It’s crucial to provide a diverse assortment of wild bird food if you want to attract various birds to your yard, but spending a lot of money on speciality seed mixes that you might not need is unnecessary! Avoid prepared food containing low-cost fillers, like whole oats with minimal nutritional value or cereal seed, since they mainly attract pigeons. Here are some suggestions for what to treat wild birds:
- Various wild birds’ treats
If you’ve never fed the birds in your yard before, we recommend starting with a few Fat Balls, Black Sunflower Seed, safflower seeds, and Peanuts, which may be used in feeders, bird tables, or on the ground in several locations. Include a few quiet spots for shy wild birds and colourful singers in your garden.
- Sunflowers hearts
Sunflower Hearts are essentially a bird’s version of fast food, with the black outer shell gone and just the healthy hearts remaining. Unlike many prepackaged store meals, they are a healthful alternative suitable for all wild bird breeds, as much smaller birds cannot remove a sunflower’s thick outer shell.
By scattering these meals across your yard, you should be able to attract a wide range of bird species found in the majority of UK gardens. As your confidence grows, you can add some speciality seeds, such as Niger Seed and Hemp, or even Dried Mealworms. This type will appeal to a broader range of bird species, including Owls, Buntings, and Nuthatches, increasing and broadening your garden’s appeal.
- Peanuts
If you’re offering whole peanuts to your garden guests, make sure they’re getting them through a wire mesh feeder. It is because the precious food supply can strangle smaller birds and fledglings. Peanut granules, rather than whole peanuts, are used in many premium wild bird food kinds because the bite-sized chunks are easier to digest and appeal to a broader range of wild birds.
To ensure your garden attract as many birds as possible, we recommend placing the food out at the start of each day to allow birds to restore the energy lost overnight and then topping it up mid-afternoon if required.
So, to avoid overpopulation, it’s good to have many bird feeding stations in your yard. Moving wild bird feeds around regularly to minimize a buildup of droppings is another brilliant option. These have the potential to spread illness and germs. Finally, at least once a month, clean the feeders.
Conclusion
Finally, remember that once you begin feeding wild birds, you must continue to provide them, as they will become dependent on your assistance to live and rear young fledglings. And always remember to add safflower seeds.