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Feeding Wild Birds

Nuts

Peanuts are the most popular food for garden birds and attract a wide

range of species. When feeding during the spring and summer ensure

all peanuts are fed from a mesh peanut feeder, as whole peanuts can be

harmful to young birds.

Seeds

Sunflower seed is a highly nutritious and popular food for birds, especially

the tits and finches. The ‘black-shell’ variety tends to be more

popular with birds than the ‘striped shell’ type, but both will be eaten.

Nyjer seed is an extremely fine seed, very attractive to Goldfinches, Siskins and Redpolls in particular: requires a special feeder to hold the seed.

‘Mixed Wildbird Seed’ is very popular with pigeons and doves, but

other garden birds tend to avoid it as they find it hard to digest. Different mixes attract different birds.

Fats

Don’t waste any fat! It’s a nutritious food for garden birds. Lumps of

suet may be hung out, and meat trimmings, bacon rinds and table

scraps will also be eaten gratefully. The large ‘Fat Balls’ which can be

bought in pet shops often prove highly popular – remember to remove the plastic wrapping as birds can catch their toes in the mesh.

IDEA!  You can make your own home-made version by pouring melted fat over bread or cake

scraps in a yogurt carton mould to make ‘bird cake’. This can be made

even more nutritious if some seeds, nuts, oatmeal, grated cheese or

dried fruits are added.

Fruit

Blackcap (c. John Fox)

Often overlooked, fruit will attract several species of bird which may

not otherwise visit your garden. Apples and pears cut in half and

placed on the ground will attract Blackbirds and Song Thrushes, and in

particularly hard weather they might bring in Redwings and Fieldfares.

Spearing cut apples onto the ends of branches will also attract

Blackcaps. Smaller fruit such as grapes will also be taken. A coconut

sawn in half and hung upside down from the branch of a tree is

welcomed and much enjoyed by the tits.

Other foods

Stale bread, biscuits and cake are often available in the kitchen and can

make great bird food, though modern processed bread is not suitable

for wild birds and should be avoided where possible. Grated wholemeal

bread should be moistened slightly, as this makes it easier for the

birds to swallow. Moist bread is also less likely to blow away or be

taken off in pieces by the larger, more aggressive birds. Maize flakes, oat

flakes and even puppy meal are other valuable food sources. In very

cold weather, cheese scattered on the ground beneath bushes should

attract wrens and help them through difficult conditions, and left-over

mashed potato is a great favourite with Blackcaps.

Tips about Feeding

1. Feed regularly: don’t put out lots of feeders and then forget to refill

them. Birds can become dependant on a food source during harsh

weather.

2. Only use fresh peanuts and seed. Do not feed mouldy, wrinkled or

wizened peanuts or seed.

3. Ensure fresh water is always available for drinking and bathing. An

upturned dustbin lid with a stone in it is often all that is required.

Be sure to remove the ice in cold weather so that birds can drink.

4. Birds often feed on the ground below a feeder. Make sure that there

is no shrubbery nearby that could conceal a cat, and try to keep all

feeders at least 2 meters above the ground.

5. Remember to wash all feeders regularly and to change the water in the bird

bath on a regular basis.

6. Wear gloves when handling food and feeders.

Jay (c. Oran O'Sullivan)

Can I feed all year round?

Although birds need our help most during winter, feeding between the

months of April and October can also be  helpful, as there is a great

demand on natural resources due to the increase in hungry mouths to

feed. If feeding during the summer, only put out peanuts in a fine

mesh container so that parent birds cannot take large pieces that might

cause young chicks to choke, and avoid fats completely. Safe foods to

use at this time of year include sunflower seeds, pinhead oatmeal,

sultanas, raisins, currants and mealworms. 

Nestboxes

A great way to attract birds into your garden is to provide them with

safe places to nest. Modern houses have few holes or crevices for

nesting, and old trees, which may have suitable holes, are often felled or absent from new housing developments.

Nestboxes provide the ideal solution and make excellent substitutes for

natural nest sites for hole-nesting birds. They can be designed to suit

the requirements of a range of different species, but the most popular

are the ones which have an entrance hole suitable for the members of

the tit family.

Broadly speaking, there are 2 main catagories of box that are suitable for most gardens, though BirdWatch Ireland can supply you from a range of nearly 20 different designs.

A box with a small entrance hole will suit the following species:

Blue Tit & Coal Tit (25mm), Great Tit & Tree Sparrow

(28mm), House Sparrow (32mm), Starling (45mm).

The similar box with the upper half of the front taken away altogether is ideal

for Robins, Pied Wagtails and Wrens. Spotted Flycatchers prefer

a somewhat shallower open-fronted box.

Some other species will use specifically designed nestboxes or platforms,

including Swift, Swallow, Dipper, Grey Wagtail, Kestrel, Barn

Owl, Jackdaw and Treecreeper; for further details on purchasing or choosing a nestbox  construct

contact www.birdwatchireland.ie

When & where to put up your nestbox

Put your nestbox up well before the start of the breeding season, as

many birds begin searching out nest sites from February onwards.

Don't be too disappointed if the box isn’t used for the first year or two.

Ideally it should be located at least 2m from the ground (preferably 3 -

5m) to ensure that cats and curious people can't disturb it or look

inside. Affix it to a wall, fence or tree trunk in a quiet area, away from

your bird table if possible. It is best to angle the box forward slightly

and to keep it away from the wall or tree by using a strip of wood.

