Bird Feeding

One of the real joys of a garden is the variety of visitors it attracts and of all species it is perhaps the birds who can inspire us the most.

Feeding the birds that find their way into our garden is now commonplace, and with this growth in the popularity of feeding birds, it is more important than ever that we do so responsibly and safely.

By following a few simple guidelines we can all play a valuable role in helping the birds that visit gardens to:

• overcome periods of natural food shortage

• survive periods of severe winter weather

• be in good breeding condition in the spring and you can enjoy seeing wild birds at close quarters.

What birds expect

The most likely visitors, even in suburban gardens, are starlings, house sparrows, blackbirds, blue and great tits, robins, green finches and collared doves. In many gardens dunnocks, song thrushes and chaffinches will hop around on the ground below the bird table. In more wooded areas you may be lucky enough to see great spotted woodpeckers, nuthatches and coal, marsh and long-tailed tits. Look out for blackcaps, too - they are becoming common visitors to some bird tables in winter.

All thrush species - fieldfare, redwing, mistle and song thrushes and blackbirds - visit gardens for fruit and berries. Feral ring-necked parakeets visit bird tables in south-east England and are spreading west and north. Magpies and black-headed gulls often pirate food from small birds.

You may also see sparrow hawks and kestrels in search of prey. Insect-eating birds, such as wrens and tree creepers are unlikely to visit bird tables, but for tree creepers food can be pushed into cracks in bark and for wrens put beside an ivy-covered wall, a stump or along a hedge bottom.

Goldfinches are attracted to seed heads of plants such as teasel, and the seed supply can be augmented by refilling the seed heads with niger seeds, which they love. Yellowhammers have also started to feed at some bird tables put prefer mixed seeds to kitchen scraps.

When to feed wild birds

The value of winter feeding has been known for a long time, but in recent years it has become apparent that many birds are struggling to survive during the breeding season because of the fluctuations in weather, intensive farming and greater tidiness in gardens and all built up areas. By feeding year round, we are giving birds a better chance to survive the periods of food shortage whenever they may occur.

Autumn and winter

Put out food and water on a regular basis. If the weather is severe, feed twice daily if possible, in the morning and in the early afternoon. Always adjust the quantity given to the demand, and never allow uneaten foods to accumulate around the feeders. Always use good quality food and scraps. All foods listed in this leaflet are suitable for winter feeding. Once you establish a routine it is important to try not to change it.

Spring and summer

Only selected foods should be fed at this time and good hygiene is vital (more in December), or feeding may do more harm than good.

Black sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal, sultanas, raisins, currants, mild grated cheese, mealworms, waxworms, mixes for insectivorous birds (from pet shops), good seed mixtures without loose peanuts, RSPB food bars and summer seed mixture can all be used. Soft apples and pears cut in half, bananas and grapes are also useful foods. Some people also use soaked dog or cat food and tinned pet foods. These can be helpful but may well attract magpies, crows and other large species. Avoid using peanuts, fat and bread at this time, since these foods can be harmful if brought to young nestlings. If you feel you must put out peanuts, only do so in suitable mesh feeders that will not allow whole or half peanuts to be removed.

How to feed birds

Bird tables

Ideal for feeding most species and suitable for all foods. Make a simple tray mounted on a post, or on brackets to a window sill, or suspended from a branch. It needs a raised rim to retain the food and a few holes drilled in the tray to allow rainwater to drain away. A gap at the corner of the rim will allow you to clean away uneaten food. A basic roof can keep off the heaviest rain, but it is not essential and can deter the more wary species. Site the table with care to avoid predation by cats. Ready-made bird-tables are sold through RSPB shops and their gift catalogue.

Nut feeders

Ideal for attracting tits and green finches, these feeders are available in various forms from tubular stainless steel mesh to square metal baskets. These feeders are the only safe method of offering nuts to wild birds. Do not use mesh bags , since these may trap birds' feet or cause broken legs. It is important that the mesh size is large enough to prevent beak damage and small enough to prevent whole nuts from being removed - about 6 mm is ideal. A feeder that does not allow the build-up of old food and the associated health risk is preferable.

