How to feed your garden birds

There are all kinds of ways to feed birds, from bird tables and hanging feeders to devices you can make yourself.

Bird tables

Bird tables are suitable for many species and most foods. A simple tray is perfectly adequate, with or without a roof. It needs a raised rim to retain the food and a gap at each corner of the rim to allow rainwater drain away and allow you to clean away droppings and uneaten food. Do not be tempted by elaborate designs that are difficult to clean.

Feeders

Nut feeders are made of steel mesh, and are the only safe method of offering nuts to wild birds. The mesh size needs to be large enough to prevent beak damage and small enough to prevent large pieces of nut from being removed – about 6 mm is a good compromise.

Seed feeders are tubular transparent containers with holes, through which birds are able to access the seed. These are designed for sunflower seeds and seed mixes labelled feeder seed. They will attract tits, siskins and greenfinches.

Nyjer seed is smaller and needs a special type of seed feeder. They are particularly popular with goldfinches and siskins. Hopper types with trays or flat surfaces are suited to general cereal based mixes, although any seed mix can be used. They will attract a similar range of birds to a bird table. Make sure that all feeders drain easily and do not allow the build-up of old food with the associated health risks.

Home-made devices

Half-coconuts and tit bells filled with fat, bird cake, etc can be hung from your bird table, a tree or from a bracket on a wall. They will attract greenfinches, house sparrows and tits.

Other ideas

Fill the holes and cracks of a post or suspended log with fatty food, such as suet, for agile birds, such as tits, nuthatches, woodpeckers, treecreepers and even wrens.

Thrushes and dunnocks prefer to feed on the ground. For these birds, scatter food on the lawn or use a ground feeding tray or hopper well clear of cover to avoid lurking cats. Remember to change the area you scatter the food over every few days, and never put out more than is eaten the same day to avoid attracting vermin.

If you put food such as apples and bread on the ground, space it out in different places in the garden. This will reduce competition between birds so that more birds can feed at any one time. If there is snow on the ground, clear small areas before putting down the food.

If you have a garden, consider planting items for wildlife to feed on or take shelter in. 

Mesh bags – a warning

Peanuts and fat balls are regularly sold in nylon mesh bags. Never put out any food in mesh bags. These may trap birds’ feet and even cause broken or torn off feet and legs. Birds with a barbed tongue, eg woodpeckers, can become trapped by their beaks

Actively discourage the black, four legged flightless variety to your bird table 

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The best way to encourage birds into your garden is very simple: give them food.
Garden birds bring music, colour and charisma to a garden. And gardens have become important to birds, providing havens for declining species.

Goldfinch feeder. Credit: Richard Burkmar
Natural food
The most natural way of providing food for birds is to grow it. If your garden plants have fruit, berries, hips, seeds and nuts, they'll be a larder for birds, particularly in late summer and autumn.
The plants in your garden will also harbour birds' other natural food source - insects and other invertebrates. These are especially important during the breeding season. Features such as long grass, flowers, hedges, trees, dead wood, compost heaps and ponds all encourage invertebrates and therefore birds.
Providing food
Vary the mix of foods to encourage a good mix of birds. Garden birds come in different shapes and sizes and all have different preferences. Sunflower seeds are popular with green finches, whereas goldfinches prefer Niger seed. Kitchen scraps add variety to a bird's diet. In winter fat balls provide a great calorie boost for hungry birds, and in the breeding season putting out meal worms will provide an excellent protein source for birds with hungry chicks to feed.
Use a variety of feeding techniques and locations to attract as many birds as possible into your garden. Bird feeders are likely to attract many finches, tits, sparrows and even great spotted woodpeckers, but for any larger birds a bird table is a good addition. Many birds, such as thrushes and blackbirds, feed on the ground, while tree creepers benefit from food smeared into cracks in tree trunks.
Safety
Some food can be harmful to birds, so take care what you put out. Salty foods should never be put out, and dried foods such as desiccated coconut can be fatal as they swell in birds' stomachs. Dry bread should be moistened first for this reason. Choking is another potential hazard, mainly for young birds. Whole peanuts should not be used during the breeding season. Birds are susceptible to food poisoning too, and raw meats or mouldy food should not be provided.
Hygiene is important, and feeding stations should be cleaned regularly, with uneaten food replaced when it starts to spoil. Ideally the location of feeding stations should be changed regularly, to prevent bird droppings from accumulating and spreading disease.
Be careful to site feeders in places that cats can't reach, and with good all round vision to allow the birds to keep up their vigilance. If feeders have to be near vegetation, then a prickly bush, or one clipped closely around the base, should be unsuitable as an ambush point for felines. Sparrowhawks and other natural predators may also be discouraging to some wildlife gardeners, but these are unlikely to cause significant damage to populations. To many it is a real thrill to have a hunting sparrowhawk visit the garden, and is a clear sign of an ecosystem functioning well.

www.wildbirdfood.uk.com

Britain's National Bird

Time to vote for Britain,s National bird.

The most important vote you will cast this year!

Fish Food Now Available At Kennedy's

As well as a wide range of wild bird food, did you know that we also stock fish food here at Kennedy's?

