When can you bird feed?

Practically all seasons!

My mornings are made sweeter with the trilling sounds of happy birds chirping and knowing that I can provide them some birdfeed as a token of my appreciation is truly gratifying.

You can make your own birdfeeder using recycled materials like egg cartons but today, we are going to explore on how to make your own birdfeed without putting a hole in your pockets!

When is the best time to bird feed? Any season of the year actually including winter. In cold weather especially, your birdfeed serves as supplementary food source for various birds and it is worth keeping your birdfeed going all year long.

Birdfeeders are best placed on high places either on a tall pedestal or hanging on a branch of your tree. Some great minds even thought of using skewers for left over cut up fruit bits to be hung horizontally!

Winter Feed

During this season, birds need all the energy it can get. Saturated fats such as lard or suet can be mixed in with sunflower seeds, cooked rice, uncooked corns, rolled oats, raisins and cooked polenta. Put in a good mix where it is not too cakey or sticky. If it breaks fairly easy in your hand, that will do.

Spring Feed

Ever thought of sharing some of your peanut butter? Well, the birds love them too and you can mix with oats, millets, raisins and left-over fruits to create a sumptuous meal for them. Depending on the type of feeder you have, if you need to bind the food mix together then use either cooked polenta or suet and leave them in the fridge overnight to congeal together.

Summer Feed

Excess and bruised fruits? Great for the birds in your garden! Left over raw pastry if you’re a baker, mild grated cheese like cheddar or other hard cheeses, peas, sweet corns, leftover mashed potato, chopped cooked eggs, left over plain pasta, rice or oatmeal – all make up a really good combo for these trillers and tweeters!

Autumn Feed

Dried fruits, mealworm, peanuts, raisins, sunflower hearts, red millet, cracked corn and cooked oatmeal. You can either roll them into balls or as flat cakes, whichever is best for your feeder design. Leave them in the fridge overnight and you can use it the next day.

Great For Any Season

Cooked rice is the easiest and is favourite for most birds. Though if you have any particular birds that frequeent your garden it’s good to know what they like :                                                                           Blackbirds = flaked maize                       Greenfinches & Tits = peanuts & sunflower seeds  Siskins & Goldfinches = nyjer seeds              Blackbirds, Thrush, Robins & Wrens  = flaked maize                          Sparrows, Finches, Dunnocks & Doves = millet

Good Practices

Avoid mixing milk, vegetable oil, margarine, greasy food or oily morsels with your birdfeed as they are really bad for the birds! Always keep your birdfeeder clean especially in the summer when the heat can germinate left over food, suet or lard which is harmful to birds. Bacteria like Salmonella thrives on contaminated feeders by feces which infects both humans and animals. No salty food like salted peanuts, bacon bits or crisps and no breads or table scraps. Raw vegetables cause indigestion for them so it’s a no-no. Birds like their roosting tends to frequent a place once they feel safe so, happy feeding and enjoy these peaceful neighbors.