Unless the site is very sheltered, the box should be fixed facing between

north and south-east to avoid the hot sun and the wettest winds.

In all but the largest gardens only one box of each type is likely to be

used, perhaps one by tits and one by Robins. On the other hand, two

nestboxes quite close together are sometimes occupied at the same

time if they are both at the edge of a territory.  Sparrows and House Martins will nest in small colonies.

Spotted Flycatcher visits an open fronted nestbox (c. OO'S)

Care of your nestbox

The box can be opened from the end of October and cleaned out.

Empty out old nest material and any unhatched eggs and clean the

inside of the box with boiling water (which should kill most parasites

that may be lying in wait, ready to infest next year’s brood). In cases of

severe parasite infestation it may be necessary to use one of the less

harmful insecticides, such as pyrethrum powder, but this should be

avoided unless thought absolutely necessary.

A small handful of wood shavings placed in the box may encourage

some birds to roost in it during the cold winter nights. Don't use straw,

as this will get damp and turn mouldy in the box over the course of the

winter.

Providing a safe environment for nesting birds

If birds take up residence in your nestbox you should resist the temptation

to keep having a quick peep, as this could result in the parents

abandoning the nest. Instead, watch the comings and goings of the

birds from the safe distance of your kitchen window: they will behave

more naturally and you will enjoy and learn more this way. An alternative is to purchase a nestbox camera kit and watch the nesting season progress via your own computer.  Attacks by

predators can also sometimes cause parent birds to desert their eggs or

chicks. Nestboxes can be afforded some protection against predators

by fixing a metal plate around the entrance hole. Alternatively, bundles

of gorse or thorn tied round the tree above and below the box offer protection

from most mammalian predators.

Gardening for Birds & Biodiversity

Whitebeam (c. C Mac Lochlainn)

)As well as putting out food for birds you can also attract them into your garden by planting suitable trees and shrubs.  Plants can provide suitable  nesting sites and shelter as well as offer a rich and abundant food source. Some of the more suitable of the commonly-grown garden plants which are bird friendly are listed below:

Elder berries: an autumn favourite  (c. C Mac Lochlainn)

Cotoneasters These provide dense cover for nesting and an abundant

supply of red/orange berries in the winter months. A particular favourite

of Blackbirds and Black caps.

Pyracantha Needs to be grown against a wall. they provide an abundant supply of red/orange berries in the autumn. Thorns are cat proof.

Holly For a good crop of berries, plant female trees of the native wild form:

note that to ensure good fruiting there should be a male Holly tree nearby.

Holly Trees defended by territorial Mistle Thrushes may hold their berries until the spring. Larger Holly trees also provide good secure nesting sites. An important plant for Holly Blue butterflies which lay their eggs on holly blossom.

Ivy (the normal wild form). Climbs up trees and walls: Is particularly to wildlife because the blossoms are borne in autumn and are attractive to butterflies and other insects. The fruit is eaten inlate winter and early spring by Woodpigeons, thrushes, Robins and Blackcaps.

Ivy also provides good cover for nests, though if left unchecked can cause mechanical damage to old trees and shrubs.

Honeysuckle A range of different varieties provide a long flowering and long

fruiting season. Attracts warblers as well as thrushes and Bullfinches. The

dense growth of this climber provides ample cover for nesting.

Rowan/Mountain Ash (the normal red-berried form). The large clusters

of red berries attract winter thrushes such as Redwings and Fieldfares.

These berries are also a source of food for the rare Waxwing.

Hawthorn its berries are a great favourite with Redwings and Blackbirds. A dense hedge will provide plenty of nesting cover for a wide range of speciesand is stock proof.

Crab Apples The small fruits on these trees are welcomed by wintering

Blackcaps and thrushes.

Guelder Rose (c. C Mac Lochlainn)

Biodiversity Tip!

Remember birds are natural pest controllers.

Song Thrushes love to devour snails so avoid using slug pellets,

which may harm them. Try also to avoid using

insecticides to control greenfly and other insect

pests; these are favourite foods of Blue Tits and other garden birds.

Remember that nesting birds need plenty of cover, so don't cut hedges

between 1 March and 31 August and do make sure that there will be sufficient

growth to provide cover for next year’s nests.

Bird Tables

 When should a bird table be used?

Bird tables are usually left in position all year round, but feeding birds

is most important during the winter months, as that is when birds need

it most and natural food is scarcest.

Where should it be?

Ideally you should position your bird table in a reasonably open area,

either fixed to the top of a post or hanging from a branch or bracket.

This will make it easier for you to observe and will also reduce the risk

of cats or other predators sneaking up on the feeding birds. Don’t put

your table within easy reach of a fence or tree from which a cat can

leap, but place it near a bush which gives birds somewhere to ‘queue

up’ for a place on the table, or to dash if disturbed.

By the way, a garden is not essential - a feeding tray may even attract

birds to a windowsill on a block of apartments!

Should there be a roof?

A table with a roof gives extra places for seed feeders or nut bags, and gives some protection from the elements but an open one is really just as good.

Keep it clean:

Clean the table regularly to prevent any risk of disease to the birds. Also, move it from time to time, as droppings will accumulate underneath.

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Spindle berries (c. C Mac Lochlainn)