#54 Feeding Garden Birds with the BTO’s Claire Boothby

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I talk to Claire Boothby, from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), about feeding garden birds, feeder hygiene and the BTO Garden Birdwatch.

See Show Notes for bird feeding tips.

I talk to Claire Boothby, from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), about feeding garden birds, feeder hygiene and the BTO Garden Birdwatch.

Show Notes

This Episode

Tips on feeding garden birds

Foods to Avoid:

  • NO fat from cooking meat because it can be salty and will decay quickly

  • NO soft fats, ones that are soft at room temperature - can interfere with plumage

  • NO bread - it is nutritionally poor

  • NO mouldy seeds

If peanuts aren’t being eaten, check they haven’t gone mouldy - only put out what will be eaten over a few days

Foods to try:

  • Apples - good for Thrushes

  • Sunflower hearts - favourite with Goldfinches

  • Fats, suet blocks, fat balls - Blackcaps, Tits, Woodpeckers (Remember: remove netting from fat balls, as birds can get caught in it)

  • Grated mild cheese is good for Robins

 

Homemade fat cake treat from the RSPB:

  •  Take a block of hard fat like store-bought lard or suet 

  •  Mix in birdseed, raisins and unsalted nuts

  •  Press the mixture around a pine cone

  •  Hang it from a tree with string and you have a food source that will appeal to the acrobatic tit family

  •  Or place one on a mesh ground feeder tray and allow the Blackbirds, Robins and Dunnocks to also enjoy your creation!

 

Hygiene:

  • Clean feeders regularly - if there are a lot of birds visiting, clean them more frequently

  • Use mild disinfectant and rinse, and leave to air dry

  • Have smaller feeders at different locations, and rotate feeding stations so contaminants aren’t building up at the base of the feeder

  • Provide fresh water every day (even through the winter) and clean out bird baths regularly

  • Only put out enough food that will be eaten in 2-3 days

 

Sick birds:

If you find birds displaying the following symptoms:

  • Lethargic, being fluffed up, difficulty swallowing, messy faces

  • Look obviously ill 

Report them to: www.Gardenwildlifehealth.org (for all types of disease in garden wildlife, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians)

For your bird food and feeders:

  • Take food away and don’t feed for a couple of weeks, to encourage birds to disperse

  • Give all feeders a thorough clean

Contributions

Kate from Pups n PopCulture podcast: http://www.pupsnpopculture.com/

Susan from The Dead Ladies Show podcast: https://deadladiesshow.com/podcast/

Links

BTO Garden Bird Watch: www.bto.org/gbw

Great tips from the Audubon society: https://www.audubon.org/news/bird-feeding-tips

RSPB Garden Birdwatch: https://www.rspb.org.uk/get-involved/activities/birdwatch/

For all types of disease in garden wildlife, birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, report to: www.Gardenwildlifehealth.org

Transcript

Coming soon