LITTLE GREEN SPACE ~ BY PENNY BUNTING
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
Attracting wild birds to the garden by providing food, water and shelter is a hobby that many people enjoy.
However, new advice has been released by the RSPB (www.rspb.org.uk), recommending that people stop offering peanuts and seeds in feeders over the summer months.
This is because diseases that affect wild birds spread more rapidly in warm weather. Disease can be spread when large numbers of birds congregate in the same spot, such as garden bird feeders. Just one infected bird can turn high-traffic feeders into a parasite hotspot.
Of particular concern is a disease called trichomonosis. Trichomonosis affects a number of bird species, with finches such as chaffinches and greenfinches most impacted by this deadly disease.
Greenfinches are now on the UK Red List, due to disease-related declines. The results of this year’s RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch – the world’s largest garden wildlife survey, which takes place each January revealed that greenfinch numbers continue to drop. The species has seen a 67% decline in average numbers recorded since Big Garden Birdwatch began in 1979 – this equates roughly to the loss of more than two million birds.
So to help slow the spread of trichomonosis and other diseases, avoid filling feeders between 1 May and 31 October. There should be plenty of natural food sources, such as insects and berries, available during these months.
And when you do start feeding the birds in autumn, it’s a good idea to clean feeders each week, and regularly move them to a different location – this will help prevent the build-up of debris and potential diseases underneath the feeders.
Research has also confirmed that there’s a higher risk of disease spreading on feeders with flat surfaces, including bird tables. This is because contaminated food can collect, and is then eaten by other birds. So avoid offering food on these types of feeders at any time of the year.
If you want to keep helping garden birds in summer, there are plenty of things you can do. The RSPB says it’s okay to keep offering small amounts of mealworms, or suet-based balls and blocks year-round. And here are a few more ideas.
Boost insect populations
Blue tits, robins and blackbirds – as well as swallows, swifts and house martins – all eat insects. So if you create a haven for insects in your garden, you’ll also be helping all sorts of birds.
Grow nectar-rich plants such as scabious, cosmos, lavender, marjoram and verbena bonariensis to attract bees, butterflies, hoverflies and other insects. Also include some plants that flower later in the year, such as sedums and Michaelmas daisies. And letting a patch of the garden grow a little bit wild – to allow wild plants like dandelions, nettles, teasels and daisies to grow – will help too.
Nettles are useful as they’re an important food plant for the caterpillars of several butterfly species – and many birds, including house sparrows, blue tits and great tits, eat caterpillars.
Provide water
Fresh drinking water is as important for birds as it is for us – and during hot, dry spells, natural water sources may be hard for birds to find.
Offer water for drinking and bathing in a bird bath or shallow container such as a large plant pot saucer. Putting a few pebbles into the water allows easier access for smaller birds.
As with bird feeders, it’s important to keep bird baths and other water containers clean to help prevent the spread of disease. Change the water each day, and give containers a thorough clean once a week.
Grow your own bird seed
As well as growing nectar-rich plants to attract insects, try growing plants that produce a lot of seeds. Seed-eating birds include goldfinches, greenfinches, house sparrows, bullfinches and linnets.
Teasels and globe thistles produce attractive seedheads in autumn, and goldfinches and sparrows will pick out the seeds.
Dandelions are particularly good for birds. As well as attracting lots of insects, dandelion flowers can begin to seed as early as April – and they continue to produce seed right into autumn. Goldfinches enjoy eating dandelion seeds, and can often be seen flocking to areas of uncut grass where dandelions have been allowed to grow.
Sunflower seed is one of the most popular foods to offer in bird feeders – so growing your own sunflowers is a sensible alternative. These flowers are cheap and easy to grow from seed. Sow them into small pots in May, keep them on a sunny windowsill, and plant outside after the risk of frost has passed. As well as providing seeds for birds, sunflowers offer nectar for bumblebees and other insects.
Rosehips, echinacea, rudbeckia, cornflowers and common knapweed also produce seeds that birds will eat.
Grow berries for birds
Growing plenty of berry-producing plants in your garden will help to attract blackbirds and thrushes – as well as winter-visiting birds like fieldfares and redwings.
Hawthorn and holly are excellent plants because, as well as producing berries, their dense, prickly foliage offers protection to birds. Rowan, cherry and dog rose are also good choices.
Also consider climbers like honeysuckle and ivy, which both produce berries that birds will enjoy. In fact, ivy is one of the best choices of plant for a wildlife-friendly garden, as it brings so many benefits to all kinds of creatures. The evergreen climber has nectar-rich flowers that bloom from September to November, providing an essential source of food for insects later on in the year when little else is available. Blackbirds, thrushes, blackcaps and other birds eat the berries, and birds may nest or shelter in the deep, protective foliage. Ivy is also a caterpillar food plant for many moth and butterfly species.
Seasonally, safely
Feeding garden birds remains hugely beneficial when done safely and at appropriate times of year. So from 1 November to 30 April, you can offer a full range of bird foods, including seeds and peanuts. This is especially important over winter, because birds need extra support through the colder months when natural foods are in short supply.
By following the RSPB’s advice to feed seasonally and feed safely, you can continue to enjoy watching the birds in your garden while helping to protect bird health in the long term.
Penny Bunting
