In recent years, there has been a huge growth of interest in feeding garden birds in the UK. This makes a significant contribution to the annual food requirements of many bird populations. At a time when human changes to the environment are a major threat to many other species, garden bird feeding has never been more important.
It used to be that animals were either kept, and therefore our responsibility, or wild, and not. But now it is not so simple. Because of the size of the human population and the extent to which we use or control the environment, we greatly, and often directly, influence the welfare and fates of very many wild animals. This has brought increasing responsibility for them. Human/garden bird interactions are one of the front lines in the development of this new relationship with wildlife. Having taken over a large proportion of the land for housing, industry and farming, providing food for wild birds is one way of helping to redress the balance.
Bird Feeding
Providing birds with food will bring them closer for you to marvel at their varieties, fascinating behaviour and wonderful colours. Feeding birds is also an ideal way to enthuse children about wildlife. This supplementary feeding can't provide all the natural proteins and vitamins that adult and young birds need, so it's important to create and manage your garden to provide a source of natural foods as well, through well-managed lawns, shrubs and flowerbeds. If you provide both natural and supplementary food, your garden will be turned into a wildlife haven and will be visited year-round by a host of different birds. It is important to feed your garden birds responsibly and safely. By following a few simple guidelines, you can play a valuable role in helping your local birds overcome periods of natural food shortage, survive periods of severe winter weather and come into good breeding condition in the spring.
Bird Food
There are a variety of different types of bird food available to buy. Here is a guide to what to feed your garden birds and when.
Bird Seed Mixtures
There are different
mixes for feeders and for
bird tables and ground feeding. The best mixtures contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds, and peanut granules. Small seeds, such as millet, attract mostly house sparrows, dunnocks, finches, reed buntings and collared doves, while flaked maize is taken readily by blackbirds. Tits and greenfinches favour peanuts and sunflower seeds. Some seed mixes now contain added suet pellets, fruit or pieces of mealworm. Mixes that contain chunks or whole nuts are suitable for winter feeding only. Pinhead oatmeal is excellent for many birds. Wheat and barley grains are often included in seed mixtures, but they are really only suitable for pigeons, doves and pheasants - which feed on the ground and rapidly increase in numbers, frequently deterring the smaller species. Avoid seed mixtures that have split peas, beans, dried rice or lentils as again only the large species can eat them dry. These are added to some cheaper seed mixes to bulk them up. Any mixture containing green or pink lumps should also be avoided as these are dog biscuit, which can only be eaten when soaked.
Black Sunflower Seeds
Also known as black oil seeds, these are an excellent, economical all-year-round food; rich in energy-giving oils and protein, and in many areas are even more popular than peanuts. The oil content is higher in black than striped ones, and so they are much better.
Black sunflower seeds are an excellent food source as almost all wild birds that visit your garden will readily eat them. The husk of the black sunflower seed is thin, so it can be easily broken by wild birds, even those with small beaks. They are also versatile and can be fed using seed feeders, a bird table or on the ground. Black sunflower seeds are eaten by the following wild bird species: blue tits, blackbirds, bullfinches, chaffinches, coal tits, goldfinches, great tits, green finches, sparrows, siskins, nuthatches, robins, song thrushes, starlings, swallows, tree sparrows, wrens, and many others - providing them all with an essential high energy diet.
Sunflower Hearts
The edible kernel of the sunflower seed,
sunflower hearts offer the highest calorific value of any individual seed for wild birds. They are more expensive than black sunflower seeds but they have two advantages. First, the birds can feed more quickly because they do not have to remove the husk. Second, the lack of the husk means that there is no unsightly pile of husks left behind on the ground after the birds have had their fill. Sunflower Hearts are an excellent, very high 'energy content' food, with all year round appeal for a wide variety of birds. Whether they are fed from a seed feeder, bird table or on the ground, 'top-ups' will be needed far more frequently than with most other bird foods in order to retain the high level of species that sunflower hearts will attract.
Niger seeds
These are small and black with a high oil content and require a purpose designed feeder due to their smaller size.
Niger seed is often used as a 'tonic' for birds. It is becoming increasingly popular, and has helped reverse the fortunes of the once diminishing goldfinch. Feeding niger seed is the most effective way of attracting this most colourful of residents, and it is also popular with other species such as greenfinch, siskins, and dunnocks. Niger seed is recommended for all year round feeding, with regular amounts for those wishing to retain their precious goldfinches, for once supplies stop, they will look somewhere else.
