Did you know that bird watching is good for you? Studies have shown bird watching helps to reduce levels of anxiety, depression and stress by keeping your mind calm and entertained. Bird watching allows you to switch off and get back to nature.
Birds rely upon us most to feed them throughout the winter months. Not only will providing birds with supplementary food provide them with vital feed, it will also bring them closer for you to enjoy their fascinating behaviour and wonderful colours.
You may want to attract a particular species of bird, so what should you provide to encourage them? Here are some ideas to attract the following garden birds:
Robins
Males and females are identical, with their familiar red breasts. Robins can be found all over the UK in woodlands, hedgerows, parks and gardens.
These cheeky birds are quite tame and are often seen nearby if you are gardening in the hope of a tasty morsel. They like worms, seeds, fruit and insects. The Tom Chambers Rockin’ Robin Feast is perfect for their soft bills. They are ground feeding birds, so a Tom Chambers Ground Feeder is ideal for them.
The Robin likes an open fronted nest box.
The Tit Family
Small colourful birds of blue, yellow, white and green. Their natural habitat is woodlands, hedgerows, parks and gardens. They like caterpillars, insects, seeds and nuts. Tom Chambers Nice Nuts are particularly popular with them. They are a bird that likes to cling, so a ring-pull feeder would be most suitable.
If you would like to encourage them to nest, then use a box with a 26mm hole for most Tits and 28mm for the Great Tit. These should be sited in a north to east direction so they avoid the worst rain and heat from the sun. If you tilt the box slightly forward, the rain will bounce off the roof rather than go into the box.
Goldfinch
A highly coloured Finch with a bright, red face and yellow wing patch. Sociable, often breeding in loose colonies, they have a delightful twittering song and call. Their long fine beaks allow them to extract otherwise inaccessible seeds from thistles and teasels. Their habitat is scattered bushes and trees, rough ground with thistles and other seeding plants. They like orchards, parks, gardens, heathland and commons.
They feed on seeds and insects in summer but are partial to nyger seeds. Tom Chambers Nyger Nibbles is perfect, but as these seeds are so small and tend to fall out of a normal seed feeder, a dedicated nyger feeder is the better option.
Feeders and Tables
You could use a bird station to hang different types of feeders from in order to attract a number of bird species. Aim to place feeders and tables somewhere quiet and sheltered where birds won’t be disturbed. Most of all make sure it’s placed where you can see it from indoors so you can sit back and enjoy watching your feathered visitors!
Keep It Clean
Don’t forget bird feeders can build-up with bacteria that can spread diseases and infections among garden birds. Use Feeder Fresh with a cleaning brush to ensure clean feeders and healthier birds.
Grow Your Own Feed
Supplementary feeding can’t provide all the natural proteins and vitamins that adult and young birds need, so it’s important to create and manage your garden to provide a source of natural foods as well, through well-managed lawns, shrubs and flowerbeds. See our Grow Your Own Bird Feed article for a list of plants we suggest to attract a range of garden birds.
Visit our online shop and take advantage of bird feed in our Early Bird Sale today.
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