Anne Kennedy Wheatgerm Koi Sticks - £ 28.25

Anne Kennedy Koi Sticks Orange - £ 7.00

Anne Kennedy Aristocratic Koi Sticks White - £ 7.00

Anne Kennedy Aristocratic Pond Pellets Small - £ 7.00

Anne Kennedy Aristocratic Pond Pellets Medium - £ 7.00






At Kennedy's Wild Bird Food we offer you the option to pay by telephone or online through our secure website. All orders over £50 qualify for FREE DELIVERY and earn you loyalty points.

Please visit us now at www.wildbirdfood.uk.com or call us during office hours on 01778 342665.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Peter, Anne & The Team.

Feeding birds in summer

Feeding the birds

Feeding birds used to be a winter activity, from Christmas until the first spring flowers appeared. But birds need our help in the summer months just as much as during the winter.

Premium Grade Peanuts

Because birds breed in the spring and early summer, by July and August there are millions more hungry mouths to feed. For tits, finches and sparrows, garden feeding stations provide a real lifeline. And even for birds like robins, wrens, thrushes and blackbirds, availability of insects, fruits and berries is, to a large extent, the result of gardening habits. The more bird-friendly the garden, the more birds it will support.

As we and the birds enjoy the summer sunshine, autumn and winter (when food is more scarce) are only a couple of months away. If this year's youngsters and their parents can obtain enough energy now, they'll have the energy resources to survive leaner times ahead.

Natural food availability

Nesting parents have a particularly tough time in summer. The job of finding hundreds of caterpillars a day is hard work for a pair of blue tits, so any extra food to maintain their own energy levels is welcome. They may also have to cope with dry weather, when earthworms burrow deep beneath the surface; or in wet weather, when foraging is difficult.

Live Mealworms

In July and August, species like blackbirds and song thrushes often have second and even third broods. This means they have to find food for a new family at a time when their offspring from the first brood may also be struggling to survive.

Supplementary feeding

Just as in winter, high-energy food is the key to summer feeding. Live food is also recommended as it allows the adult birds to supplement the food they can find in the wild for their chicks, and also helps replenish their own low energy levels. It's best if you can avoid foods that might melt in hot weather, such as products containing lots of fat.

Premium Sunflower Hearts

Peanuts used to be the staple item on our bird feeding menu, but the increase in alternatives such as sunflower hearts means we now have a greater choice. Peanuts might spread aflatoxin, a fungal infection that can be lethal to birds. Check the pack before you buy to make sure the nuts have been tested for aflatoxin. Whatever you do, never put out nuts intended for human consumption, because they contain dangerous levels of salt.

What to feed birds

The following food can be fed to garden birds throughout the year:

• Sunflower hearts are packed with energy, and are easier for birds to eat as they don't have a tough seed coat to crack open. They are also a cleaner alternative to whole sunflower seeds, as the birds don't have any seed coats to discard. 
• Mealworms are the perfect summer dietry supplement. Lives ones are best but a dried alternative is available. 
• Fruit is an excellent source of energy for ground-feeding birds like robins, thrushes and blackbirds. Raisins, sultanas, apples and pears are all suitable.
• Many leftovers are ideal for feeding hungry birds. Cooked pasta and rice are high in energy, as is rind or fat from unsalted meat. You can also leave out cooked vegetables, pastry and grated cheese, but avoid salty food or bread, as this can be bad for birds.

Happy Birding!
Peter, Anne & The Team

Birds get thirsty too!

Bird Bath Raft

Did you know that one of the biggest killers of wild birds in the summer is a lack of fresh water?

We drink more during hot spells and we always make sure our house pets are kept cool & refreshed but it always surprises us how few bird baths are kept topped up during the summer.

And that's why we're excited about Birdbath Raft - a clever new idea that makes it brilliantly easy to offer an attractive drinking and bathing station this summer.

We sell a wide range of garden accessories to keep your feathered friends hydrated and refreshed all year round. Visit http://www.wildbirdfood.uk.com/PBSCCatalog.asp?CatID=2238859 to see our birdbaths, feeders and bird seed mixtures.

Four reasons why it’s a good idea to feed birds during summer

Should you take your bird feeders down for the summer?

Four reasons why it’s a good idea to feed birds during summer ....

Droll Yankees Seed Tray & Rain Guard

1. Birds that visit feeders during summer include species not present during winter. Depending on where you live, you may be visited by birds that will be hundreds or thousands of miles away later in the year.
2. During summer, birds that look drab during winter are sporting their colorful breeding plumage.
3. Once they’ve nested and their offspring have fledged, adult birds will introduce their young to your bird feeders and birdbaths. 
4. Warmer temperatures encourage closer viewing of backyard birds. If you regularly sit on a patio or deck, the birds at nearby feeders and baths will get used to you and go about their business while you watch them. There’s no better way to enjoy a summer day.

Bird Bath Raft

Contrary to popular myth, birds won't become dependent on your food & "forget" how to hunt - give them some credit! But if you can supplement their diet - especially when it's hot & worms & other live feed are difficult to find in the hard ground, your feeders & baths will be a lifeline to them & their fledglings.

For all of your wild bird food, seeds & nuts & bird feeding accessories visit www.wildbirdfood.uk.com today & get free next day delivery for an order over £50.

Happy Birding!

Peter, Anne & The Team at Kennedy Wild Bird Food.