Feeding garden birds during the winter months can provide a range of benefits, both for the birds themselves and for the people who enjoy watching and feeding them. In many cases, providing food for birds during the winter can help them survive and thrive during a time when natural food sources may be scarce.
One of the main benefits of feeding garden birds during the winter is that it can help support local bird populations. By providing food such as seeds, fruit or suet, we can help ensure that birds have access to the nutrition they need to survive and thrive.
Feeding garden birds can also have practical benefits such as reducing the amount of birdseed that may end up on the ground or in gardens. Providing food in designated feeders can help prevent birds from scavenging for food in unwanted areas, and it can also reduce the amount of bird droppings and debris that may be left behind.
It is important to note that different species of birds may have varying dietary preferences and may not all be attracted to one type of food. In general, offering a variety of different types of food can help attract a diverse array of birds to your garden. This winter we’ve opted for feeding our birds with suet blocks, peanuts and mealworms from Happy Beaks.
Many birds enjoy eating mealworms, especially those that are attracted to protein-rich foods. Some examples of birds that may eat mealworms include wrens, nuthatches, woodpeckers, robins, thrushes, warblers and sparrows.
The birds in our garden that really love peanuts are blue and great tits, nuthatches and woodpeckers.
Most of the birds we’ve mentioned above also love eating suet (either blocks or balls). Suet can be a healthy and nutritious food for birds. It is high in fat and energy, which can help birds stay warm and maintain their body weight during the winter. It is also a good source of protein and other nutrients that birds need to stay healthy.
We’d like to thank Happy Beaks for collaborating with us this winter. Happy Beaks have an excellent article about the importance of feeding birds over winter that was written in conjunction with wildlife charities and rehabilitation centres, and you can read it here.