead of memorizing every tiny aspect of each species, just focus on learning the field marks to start. This saves time and greatly simplifies bird identification.

• Practice in the field: Whether watching birds in the garden or looking at waterfowl at a local reserve, see if you can place the species you see in their respective families and look for the field marks pointed out in the book. If you know which family an unfamiliar bird belongs to, identifying it may just be a question of matching it to a species in the field guide. Practicing also means learning how to use your binoculars better and learning how to look for field marks like eyerings, wing bars, and other common features.

• Take notes and make sketches: These practices might be the best way to learn how to identify birds because you are forced to truly study the birds you see. Start by writing down notes that detail what you see on the bird. For example, if you begin with the head of the bird, write about the shape of its bill, markings around the eye and on the face, the colors shown by the plumage, and so on for the back, wings, tail, and underparts. Next, try drawing a picture of the bird you see and attempt to copy its shape and the field marks that stand out. It might seem like a painstaking process but you will learn a lot about field identification!

What has been helpful to you in learning how to identify birds? Please share your stories in the comments of this blog or on our social media feeds - http://www.facebook.com/wildbirdfoods or http://www.twitter.com/wildbirdfoods

Winter is almost here

Somehow winter is nearly upon us again and if we are to believe the forecasters’ predictions, we’re in for another cold one.
So stock the cupboards, dig out the thermals and get ready for the snow. But, let’s not forget our feathered friends.
There are a few things we can all do now to help our garden birds through the tough times ahead.
It has been said before but is always worth repeating; start putting food out now for the birds so that when the severe weather hits, they know where they can go when natural food sources are no longer accessible.
Be prepared to put food out twice a day in really bad weather and consider planting berry bushes to offer a natural winter food source.

Also, place feeders in sheltered locations wherever possible. The best place to put them is out of severe winds but not too close to hedges and other platforms that predators could use to ambush the birds while they are feeding.
The best feeders for winter time will have a large cover over the feeding area to provide a bit of extra shelter for the birds while they are eating.
Stock up now on suitable bird foods. If we are all snowed in again this year, buying bird food will be bottom of the to do list when we do make it out of the house so if you already have a store of birdseed and peanuts then the birds won’t go hungry even during the worst blizzards!
Luckily seeds and nuts keep for several months so even if you purchase them now, they’ll last a while. We sell 25kg bags of wild bird seed which can be stored in your garage or garden shed - as long as you keep them dry they'll be fine throughout the winter.
Good winter foods are high in fat so things like peanuts are ideal and remember that salted peanuts and dry roasted nuts are not suitable for birds – so save them for Christmas parties instead!
Seed mixes and fatballs are also good high energy choices to see your garden birds through the winter months.


Nesting season is over for another year, so if you have nesting boxes, late autumn is a good time to clean them out ready for next year.
You don’t want to be out in the snow more than you have to so basic maintenance is better done now while the temperatures are still relatively mild.
As you probably know, birds need water for bathing as well as drinking so it would be well worth while ordering a bird bath now if you don’t already have one, ready for the big freeze.

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www.wildbirdfood.uk.com has a wide selection of wild bird food, nesting boxes, feeders and seed mixtures.

Kennedy Wild Bird Foods - Your Local Pet Food Store

At Kennedy Wild Bird Foods Ltd we understand that our customers need value for money and shop around for bargains - whether that is online or locally.

In fact, we don't just understand, we welcome & encourage it because we are confident that we can't be beaten on our knowledge, our prices or our friendly customer service.

We've thought of a few reasons why we don't think you'll find a better local supplier of wild bird food and pet food ....

• We're a family run business with over 25 years experience in buying and selling wild bird and domestic pet food.
• We have the widest selection of general pet foods in The Deepings & north of Peterborough.
• We stock over 25 varieties of dog food and cat food including many well known brands like IAMS, HILLS, BAKERS, PURINA & SALTERS.
• We also stock food for chickens and domestic/pet birds like parrots, canaries, budgies and parakeets.
• We have a large selection of accessories for your pets and your garden to attract wild birds.
• We specialise in the manufacture and sale of wild bird food.
• We offer over 30 varieties of straight and blended seed mixes in bags ranging from 1kg up to 25kg - which offer fantastic value for money.
• Our retail prices the LOWEST in The Deepings and the surrounding area.
• We deliver anywhere in the UK - most areas are next day delivery.

We'd love to see you either physically in our store in Deeping St James, or virtually on our website ...