Seed container

Types with perches are suitable for feeding sunflower mixes and will attract 'perching' species. Hopper types with trays or flat surfaces are suited to general cereal based mixes, but they must be cleaned out regularly.

Home-made devices

Half coconuts hung upside down 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 green finches, house sparrows and tits, which you can watch performing their acrobatics.

Other ideas

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

Thrushes and dunnocks prefer to feed on the ground. For these birds, scatter food on the lawn or in a ground food hopper well clear of cover to avoid lurking cats.

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, do consider planting items for wildlife to feed on or take shelter in.

Deterring unwelcome visitors

Gray squirrels can be a nuisance at bird tables and can be very difficult to deter. One idea is to enclose the post of your bird table with a section of smooth plastic pipe and place a large inverted biscuit tin over the top of the post, beneath the tray. If your bird table has a smooth metal post smear it with Vaseline. You may have to do this twice to begin with, but then only on very rare occasions. (These methods will also help keep cats off bird tables). Try hanging food baskets from a horizontal line, eg between the bird table and the house, but use thin plastic coated wire, since clothes lines will still allow squirrels access. You can also thread the line through empty plastic drinks bottles on either side of the food. These will spin if squirrels try to cross. Make sure that they cannot jump onto the hanging feeder from the ground or from trees or buildings close by. A squirrel-resistant feeder is available from the RSPB gift catalogue.

To dissuade larger and more aggressive birds, such as starlings, from devouring most of the food on the bird table, enclose it in wire netting that only permits tits to enter, or use the anti-squirrel feeder mentioned above. But remember that blackbirds and thrushes will be excluded too. Starlings find it more difficult of feed from suspended food containers although some manage it.

Avoid leaving quantities of food on or near the ground after dark - it could attract rats!

Feeding birds in a garden creates a focal point where large numbers of songbirds congregate. This in turn can naturally attract predatory birds. The commonest predators are sparrow hawk and magpie. By careful and sensitive siting of the feeders the impacts can be reduced, but inevitably people will see more of the predation that goes on in the wild. Despite being upsetting for many, this is nevertheless a perfectly natural phenomenon and should be accepted as such. Feeding the birds does not increase the predation of songbirds by sparrow hawks- it only makes it more obvious to many by bringing both kinds of bird closer to view. The presence of a top predator such as the sparrow hawk indicates a healthy songbird population in the area. Siting the feeders close to cover will give the songbirds a better chance to escape, but make sure that this will not place then under greater danger from cats.

Cats are numerous and generally unwelcome visitors to most gardens. Unlike birds of prey, cats hunt for fun, not to survive. Their habit of catching birds, particularly during the breeding season, is distressing to most people who see it. There are many deterrents on the market that can be used with varying degrees of success to create a cat-free zone in your garden.

RSPB products to help you to help birds

The use of suitable foods and dispensers is of paramount importance if feeding is to be done safely. With this in mind the RSPB has introduced its own range of wild bird foods and feeders, which set new standards for quality and suitability. The RSPB Birdcare range contains superior foods of known origin, which are selected to meet the RSPB's exacting standards. Similarly, their seed and peanut feeders are premium quality products designed to complement RSPB foods. RSPB Birdcare products are available from RSPB shops and RSPB mail order catalogue. They are also available from selected outlets and supermarkets. Ask for their information sheet by phoning the Birdcare Line on 01743 709420.

More Information

There are a range of books about bird feeding available including:

• BBC/RSPB Videoguide to British Garden Birds with David Attenborough (from WH Smith)

• The Bird Table Book by Tony Soper, 1992. David & Charles

• RSPB Pocket Birdfeeder by Robert Burton, 1997. Dorling Kindersley

• RSPB Birdfeeder Handbook. Attracting and Observing Birds in your Garden by R Burton, 1990. Dorling Kindersley.

• The Complete Garden Bird Book. How to Identify and Attract Birds to your Garden by Mark Golley, Stephen Moss and David Daly, 1997. New Holland.

• Birds in your Garden. An Introduction to their Way of Life by N Hammond and B Pearson, 1995. Hamlyn

More information can be found out on the RSPB website - http://www.rspb.org.uk