subject: Need Some Extra Help On What To Feed Your Garden Birds? [print this page] Thinking of the common garden birds, quite a few species come to mind. There are robins, blackbirds, thrushes, sparrows, finches, blue and great tits and wrens. In order to feed all these birds it helps to know what is suitable bird food for each.
Many people put out prepared bird seed mixture, which provides the nutrients needed by a garden bird and this is attractive to a variety of species. However, you can fine tune the mixture to attract a particular garden bird you know is around or that you want to see in your garden.
Some birds feed on the ground and some on bird tables so you need to know where to put the bird food for maximum benefit to each garden bird. Sunflower seeds are loved by blue tits, great tits and some of the finches. These two bird species also eat peanuts. If you want to attract siskins to your garden, peanuts will draw them in.
Sparrows also are keen on peanuts, so bird food containing them is a good option, and as sparrows are declining in numbers despite being thought of as common, this could help them to increase their population. The natural diet of blackbirds and thrushes includes worms and berries, so they like slightly less hard foods, which means that wild bird food mixes that include softer food, such as dried fruits and suet are ideal for them.
Some of the tiny birds eat small seeds such as millet and including these seeds in bird food helps these little birds such as wrens, great tits and blue tits, although they also will eat peanuts and fatty foods.
It is important to bear in mind that bird feeders must be kept clean to avoid the spread of disease. One other item to call up when feeding wild birds is to put out some fresh water, especially in hot weather.
