Helpful, practical advice for feeding wild birds through the seasons
Summer tips
July can often have high temperatures around 30C (86F). The prolonged spells of hot weather can often lead to drought and this therefore causes problems for newly-fledged  young in search of food and water in the surrounding woods and farmland. July can also be an unsettled month with cool periods. If an Atlantic weather system dominates, wet and windy conditions will be the norm.
Keep an eye out for young Robins in your garden and Songbirds pruning their old plumage ready for the forthcoming Autumn weather.
On warm summer evenings House Martins and Swifts can be seen swooping the skies for insects around this time of year.
During the hot weather make sure your bird bath is always topped up and cleaned on a regular basis. Hygiene and cleanliness are so important and it's a good time to start a regular cleaning routine. See our on-line shop for a selection of bird baths and cleaning materials.
Nest Boxes
Birds require adequate food and water but we can help some of them further by providing a suitable nest site. More than 60m species are known to use nest boxes and the hole size is known to determine which species decides to nest there.
We recommend that you leave cleaning of the nest box until the end of the breeding season (October).
| Hole Size |
Bird species |
25mm: |
Blue Tit, Coal Tit |
32mm: |
Great Tit, House Sparrow |
45mm: |
Starling |
50mm: |
Great Spotted Woodpecker |
70mm: |
Little Owl |
200mm: |
Tawny Owl |
Open: |
Robin, Wren, Pied Wagtail, Song Thrush, Blackbird. |
We carry a wide of specialist nest boxes that should be mounted at a height of between 1.5m and 5.5metres. Remember to avoid strong sunlight and prevailing winds - ideally it should face between North and South East.
Bathtime
Birds require fresh water both to drink and for the healthy maintenance of their plumage. Please remember to position your bird bath at least two metres from cover to avoid attack from predators.
Hygiene
Clean bird tables and feeders on a regular basis to reduce the risk of disease. Birds are vunerable to Salmonella and e-coli which can be transmitted from bird to bird.
If you feed ground birds such as Blackbirds and Thrushes, it is advisable to change the feeding area on a regular basis to reduce disease.
The table scraper is an ideal tool to help keep your bird table clean and hygienic. Ark-klens, a disinfectant solution, is an ideal way of clean feeders and water baths.
Both items are available from our online shop
|
