Hints and Tips for Feeding the Birds

In winter weather all birds need to eat around 40% of their body weight every day. They need as many calories as possible, so feed with the highest calorie foods possible.

• • The best food is sunflower seeds, either as hearts or as seed with the husks. They are quickly digested and converted into energy. Suet pellets, suet blocks and fat balls are also of the highest fat content. Peanuts are also good, but are not as efficient at converting into energy as the other choices.
  • Peanuts can go “off” quickly when outside, so only put out a weeks supply at a time.
  • Seed can be given all year round. We use the Feeder Seed in all our tube feeders as this attracts a good variety of birds, but remember to give high calorie foods as an extra in bad weather
  • Not all birds can perch on the hanging feeders, so don’t forget to provide food for the ground feeders such as blackbirds and robins. A table seed is ideal.
  • Avoid giving bread – not only does it attract vermin, but it has little or no nutritional content for the birds. Birds can actually starve to death eating bread as it fills them up and makes them too lethargic to go hunting for nutritional foods.
  • Feed the birds as early in the day as possible – remember they have been huddling all night against the cold and they need a boost as early as possible to give them the energy to forage for more food.
  • Feed the birds all year round as they depend on us to compensate for habitat loss. Avoid feeding whole peanuts in the Spring as fledglings can easily choke to death on them.

Here at Woodside  we stock a large range of CJ Wildlife products in the shop and a good choice of feeding accessories for all gardens.

New Range of Bird Feeders

The design of bird feeders has remained unchanged for decades…..until now! We are really pleased to be offering for sale a brand new range of bird feeders from Europe made from recycled plastic and in several modern designs.

Many of them come with a velcro type band so they can easily be attached to tree trunks or even drainpipes. They all come boxed and are light weight, so ideal for posting off as Christmas presents. I would imagine they would appeal to people in more contemporary style homes, and younger people wanting a “funkier” look. Prices start at just £2.99 for a small fat ball feeder, so they are a great price too!