GREEN LIVING PARTY BAGS
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Shop
5 minute blog posts on creating a wildlife-friendly garden

Should we feed our garden birds all year?

16/2/2020

1 Comment

 

feeding our garden birds throughout the year and not just in winter

Should we feed our garden birds throughout the year?
​Yes, is the quick answer!
But, here's the longer more detailed answer...
Food shortages can occur at any time of the year for our wildlife, but, more so in winter. What food we put down for our birds should vary depending on the time of year. 

Feeding in autumn and winter

Autumn and Winter - our garden birds need a higher fat based feed in the winter to help them keep their own fat reserves high to keep warm. So food options like fat balls, sunflower hearts and small seeds like nyjer seeds are all good. If you use peanuts, make sure they are in a mesh feeder, so that they have to peck at them, rather than taking a full peanut, which can be dangerous for them! Putting food out at a consistent time is helpful as the regular birds will get to know when to visit your garden, so if they do get food shortages in bad weather, they will know where to find a good supply. 

Feeding in Spring and summer

Spring and Summer - birds require higher protein foods, especially when moulting. Avoid putting out lots of bread and go for some more nutritious options such as chopped apples, pears, grapes or soaked raisins. Sunflower hearts are still a good option. Keep an eye on fat balls, some commercial ones can be used all year, but the fat may go rancid. Dig over any soil in your garden to allow the birds to forage worms and bugs!

The fat balls that come in Green Living Party Bags are plastic free - they don't have any netting around them.  They can be placed on a bird table or used in the mesh feeders and are suitable for year round use.  They will appeal to a wide range of garden birds such as blue tits, great tits, robins, finches, starlings and sparrows.  They do not contain peanuts, but maybe made in an area that uses peanuts. 

Then later on in the year, once your giant sunflowers have grown (up to 3 meters!!) and flowered, the flower heads themselves can be left to go to seed for the birds to peck the seeds from. 

Extra tips on feeding your garden birs

Some extra tips - 
  • Keep the food fresh, don't leave food to go mouldy or stale
  • Clean your table and scrub your feeders regularly
  • Unsalted bacon rinds will go down well
  • Plan where to put your feeders, so that they are in a safe place
  • Put out a bowl of fresh water, keep it fresh, clean and topped up
  • In extra cold weather you might want to put out fresh food twice a day
1 Comment
Cedar Rapids Roofing link
3/9/2022 16:10:38

Loved reaading this thanks

Reply



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    First time blogger!  5 minute reads on creating wildlife friendly habitats around us.

    Archives

    September 2022
    June 2020
    February 2020

    Categories

    All
    At Home Yoga Retreat
    Bees
    Bird Food
    Birds
    Butterflys
    Cress Seeds
    Fat Balls
    Feeding Birds
    Feeding Birds In The Autumn
    Feeding Birds In The Spring
    Feeding Birds In The Summer
    Feeding Birds In The Winter
    Garden Birds
    Growing Instructions
    Nature Party Bags
    Planting Instructions
    Plastic Free
    Seed Bombs
    Sunflower Seeds
    When To Feed Birds
    Wildflowers
    Wildlife Friendly
    Yoga
    Yoga Gift Box
    Yoga Retreat

    RSS Feed

HOW CAN I HELP YOU?
Home
Shop
About
Contact
Party favours, party bags, Yoga gift box, end of term gifts and power bracelets
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Blog
  • Shop