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.

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

Are you ready for Autumn?

So summer may be slowly disappearing but let's not get too depressed about it - we've had the warmest & driest summer in the UK for many years.

So with Autumn on the horizon we thought we'd give you the low down on what you should be doing to prepare yourselves for the cooler, wetter, darker days ahead. Sorry, we don't mean to be too depressing so to cheer you up, please accept a small give of 10% off all your orders during September with discount code NEW10. Just pop your goodies in your basket and use the code at the checkout - your 10% will be automatically deducted before you enter your payment details.

Make sure your Seed Feeders are in good shape

Seed Feeders

After the summer we've just had, your feeders need cleaning or replacing - bacteria thrives in warm, dry conditions so please give all your feeders, baths etc a good scrub. If they are broken or cracked you should replace them - again, bacteria will get in the cracks and infect the food/water. We have a wide range of feeders on our website - http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/acatalog/Seed_Feeders_.html.

Bird Seed

Bird Seed at Kennedy Wild Bird Foods

Now is the time to stock up on your bird seed. Buying in bulk will save yourself time & money. Make sure you buy the right seed or mixture - our feathered friends can be fussy eaters!

However, most wild birds found in UK gardens will love Sunflower Hearts. They are packed full with protein and oils, making them a most desirable food all year round. We sell 25kg bags for just £42.10 (just £37.89 with discount!) which is outstanding value. http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/acatalog/Plain_Seeds_and_Peanuts.html

Live Feed

We all love to treat ourselves with a nice meal out & birds are no exception. The ground has been very hard this summer and will be again when the frost sets in so why not treat your avian diners to some live mealwoms & waxworms?

Live bird feed provides a tasty treat

Mealworms are our best selling live food and the number one choice for feeding wild birds. They are the larvae of the Flour Beetle, a native British insect which eats flour, meal, grain and other related crops. Their bodies are made up of over 48% crude protein and 40% fat making them an excellent, proven food for all insect eating garden birds.

Waxworms (Galleria Mellonella) are the larvae of the Greater Wax Moth. Their soft body is easily digestible and very nutritious being rich in protein, moisture and fat, making them an even more juicy meal than mealworms. Can be stored for 3 to 4 weeks at room temperature.

We always have a selection of live feed in store & we dispatch them in secure containers so the postman won't get a fright when he delivers them to you. Packed in various weights, the 2kg bag offers the best value for money at just £35.20 (just £31.68 with discount!). http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/acatalog/Live_Bird_Food.html

Nesting Boxes

Nesting Boxes

And last but certainly not least, you should prepare your nesting boxes by cleaning out the old debris & repairing or replacing them if they are damaged. We stock a wide range of nesting boxes for birds of all sizes. Our best seller is the multi-bird nesting box - an exclusive design to the Nest Box Company, the only "interchangeable panel box" made in the UK that requires no tools at all to change over the panels.The box comes with three interchangeable front panels with aperture sizes of 25mm, 28mm and 32mm & is designed to attract up to 15 different kinds of birds - dependant upon which front is selected. http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/acatalog/The_Nest_box_Company_Range.html

We hope you've had a great summer, and hope that we can help you prepare for the Autumn & Winter - if you can't find what you need on http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com please drop us a line at info@wildbirdfood.uk.com & we'll do our very best to help you.

Happy Birding!

 

Table for two?

The species of birds that rely and visit your garden for food will totally depend on the varieties and mixtures of feeds that you have available for them to eat. 

You should always remember that your garden, your bird feeders, and the variety and quality of feeds available represent a restaurant to birds. 

Like all good restaurateurs, to ensure that your tables remain full, one must maintain a selection of the finest and most nutritious feeds available.

You might have many bird restaurants around your residence, many of which may be 'cheep' takeaways, selling high priced corn-based feeds. 

All of our mixtures are blended to ensure the highest nutritional benefits by using only the finest seeds available from around the world.

All mixtures continue to undergo a most stringent testing programme to ensure that they are totally palatable. With over twenty years continuous research we are today extremely proud of our range of mixtures. These will ensure your tables and feeders are inundated with the many wonderful species which due to modern farming methods have become so reliant upon us all for their survival.

Please visit our website to see what's on today's menu - http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/TheResaurantChoice.htm