Feeding the Birds - Weekend Plans
Feeding the Birds – Weekend Plans
Now that the weather is improving, spending time in your garden may be your weekend plans! Whether your planting new flowers, mowing the lawn, or feeding the birds, someone somewhere is in their garden.
Whilst you are in your garden, why not make it a bird feeding paradise and encourage the birds into your haven. During the first lockdown in March 2020, feeding stations, feeders and seed have been flying out! Everyone was spending more time in their garden as that was the only place they could go to get ‘out of the house’ as much as we were allowed at the time. Bird feeding has become such a popular hobby, that at some stages during 2020 and sometimes 2021, we were out of feeders as everyone was after a feeder or a station to help keep themselves busy!
Now the world is nearly back to ‘normal’ we have got plenty of feeders and seed in stock to keep your birds happy! There are plenty of different seeds to help attract different types of birds to your garden. From metal feeders, to suet feeders, peanut feeders, robin feeders, we have the lot!
What Feeder is Best for My Garden?
When introducing feeders to your garden, the best place to begin with would be somewhere that the birds feel safe and comfortable, maybe in the trees of which they sit and sing. To begin with the birds may seem shy or unsure of the feeder, but give this time and they will soon come to learn that they get fed.
What birds you have, depends on what feeder you will be buying. For example, if you have large birds such as crows or pigeons that you don’t want on your feeders, then a caged feeder would be more suited, as these deter the larger birds from eating all the food and allows the smaller ones to enjoy it in peace. If you have squirrels in your garden, again a caged feeder, or even a metal feeder would do the job as they cannot chew through metal! Hanging trays are also a great option to put feed out on for birds such as blackbirds which do not eat from seed feeders.
What Seed Should I Buy?
Like the feeders, this depends on the birds you already have or are wanting to attract into your garden. Sunflower Hearts are a firm favourite, and most birds will love these! Goldfinches, blue tits, great tits, greenfinches, sparrows, chaffinches, bullfinches… they all love these! (And of course, squirrels are partial to a few sunflower hearts). There are lots of mixes out there on the market and sometimes it can be a minefield, but here at Brinvale we offer high quality mixes all of which are mixed and made here on site. Our mixes offer all the protein and nutritional value that the birds require to keep them happy and healthy. Our All-Seasons mix is a prime example of this. It is packed full of high amounts of energy thanks to the black sunflower seeds and sunflower hearts in the mix and sustains a wide variety of garden birds and is a great example for a well-balanced diet that can be fed all year round.
What About Peanuts?
Our Jumbo Peanuts are a great source of food that are full of protein and are sweet, plump, and soft. Due to the size of them, they sit comfortably in the feeder and offer more value for money due to protein they offer and the size that they are. Our resident woodpeckers love these peanuts, and they come and go all day long! Peanuts are traditionally fed in a peanut feeder, but you can feed them on a hanging or ground tray, as some little birds like to pick them up and take them away to eat somewhere they feel safe.
Why Should I Feed Suet?
Suet offers large amounts of high protein and calorie levels which offers the birds large amounts of high energy that they require to keep themselves going during the colder months! Although suet is great in winter more so than summer, this does not mean that they don’t need the calorie or protein levels during the warmer months to.
Feeding birds is becoming more and more popular and with some feeding station to choose from to start your bird feeding paradise, you will have birds flocking to your garden more than ever before!
