Once you start feeding wild birds, they will become quite dependent on you. But how often you feed the birds depends on both demand and the season.
It’s important to monitor how much food is being consumed by the birds visiting your garden. If you notice that there’s a lot of food left over at the end of each day, you should start to reduce the amount you’re putting out to avoid it going mouldy.
As a general rule, it’s best to put out food at least once a day. Try as much as possible to take care to provide food at the same time each day, so the birds know when to travel to your garden. A good way to remember to do this is to develop a routine, such as providing food just after you have breakfast yourself, or during the break of your favourite radio or TV show!
If you’re planning on going away, you should slowly reduce the amount of food you provide a few days before you go so birds don’t find that the food has suddenly disappeared. You’ll notice a reduction in the number of birds visiting, but when you start regular feeding again they’ll soon return to your garden.
Feeding in winter
During the cold winter months, it’s best to up your feeding routines to twice a day. Try and do this once first thing in the morning, to help birds replenish the energy they have lost overnight. Then again just before dusk, to give them a welcome boost before the cold night. Make sure you choose a feed with high-fat content, such as ourPeckish Winter Warmer Seed Mix, or ourPeckishExtra Natural BalanceEnergy Balls.
