When looking to attract birds to your garden, it’s essential that the seeds and seed mixes chosen are suitable for local wildlife. Be wary of blends containing crackers, milo or any other fillers as these may not appeal to many bird species.
Kitchen scraps and pantry grains provide an easy way to supplement regular feed, helping reduce waste. Fruit-, berry- and nectar-producing plants offer another tasty source for birds during late summer and autumn months.
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Sunflower Seeds
Sunflower seeds are an indispensable food source for garden birds. To draw the greatest number of species into your yard, offer straight sunflower seeds or sunflower hearts (with the husks removed) that have been specially prepared so they’re easier for birds to access without spending too much energy opening the shell of each seed – also making less mess under feeders than their counterparts with stripes which may create piles of shells on the floor!
White millet (or white proso millet), another excellent food choice, should be included as part of bird food mixtures as it provides high levels of essential fatty acids and proteins as well as carbohydrates – helping birds stay energetic during winter. You can offer it separately or add other seeds into a feeder.
Peanuts
Offering old or stale peanuts or other nuts attracts woodpeckers of various species (downy, red-headed, pileated and red-breasted), chickadees, nuthatches and titmice. If you add chopped raisins to the mix, additional songbirds such as eastern bluebird, cardinal, northern mockingbirds and scarlet tanagers may visit as well.
Wild birds may enjoy being fed soft fruits such as berries and apples, cheese, cooked pasta or boiled potatoes as food sources; however, you must never feed your birds anything that might make them unwell or cause them to choke, such as onions, garlic, salt, chocolate and all forms of salted food. Raw vegetables cannot digest properly for birds while uncooked potato peels contain harmful chemicals which could poison their digestive systems; you should also refrain from giving wild birds milk because their digestive systems do not possess the capability of digesting lactose molecules properly either!
Stale Bread
Kitchen scraps can provide birds with a delicious treat when prepared correctly; however, not all scraps are suitable; onions and garlic should definitely be left out of the garden and salty foods can harm birds.
The RSPB advises only offering small amounts of stale bread alongside more nutritious treats, since overeating could prove harmful to birds as it simply fills them up without providing much nutritional benefit.
Old fruit without seeds or pits is ideal for feeding birds, while mild grated cheese will go down well too. When offering cooked oats as bird food, though, its hardening properties could pose a danger to their beaks – try giving out raw oats instead or creating homemade bird mash instead!
Cheese
Cheese can provide birds with essential nutrition, but should only be given as treats occasionally as it contains fatty foods that cannot be broken down easily by birds and can lead to stomach upset and discomfort.
Mild grated hard cheese such as cheddar is popular with birds such as robins, blackbirds and song thrushes. Soft spreadable cheeses should be avoided as these may cling to feathers and reduce waterproofing/insulation properties of feathers.
Windfalls and bruised fruit that has gone past its best as well as soaked dried fruits such as raisins, sultanas, currants and apricots may also be provided as treats to birds. Whole nuts should not be given as these pose a choking risk for them and should instead be finely chopped before being presented on the ground or within a bird table.
Cooked Pasta
Many garden birds will enjoy eating cooked pasta, though this should only be fed sparingly as it provides minimal nutritional benefit to them. Cooked rice also makes an ideal addition to a wild bird feeder; just make sure that no spices or salt are added.
Birds often enjoy nibbling on stale bread crusts and cakes that have gone mouldy, as these treats provide nutrition they can readily consume. Large pieces may prove too difficult for garden birds to devour so any larger pieces should be broken up prior to feeding.
Leftover cheese, specifically cheddar, can make an enjoyable treat for birds, though more spreadable varieties such as mozzarella may stick to the feathers of some varieties and inhibit flight. Furthermore, rancid meat such as bacon rinds or beef fat trimmings should never be offered to birds as treats.
