Children often have lots of questions about feeding garden birds; should you feed birds all year round? Can birds eat peanuts? What do garden birds eat? How to prevent bird disease?
Creating encounters with wildlife for our children can be hard. Wildlife gardening is one of the simplest ways to introduce them to nature. Kids love helping prepare and put out bird food as well as watching the birds arrive and learning to identify them.
In this simple tutorial learn: –
- what to feed garden birds to attract a wide variety to your garden
- how to identify birds
- how to make a hanging bird feeder
- how to maintain bird feeder hygiene as well as
- how to enter the Big Garden Birdwatch at the end of January each year or
- join an ongoing scientific study (see link at bottom of page).
Create a Wildlife Encounter for Kids
Not my best photography ever (mostly through windows), these photos are all taken in our back garden to show it really is worth making the effort to feed the birds.
Feeding garden birds is many people’s first step towards creating a wildlife garden. But where do you start? Duck feeding at the park is great for toddlers, but what about in the garden?
How to Feed Garden Birds
You will need:
- Various bird feeders – seed containers and fat ball holders
- A bird table or hanging pole
- A bowl or bath for water
- Wild bird seed
- Dried mealworms
- Household scraps – ensure they are bird-friendly (see below)
What to do:
Feed the right food – read on to learn which birds eat what, where and what they prefer to eat and how to identify birds
Use different feeders – encourage a variety of birds to the garden with different feeding methods (see below)
Consider garden size & safety; do you have trees, bushes etc? Are there local cats? Don’t position feeders where cats can easily get to them
Be patient – if you’ve not fed birds before, they can take a few days to get used to something new in their environment
Maintain good hygiene – VERY IMPORTANT; clean bird feeders regularly to avoid the spread of disease. Always use a bird-friendly cleaning fluid. There’s a photo in The Hall of Einar’s blog post showing a very poorly Chaffinch, possibly due to poor feeder hygiene.
What Type of Bird Feeder to Use
Wooden bird tables work well, with or without roofs. You can even make your own.
A metal bird feeding pole with hooks for different hanging feeders, a water bowl and a flat tray is excellent for feeding multiple species.
We also put food on the lawn for ground feeders and sometimes hang fat coconuts in the trees.
Try a window-hanging feeder. It’s surprising how many birds are courageous enough to use it so close to the house. They’re a great idea for the housebound and for children to see birds close-up.
Hoping Mr Robin will hop down for some mealworm!
What to Feed Garden Birds Season by Season
Many people feed garden birds in harsh winter weather but not everyone knows that the UK’s declining bird populations benefit hugely from year round feeding. Here’s a summary of seasonal variations: –
WINTER
- Ensure a daily supply of fresh water when natural water is frozen
- Wild bird seed, Nyger and peanuts can be bought at most pet shops. Hang them in feeders around the garden. Replenish regularly
- Fat balls and suet feeders provide instant energy in cold weather
- Remove mesh wrappers from fat balls to avoid birds becoming tangled if you can’t find mesh-free fat balls
- Clear snow from an area of grass for ground feeders
SPRING
- Feeding chicks and fledglings is exhausting so continued feeding is a great benefit for tired parents
- Don’t feed whole peanuts as young birds can choke on them
- Dried and live mealworms are excellent nutritional treats for adults and juveniles alike
SUMMER
- Continue basic seed feeding as food shortages can occur at any time
- Provide fresh water during dry weather
AUTUMN
- As per winter, with high fat foods and daily fresh water
- Put out old apples for ground feeders
You’ll get great results from putting out food for the birds. It’s good for them, good for us and excellent for our children’s natural well-being.
Summary – Dos and Don’ts
- Identify your regular bird visitors & provide the relevant food
- Always put out fresh water, all year round, especially in freezing conditions
- Consider cats and position feeders so cats can’t reach them
- Feed a variety of food according to species e.g. ground or seed feeder
- Use a variety of containers e.g. coconut shell, wire hangers, window feeders
- Feed all year round
- No whole peanuts in spring and summer to avoid young choking
- If you have a larger garden put food in different locations
- Maintain feeder hygiene to avoid spread of disease
- Maintain personal hygiene after handling bird feeders
- No mouldy or salty foods
- Beware of pets as raisins can be poisonous to some dogs
- Soak bread in water and feed in small pieces if you must feed it at all
How to Identify Garden Birds
Putting out the right food for your garden visitors means learning which birds are visiting you.
To identify garden birds use the RSPB’s handy identifier or British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)‘s great video tutorials for identification.
To identify birds by their song, try the free Birdsong ID App. It is best used to confirm a birdsong – Caroline uses regularly to listen to & memorize but I’ve personally found its recording and playback function is not ideal.
Which Birds Eat What in the Wild?
Once you know who’s who, how do you know what to feed them?
SEED EATERS – these birds like all kinds of seeds, small insects, caterpillars etc.
- Blue Tit
- Great Tit
- Coal Tit
- Goldfinch
- Greenfinch
- Sparrow
- Collared Dove
GROUND FEEDERS – these eat worms, slugs, snails, flying insects, fruit (apples), scraps etc.
- Blackbird
- Chaffinch
- Dunnock
- Pigeon
- Robin
- Starling
- Thrush
- Wren
What to Feed Garden Birds
Nyger seed is great for Finches and Sparrows, requiring a special feeder for the tiny seeds. Our Collared Doves have even learnt to balance the feeder to get at the Nyger!
