Hia Folks
I'm new to this website, but have already had loads of lovely replies to other messages I have posted.
In the past, I've only ever fed my Garden Birds during the winter. But in the last few years I've heard it's ok to feed them all year round. So I plan to start doing this. I feel my Garden Birds "forget" I feed them, so if I feed all year round they will get used to looking in my Garden for their food. Next door have Goldfinches and I want to encourage them to my Garden.
So, unless there's a strong reason why I should not feed my Birds all year round, hope this is ok? What does everyone else do?
Alison
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Hi i dont think thats a problem but during nesting time you need to watch what you feed
for example peanuts can choke baby birds
im sure the rspb has guidelines about what to feed and not feed during the nesting season
andrew
Hi Alison
We feed all through the year. I would expect that the extra source of food is a big help before and during the breeding season for one thing, so I think its great that you are going to.do it! We used to get goldfinches a lot using sunflower hearts as our main feed. They have gone missing recently but I hope not for long. Best of luck.!
Hi Alison, yes it is - quite a few of us do especially in nesting / fledging season, what we tend to do is alter what we feed a bit. As Andrew says we stop feeding whole peanuts and go for well chopped ones, I don't feed fat products as it gets too hot.
www.rspb.org.uk/.../index.aspx
Goldies like sunflower hearts and nyger seeds
Caroline in Jersey
Cin J
Hope the bank balance is healthy :-)
You get a lull (sort of) around end of summer begining of autumn when there is plenty of natural food for them.
A very old Shropshire Lad.
i feed the birds all year round, i make my own fat cakes from kitchen scraps and the birds love them ( and the squirrels).
i see different birds as the seasons change and all year feeders like the tits, robins and blackbirds. this time of the year i regularly see nut hatches.
when the young are around i do not use peanuts and bread is also a no as it swells too much
Ive only ever seen Nuthatch once on holiday in Derbyshire
so envious of those who have them visit thier gardens
Nuthatch and Dippers are my all time fav little birds to see
I think it is important to feed them all year round and have done for over 30 years.Equally important to be careful in the breeding season regarding whole peanuts.Bread that dries out anytime, can choke birds too.It gets very manic here in the breeding season and makes this time of year seem quiet although it really isn't he he.
An optimist sees the beauty of the complete rose.A pessimist sees only the thorn .
I feed mine all year round, and like the others it brings its rewards in the breeding season, which lasted right through the summer last year. It is just a matter of providing the right food as everyone else has said, and if you provide dried mealworms you must soak them beforehand in the breeding season or the chicks may become dehydrated.
Cheers, Linda.
See my photos on Flickr
I also feed all year round, This is a link for current RSPB advice.
Sarah
PS Great pics Linda
I've learned that I still have a lot to learn...
http://www.flickr.com/photos/bramble67/
I use bread its wholewheat and soaked in water I was so worried about the young in the nest with the dry breeding season we had last year.
Now I have 20 to 30 sparrows in the garden so I hope I helped in some way.
Some of my comical starlings on the suet cakes which they were getting through at two a day eeeek lol.