Winter Bird Care

While the sub zero temperatures may be good news for pest control

, spare a thought for your feathered friends. These tiny creatures can lose ten percent of their body weight overnight in cold weather and need to replace that lost energy quickly during the short hours of winter daylight. Feeding the birds and also supplying them with fresh, unfrozen water can make all the difference, but look carefully at the sort of feed you are using. Surprisingly, low quality feed actually uses up their vital energy, so its essential to use high quality feed in winter. A no mess mix should mean no husks so that the birds dont exert extra energy separating the husk from the seed, look carefully at the ingredients; sunflower seeds (rather than hearts), oats, millet and Niger naturally have a husk and make the job of eating that much harder. Look out for soft, easy to eat and energy rich crumble foods that are easy to eat and provide high-energy nutrition.

Where once before a net of peanuts hung in the garden as a bird treat, today we tailor our feeding regimes to attract the birds that we most desire in our gardens and feed them a sustaining and really healthy diet. These days the wild bird food industry rakes in a staggering 365m from the animal loving Brits. With a little planning you can attract a variety of new bird species that may never have frequented your garden before. Feeding the birds has evolved and winter is the perfect time to ring the changes and try something new.

Bugs

Birds eat insects, which is why they are brilliant at garden pest control. One of the biggest trends in garden bird food has been the introduction of dried mealworms to bird food ranges. You can feed this wriggle free, high protein food on the ground, or in feeders to sustain a variety of garden birds.

Ingredients of bird food mixes have also changed to include protein rich additions such as mealworms and insects as well as higher quality components across all the seeds and nuts used; you really do get what you pay for.

Nuts

And if you thought a peanut was a peanut, youd be wrong there too. Its essential to choose quality peanuts that are free from aflatoxins (from fungal problems) that can be fatal to birds. Many wild bird food specialists now supply a fit for human consumption grade of nuts, not to give them the thumbs up in case you get a bit peckish in the shed, but to verify the quality of their wares. Its not just about the size of the nuts either, the way the feed is presented is important too. Different species feed in different ways and although many can and will adapt to the method you choose, by teaming the right food, with the right feeder you have a better chance of attracting the exact species you want to see in your garden. For example Niger seed attracts gold finches, peanuts are a real treat for all kinds of tits and robins and wrens go mad for mealworms.

by: Growhouse

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