Peanuts
These are rich in fat and are popular with tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers and siskins. Crushed or grated nuts attract robins, dunnocks and even wrens. Nuthatches and coal tits may hoard peanuts. They provide excellent all year round high energy, protein and oils, which are so necessary in the busy spring and summer month - and absolutely essential in the winter. As fledglings receiving food from a parent can only manage smaller pieces, it is most important that peanuts are only offered from a wire-mesh peanut feeder - particularly during the breeding season.
Peanuts can be high in a natural toxin called aflatoxin, so buy buy good quality peanuts from a reputable source and avoid any that show any signs of mould. Keep you peanuts in a cool and dry environment and buy them in small quantities, so that they do not sit around for too long. Salted or dry roasted peanuts should not be used.
Fat Balls and Food Bars
Fat balls and other 'fat-based' food bars are an extremely popular high-energy food source for wild birds, and are especially beneficial in the winter and during colder spells. If they are sold in nylon mesh bags, always remove the bag before putting the fat ball out - the soft mesh can trap and injure birds. You can also make your own bird cake by pouring melted fat (suet or lard) onto a mixture of ingredients such as seeds, nuts, dried fruit, oatmeal, cheese and cake. Use about one-third fat to two-thirds mixture. Stir well in a bowl and allow it to set in a container of your choice. An empty coconut shell, plastic cup or tit bell makes an ideal bird cake 'feeder'. Alternatively, you can turn it out onto your bird table when solid.
Mealworms
Mealworms are not worms but the larval stage of a beetle and are a natural food and can be used to feed birds throughout the year. They are the larvae of the Yellow Mealworm Tenebrio molitor that are used widely as food for wild birds, as well as captive birds, reptiles and amphibians. Another less common but similar species, the Dark Mealworm Tenebrio obscura is sometimes used, the larva being somewhat smaller in size. Mealworms are relished by robins and blue tits, and may attract other insect-eating birds such as pied wagtails. It is very important that any mealworms fed to birds are fresh (either live or dried). Any discoloured ones must not be used as they can cause problems such as salmonella poisoning.
What to Avoid...
Cooking Fat
Fat from cooking is bad for birds. The problem with cooked fat from roasting tins and dishes is that the meat juices have blended with the fat and when allowed to set, this consistency makes it prone to smearing, not good for birds' feathers. Cooking fat is also a breeding ground for bacteria - so potentially bad for birds' health. Salt levels depend on what meat is used and if any salt is added during cooking. Lard and beef suet on their own are fine as they re-solidify after warming and as they are pure fat, it is not as suitable for bacteria to breed on.
Polyunsaturated Margarines or Vegetable Oils
These are unsuitable for birds. Unlike humans, birds need high levels of saturated fat, such as raw suet and lard. They require a high energy content to keep them warm in the worst of the winter weather - since their body reserves are quickly used up, particularly on cold winter nights. Polyunsaturated margarines or vegetable oils are soft fats which can easily be smeared onto the feathers, destroying their waterproofing and insulating qualities.
Dry Dog and Cat Food
Dry dog or
cat biscuits are not recommended as birds may choke on the hard lumps. It is sometimes added to cheaper seed mixtures for bulk. Soaked dog or cat biscuits are fine, except in hot weather as they quickly dry out. Meaty tinned dog and cat food form an acceptable substitute to earthworms during the warm, dry part of the summer when worms are beyond the birds' reach. Blackbirds readily take dog food, and even feed it to their chicks. The drawbacks are that pet foods can attract larger birds such as magpies and gulls, and also predators such as neighbourhood cats. If this is likely to be a problem, it is best avoided.
Milk and Desiccated Coconut
Never give milk to any bird. A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk and it can result in serious stomach upsets, or even death. Birds can, however, digest fermented dairy products such as cheese. Mild grated cheese can be a good way of attracting robins, wrens and dunnocks. Give fresh coconut only, in the shell. Rinse out any residues of the sweet coconut water from the middle of the coconut before hanging it out to prevent the build-up of black mildew. Desiccated coconut should never be used as it may swell once inside a bird and cause death.
Mouldy and Stale Food
Many moulds are harmless, but some that can cause respiratory infections in birds, and so it is best to be cautious and avoid mouldy food entirely. If food turns mouldy or stale on your bird table, you are probably placing out too large a quantity for the birds to eat in one day. Always remove any stale or mouldy food promptly. Stale food provides a breeding ground for salmonella bacteria, which can cause food poisoning. At least one type of salmonella causes death among such species as greenfinches and house sparrows. Large quantities of food scattered on the ground may also attract rats and mice.
Many backyard birders are astonished at the wide variety of winter birds that visit their feeders even on the coldest days, and they may wonder “how do wild birds keep warm in winter?” Birds have many superb adaptations that allow them to survive even in the most frigid conditions, and birders who understand what birds need to keep warm can easily help their feathered friends.