If you want to encourage birds into your garden then put out a variety of food for them. Birds will soon learn about their new source of food and you will start to see them visit your garden. It is also important to feed the birds in gardens as their natural sources of food are disappearing as hedgerows are being cut down and vast swathes of open land are being built on.
You can buy a variety of seed mixes formulated with particular species in mind such as robin or finch food. Smaller birds prefer straight foods such as millet or mixes that don't contain fillers such as wheat or oats. If you want to attract goldfinches try niger seed - this is a tonic that has been very popular in North America for a number of years and is now starting to gain popularity in Europe.
You can feed seed mixes to birds by putting directly on a ground feeder or bird table or you can buy special seed feeders. You will find that seed feeders tend to be more economical as there isn't the risk of seed blowing away in windy weather.
Sunflower hearts are another popular bird food as they are packed with essential energy. Although they are expensive birds will eat every last bit as there are no husks for them to discard. Black sunflower seeds are a cheaper alternative although some birds such as softbills will not eat the outer casings and you may find a lot of waste.
Peanuts are popular with most types of birds and you can feed them on a bird table or in a special peanut feeder. Choose unsalted nuts and buy them from a good supplier so they are free from aflatoxins which are very harmful and can be fatal to birds.
Never put out whole peanuts in the breeding season as baby birds can choke on them. Crush the peanuts or use a feeder so the adult birds can peck out small bits of nut for their chicks. Don't use netting to feed nuts to the birds in your garden as their feet and beaks can get tangled in them.
Chicks need a lot of protein as they develop and live bird food is ideal for this purpose. You can buy live mealworms from many pet suppliers or garden centres of if you are squeamish dried worms are a good alternative.
You can make a variety of home made bird feeders from left over food. Cut a fresh coconut in half and smear it with peanut butter and sprinkle with seeds. Or spread some dripping over a piece of stale toast and hang outside for the birds in your garden to eat. You can make a fat feeder by filling an old yoghurt carton with a mixture of melted suet, seeds, raisins and other kitchen scraps. When the mixture has set remove the plastic casing and hang from your bird table or a branch of a tree.
Birds will eat many left over kitchen scraps such as bacon rind, grated cheese, soaked dried fruit, the fat from the roasting tin and stale cake and bread crumbs. You can also put out tinned pet food but avoid cat and dog biscuits as birds can choke on them.
Plant berry bearing shrubs and trees such as rowan or holly and wildflowers to attract insects and caterpillars which are great natural sources of food. Sunflowers are fun to grow and at the end of the growing season you can leave the heads on the plants or remove the seeds and feed to birds in a feeder or on a bird table.
Once you start feeding the birds in your garden they will come back regularly and will learn that it is an ideal place for them to bring up their chicks as there is a plentiful supply of food to help the chicks grow.