A no-mess (seeds already hulled), high-energy seed mix is good for general seed-eaters in a standard feeder. A a squirrel-proof hanger or half-coconut shell for fat balls is useful too.
Most people hang peanut feeders but we’ve found the birds shun them in favour of seeds.
A tray can be used for seeds, dried mealworms and household scraps – ours attaches to our feeder stand.
Bread isn’t great for birds. It has little nutritional value and can swell in their stomachs so if you must feed it make sure you have soaked it well and put it out wet and soggy. This goes for ducks too – seeds only please! Read my duck feeding guide here.
Both the RSPB and BTO have lots of detailed information on bird feeding.
To learn how to make our simple coconut shell hanging fat feeder read my post How To Make a Coconut Bird Feeder.
Top Tip
Putting Nyger seed out is the number one way to attract a variety of species, particularly Finches, to the garden so I highly recommend adding Nyger to the menu.
Join a Garden Birdwatch
Now you’ve attracted birds to your garden why not enter the RSPB’s Annual Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place at the end of January.
Sign up for a free pack. Record what you see during one hour (over the weekend of the 26th-28th January 2019) . Upload or post your results online and receive a free certificate from the RSPB.
To record your garden birds ALL YEAR ROUND, in an ongoing nationwide scientific study, join BTO’s Garden Birdwatch where you record the birds you spot on a weekly basis. It costs £17 for a year including a quarterly magazine and a free wildlife and bird book.
More Reading
For information on how to hang a bird box in your garden read Love Nests on Valentine’s Day
Here’s what happened when a feather-footed dove came to visit, and don’t forget the ducks in my Duck Feeding Guide.
For ideas on connecting with nature and getting the family outdoors more try my Go Wild series – at home, in the garden, and further afield.
Bird ‘Flu
For maximum protection and to help prevent bird flu and other diseases, ensure you disinfect bird feeders regularly and thoroughly wash your own and children’s hands after handling feeders.
Don’t let that stop you feeding the birds.
Get feeding and enjoy the closeness of nature in your own garden.
Lots of good tips here for feeding birds throughout the year. I’m going to download that app – what a good way to learn about different bird calls. We’ve made simple bird feeders with toilet rolls, peanut butter and seeds but don’t have anything set up to feed the birds regularly. I like the idea of a window feeder. I think perhaps we need to add a bird table to the garden this year as well. I’ll have to try and remember about the RSPB Garden Birdwatch so we can join in. #CountryKids
Yes, the app is great to help identify birdsong. Very clever and useful. Sounds like you do a great job with bird feeding. The window feeder is fab but it does take the birds quite a while to pluck up the courage to use it. And the birdwatch is great fun, you can do it at the local park too!
A great comprehensive guide. We do our best but our cat puts off most feathered visitors these days so we watch them all visit out next door neighbours from my son’s bedroom window! #countrykids
That’s an inventive way to maintain a nature connection! We’ve just got a kitten who’s not allowed outside yet. It’s going to be a challenge to see how we can keep her away. Hope you sign up for the birdwatch.
Great tips and we have a bird feeder in our garden and you’ve given us some ideas. We love watching the birds from our windows too!
#countrykids
I have positioned my chair at the dinner table so I can see the bird feeders when we’re eating! The Big Garden Birdwatch sounds like it would be fun for you guys.
Nyger seed really is worth splashing out on isn’t it? My all time favourite British bird is the Goldfinch and they love it. We are lucky that even though we don’t really have a garden (more of a ‘yarden’) we have lots of surrounding mature trees and so we attract a number of species to our feeders. Like you we’ve also made our own hanging feeders from pinecones that we’ve collected on our walks, it’s a lovely activity to get little ones involved in caring for wildlife. #CountryKids
Goldfinches are stunning to look at aren’t they and such little characters. I never had them down as garden birds until we moved here yet we get flocks of them. I’m certain it’s the nyger! And yes, expensive but worth it.
I think it’s so important to look after the world we live in including our feathered friends. We’ve tried bird feeders but have had only a handful of birds visit us. #CountryKids
I guess it depends where you live – if there’s abundant natural food they might not need our help so much. I love seeing them on the feeders though even if there’s only a few
What a useful and comprehensive guide to feeding the birds. We need some new feeders before the big bird watch weekend. #countrykids
Thanks for reading. I’ve written a tutorial on making your own hanging bird feeder, but you may have a similar one too?! Great minds!
I remember reading about ground feeders last year in one of your snowy posts – if only we could get some of the white stuff again this year! We have one bird feeder in our garden, but last year it attracted rats, rather than cats. Gotta try hanging one. Thanks for all the tips and happy new year! xx
#CountryKids
Ah the dreaded rat – we had problems with them in our previous garden. I tried various feeders but nothing stopped them. Hopefully our new kitten will handle any we might get in future!
This is an amazing read! So helpful. We dont have a garden at home but we do have few visitors and I tried feeding them bread. Nice to know what else I can feed them =)
#countrykids
Glad it’s been useful. I thought I’d try to include as much info as possible!
Such a helpful post. We used to feed birds daily in our London garden but we attracted loads of mice and rats so had to stop. I loved watching the birds that came though – especially more unusual visitors like woodpeckers, jays and goldfinches. #countrykids
It’s so frustrating when rats start causing problems at the bird feeder. I’ve yet to discover a humane solution, except cats, neither of which are conducive to attracting birds! Bird watching is so much fun otherwise