Birdfeeding Guide


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	Birdfeeding Guide


		Different birds like different food and some like to feed on the ground whilst others prefer to feed from feeders or the bird table. You will attract a larger amount of species by providing a variety of different foods and feeders.

	Important points

Don’t feed peanuts in net bags as some birds get their tongues caught in them.

Don’t feed whole peanuts between April and September, put them in feeders.

Keep your bird table and feeders clean, use hot water or special cleaners, not chemicals.

Do feed the birds all year round.

Remove any old or rotten food from feeding areas as it will attract vermin.

Only feed peanuts that have nil detectable aflatoxin.

Don’t feed birds highly seasoned food such as salted peanuts.


	What to feed your birds

Bird	Peanuts	Peanut Granules	Seed Mix	Sunflower Seed	Thistle Seed	Fat products	Meal worms	Fruit	Info
Blackbird		í	í				í	í	Prefers feeding on ground or bird table
Bluetit	í		í	í	í	í		í	Prefers feeding from feeders
Bullfinch			í	í					Prefers feeding from feeders
Chaffinch		í	í						Prefers feeding on ground
Coal Tit	í		í	í		í			Prefers feeding from feeders
Collared Dove			í						Prefers feeding on ground
Dunnock		í	í		í				Prefers feeding on ground
Goldfinch	í		í	í	í				Prefers feeding from feeders
Grt Spotted Woodpecker	í		í			í	í		Prefers feeding from feeders
Great Tit	í		í			í			Prefers feeding from feeders
Greenfinch			í	í					Will feed from feeders or from ground
House Sparrow			í				í		Will feed from feeders or on ground
Long-tailed Tit	í	í				í			Prefers feeding from feeders and trees
Nuthatch	í			í		í			Prefers feeding from feeders or trees
Robin		í				í	í		Prefers feeding on ground or bird table
Siskin	í			í	í				Prefers feeding from feeders
Song Thrush		í	í				í	í	Prefers feeding on ground
Starling			í			í	í		Will feed on ground or accessible feeders
Wren						í	í		Prefers feeding on ground only small scraps


	Fat products


	Of course many other birds may visit your feeding areas and some will learn new tricks. A lot of birds will just eat the scraps of bread, cake, biscuit crumbs etc. from the kitchen, try jacket potatoes, cooked spaghetti and rice, stale cheese, bacon fat etc.


	.... and many birds dont eat the food or out of the feeders designed for them, these pictures show a male blackbird feeding from upturned flower pots filled with fat and seed put out for bluetits. These photographs by kind courtesy of Rick Westwood.


	Water


	It is very important to provide water for the birds as well as food. A birdbath will provide both drinking water and to bathe. Make sure you change the water regularly and also clean it out thoroughly. In very cold weather keep birdbaths ice free but do not use anti-freeze as this will harm the birds. Water features are often used by birds.




	Sparrows bathing in a water feature


	Photographs ©


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