Attracting birds into the garden is easy and we can do our bit by ensuring that they have enough food, especially over the winter.
You can hang a bird feeder or provide a bird table. If you’re feeling creative you can also make your own bird food! Make sure feeders are kept clean and away from any predators and put out the necessary amount of food (too much may attract other animals and too little will leave hungry birds). You could also add a nest box to allow smaller birds to create nests in the garden.
During winter, birds need high-energy, nutrient-rich foods to help them survive the cold and find sustenance when natural food sources are scarce. Here’s a list of what to feed them:
Seeds
- Black Oil Sunflower Seeds: High in fat and easy to crack, these are a favorite for many birds.
- Nyjer (Thistle) Seeds: Great for finches like goldfinches and siskins.
- Mixed Seeds: Choose blends without fillers like milo and wheat, which many birds avoid.
Suet
- Suet Cakes: Rich in fat, perfect for woodpeckers, nuthatches, and chickadees.
- Homemade Suet Mixtures: Combine suet with seeds, nuts, or dried fruit for a custom mix.
Nuts
- Peanuts (Unsalted, Shelled or Whole): Loved by jays, woodpeckers, and chickadees.
- Cracked Corn: Provides energy for larger birds like jays and doves.
Fruits
- Dried Fruits: Raisins, currants, or cranberries are excellent for robins and waxwings.
- Fresh Fruit: Cut-up apples, oranges, or bananas can attract fruit-loving birds.
Grains
- Millet: White millet is preferred by ground-feeding birds like sparrows and juncos.
Other High-Energy Foods
- Mealworms: Great for insect-eating birds like bluebirds and wrens.
- Bread Crumbs: In small amounts, whole-grain is better. Avoid moldy bread.
Water
Even in freezing temperatures, birds need water. Offer fresh water daily or use a heated birdbath to prevent freezing.
What to Avoid
- Salted or sugary snacks
- Chocolate (toxic to birds)
- Stale, mouldy food
- Uncooked rice or desiccated coconut
Feeding birds a variety of these foods will attract a diverse range of species and help them thrive through the winter months.
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. Peckish Peanuts 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 Nyjer seeds. Tom Chambers Nyjer Nibbles is perfect, but as these seeds are so small and tend to fall out of a normal seed feeder, a dedicated nyjer 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.
The 2025 Big Garden Birdwatch takes place January 24th-26th. The Big Garden Birdwatch is the world’s largest garden wildlife survey ran by the RSPB. Every year, hundreds of thousands of nature lovers like you take part, helping to build a picture of how garden birds are faring. For more information visit the RSPB website.
Why not stock up on supplies – visit any one of our centres or our online shop and take advantage of bird feed in our Early Bird Sale which starts 6th January 2025 and runs until the end of February.
To see our extensive range of bird care products online please click here.
Want a bit of inspiration for your table…watch our Christmas table-scaping video – scan QR code or 
