Birds, Mammals and Wildlife Gardening – Bird tables

Your bird table will be at its most popular and valuable when natural food is in short supply usually from October to April although when weather is inclement, the bird table provides a welcome food resource. If you don’t want to feed birds all year round, watch out for the seasonal signs that tell you when to stop feeding, such as the appearance of large numbers of insects and the buds on the trees starting to open.

While a well-constructed bird table can be left in position all year round, taking it out of the weather during the summer will prolong its life and allow you to carry out maintenance tasks like repairs, repainting and disinfecting. However, if you continue feeding birds during the spring and summer, ensure certain hard foods are avoided such as nuts and nut fragments, biscuits, especially dog biscuits and even oats that compact in the birds’ stomachs.

More varied feeding stations will attract a wider variety of species, so wall mounted feeders, ground feeding and feeders hung from trees, or fat balls, can all provide a chance for different species to feed in circumstances that make them feel safe and comfortable.

Don’t worry if it takes more than a couple of weeks for birds to appear regularly in your garden, although you do need to go out and remove any stale or rotten food if it is not being consumed, birds are naturally cautious but once they discover the food and convince themselves it is not a trap, they will visit regularly.

Birds, mammals and wildlife gardening feeder photograph by hoyasmeg, used under a creative commons attribution licence

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