Garden structures – bird table design

A bird table is basically a tray with a stand, laden with food which you put up in your garden to attract wild birds to eat from. Many birds go hungry in winter, as much of their normal food (insects, fruits, seeds) is absent in the cold season.

Some pet and garden shops sell bird tables. These come in many shapes and sizes, although the simplest are often the best. Birds are not finicky about detail, in fact the more intricate the design, the longer birds will take to overcome their suspicions and shyer birds may never visit a table that continues to bewilder them.

It’s almost impossible to prevent squirrels using bird tables, but incorporating metal feeders can stop them stealing all the food at one go.

When building your own table, make sure you use wood that will not split easily or fall apart when wet. While there is no maximum size, making the table too small will cause birds to fight and the shyer species will be kept away. Thirty centimetres by fifty is ideal and a ledge or rim about 1 cm high around the edge will help stop food from being knocked or blown off, but remember to leave gaps at the corners to allow rain to drain away and to make cleaning easy. You can give it a quick squirt with the hose to wash it down if you have left these gaps.

While the RSPB recommends leaving bird tables untreated, if you really have to paint or stain it, us a water-based preservative such as Fenceguard or Sadolin and make sure that it is dry before use.

Garden bird table design photograph by ms Tea, used under a creative commons attribution licence.

 

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