Feeding of wild birds in winter

Feeding of wild birds in your backyard is a pleasant pastime and one that can be done very cheaply, either by buying nuts and seeds, or by using household food scraps. Once they start feeding wild birds, most people do not want to stop, because they like to see them and watch them feed.

Some people disagree with the idea of feeding. They think it makes the birds to tame and dependent on humans for their food. Other people say that feeding wild birds is just helping them to overcome the shortage of natural wild food in the winter months, making them no real harm.

How do you go about feeding wild birds that visit your garden and what food is best to give them? In the colder winter birds need high energy, high fat food to survive. Foods such as tallow balls, nuts and seeds are especially suitable. A source of fresh water should also be made available to the birds to drink and wash in, preferably a shallow container to be cleaned regularly.

Keep your bird feeding area clean. You should try to adjust the amount of food given to the amount that is eaten, do not feed as spilled food will accumulate and may cause health problems.

Peanuts in a wire mesh feeder is great for attracting blue tits, great tits and long tail tits and seeds are good for attracting finches. If you use a window-based feeder it may take longer for the birds to find and trust the new food source.

Should you stop feeding when winter is over? Some people say that you should end the feeding when better weather comes. Other people say to stop feeding birds sudden stresses. So it is better to stop feeding them, but eventually when the warmer weather comes, in order to reduce any stress.

When winter is over and the natural sources of food is more plentiful you should gradually stop refilling your feeding stations. A lot of people do not want to stop because they enjoy watching the wild birds and can even recognize repeat users. But you can start feeding them again next winter when the colder weather returns.