Rivelin Wild Bird Food is a small supplier of hand-mixed wild bird feed that delivers around South Yorkshire in the UK. Whichever supplier you use, the same rules apply: a good wild bird mix leans on black oil sunflower seed or sunflower hearts, adds a few other seeds for variety and avoids cheap fillers. Check the supplier’s current product list for exact blends and delivery areas.
What a Good Garden Bird Mix Contains
- Black oil sunflower seed or hearts: The most popular seed with finches, tits, sparrows and many other garden birds. Hearts have no husk, so they are less messy.
- Millet and other small seeds: Welcomed by ground-feeding birds such as sparrows, dunnocks and doves.
- Peanuts and suet: High-energy food for tits, woodpeckers and nuthatches in cold weather. Use only peanuts sold for wild birds.
- Nyjer seed: For goldfinches and siskins, in a feeder with small ports.
What to Avoid
Cheap mixes often include a lot of wheat, split peas, lentils or milo, which smaller birds often ignore. Avoid salted foods and old fat. Do not feed whole peanuts during nesting season in a way that nestlings could choke on, and use mesh feeders for peanuts when chicks are being raised.
Feeding Tips
- Offer a variety of foods in different feeders at different heights.
- Keep feeders and water clean to reduce the spread of disease.
- Offer only as much as birds will finish in a day or two.
- Store seed dry in a sealed bin.
Related Guides
For more ideas, read wild bird sunflower seeds, what to feed wild birds besides seed and the cheapest way to feed wild birds.
Bottom Line
Choose a mix with plenty of sunflower, keep feeders clean and offer variety. If you see sick birds, stop feeding for a few days and clean your feeders.