Kennedy Wild Bird Foods Ltd

The Warehouse

74 Station Rd

Deeping St James
Peterborough

PE6 8RQ

Mon to Fri : 08:00 till 17:00 & Sat : 09:00 till 15:00

Telephone: 01778 342665

Visit our website 24/7 at www.wildbirdfood.uk.com or email us at info@wildbirdfood.uk.com 

We look forward to seeing you very soon!

Feeding Wild Birds in Winter

With the long cold autumn & winter days approaching it is more important than ever to keep our feathered friends happy and healthy by supplying them with a nice selection of bird food. It’s easy to forget how tough it is for birds to feed when temperatures fall below zero and there is snow and ice covering the ground.
The simple fact is that even a small layer of snow covering their usual food sources is enough of a problem for birds to struggle to get access to it.
Then there is the obvious problem of the ground being too hard so birds like thrushes can’t get through to where they often feed from.
October is the ideal time to start putting food out in your garden because by the time the really cold weeks approach in a month’s time or so, birds will already know that they can come to your garden and receive a fresh, healthy supply of food
It is not an exaggeration to say that the food that we put in our gardens during the coldest weeks may well be the difference between life and death for thousands of birds!
For those that are reading this and never thought about feeding birds, then the tips and advice below will help you do this both effectively and without spending too much in the process.

What Shall I put in my Garden?

Of course there are many species of birds, so it is ideal to have a wide range of food to suit all types.
Fatballs, meal worms, peanuts and a nice mix of seeds are some of the more common and most favoured types of food supplies to have in your garden.
Water is also an important thing to remember, not just for birds to drink but also to help keep themselves clean. To avoid the water freezing over when the temperatures are really low it may be a good idea to float small objects in there, such as small twigs, as this will help avoid this problem.
Finally, a good feeding station or bird table is needed. It is always worth getting good quality feeding stations as this does not only provide a good place to feed from for the birds, but you can also choose a nice, attractive set to compliment your garden.
Hanging feeders are great as well as they can hold a wide variety of foods and are very easily visible and accessible for birds. Sunflower Hearts, peanuts and seeds can all be used in hanging feeders.

Extra Tips:

• Try and put the food out early in the day. Birds will lose a lot of energy during the cold nights so will need to reenergise as quickly as possible. Also, putting food out late at night is more likely to attract unwanted visitors to your garden, such as rats and mice.
• Give your feeding stations and bird tables a wash once a week and don’t leave any leftover foods lying around for too long. Think of the area like the birds equivalent of your kitchen, so for general hygiene and to avoid the spread of any potential diseases this is an important thing to remember.
• Wash the bowl/bath you are using to supply the birds with water on a daily basis. It is important they are receiving fresh water and as they use the water to bathe in as well, it can become much less healthy if it is not cleaned and refilled on a regular basis.
• Dried fruit is a nice treat for birds if you have some spare in the house to offer them, with the exception of desiccated coconut, this can be very harmful to birds!

For a large selection of low cost, high quality wild bird food, please visit our website at www.wildbirdfood.uk.com

New Feathers For Autumn

The skies may seem a little quieter in the waning days of summer.  You might think the birds have already left with Autumn & then Winter just around the corner.  But they are still here if only for a little longer.  With breeding season behind them, now is the time that many birds molt or replace their feathers and are quietly waiting for the process to be completed before taking off on those long flights.  Not to mention it’s the perfect timing to grow more insulating feathers before the temperatures drop too much.

Even though birds spend a great deal of time caring for their feathers, eventually they wear out from things like physical abrasion and bleaching from the sun.  Similar to when humans lose teeth, new feathers begin to grow and push the old feathers out of the follicle.
Rather sensibly, most birds molt in patterns so as not to lose all their feathers at once allowing them to maintain body temperature and repel moisture.  Still, all birds are vulnerable while their flight feathers are replaced.  During this time, birds wisely find a good hiding place and keep quiet so as not to attract predators.
Ducks are one of a few species that molt all at once.  They too must find a safe place to quietly bide their time while new feathers grow in over a two to four week stretch rather than the typical five to twelve weeks for other types.
A fresh set of new feathers prior to migration gives birds the strength to make those long flights to warmer weather but it also saps their energy.  Another reason to continue to keep those feeders stocked going into the fall months.

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We stock a wide range of bird seed, seed feeders, nesting boxes and food for domestic birds & animals - please visit us at www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/acatalog/shop.html