MY BIRDSEED BRINGS ALL THE BIRDS TO MY YARD

Words by Jessica Peace

We’ve been thinking about the birds and bees a bit more than usual and we’ve stocked up on some bags of grub and sexy feeders (they’re cubes!?) and bird gaffs. So get educated on which grub for which bird and how not to kill them once you’ve lured them in.

KIBBLED PEANUTS

What’s it good for?

Protein mate.

Who’s it gonna bring?

‘Kibbled’ peanuts are smashed up into tiny pieces so basically they bring everybody down: tits, finches, dunnocks, sparrows; your big guys like woodpeckers and collared doves; and your rosey chested robins and nuthatches.

 

SUNFLOWER HEARTS

What’s it good for?

Your birds with delicate beaks who can’t crack stuff open - not like finches, they are little ninjas!

Who’s it gonna bring?

Wrens, blackbirds, song thrushes, robins…

 

HEMP

What’s it good for?

Yeah mayyyyn! Hemp is pumped with oily, fatty acids keeping your birds slick!

Who’s it gonna bring?

All of them, but you’ll draw in rarer guys like siskin and redpoll.

(Grab seeds, feeders and other paraphernalia to get your birds and bees in mood HERE.)

 

...HOW NOT TO KILL YOUR BIRDS

GIVE THEM A GAFF

As well as the fact we’ve removed a lot of natural nesting spots for our birdmates, some of them like the swift (who are in decline) have relied on man-made nooks and crannies since the Roman times. We’ve found some that fit in ALL THE BIRDS, grab a gaff and get your hammer out.

SPRING CLEAN

Disease can build up on dirty bird tables and feeders so knock off the crumbs and give them a rinse now and again.

PUT A BELL ON IT

Cats, we love ’em but they’ll eat your birds, so don’t be a masochist, put a bell on it.

GROW SOME BUSH

Birds need a hiding place, grow some bush or shove in a tree.

ADD WATER

Whether you’ve got a pond, a bird bath or an ice cream tub, water is the necessary element to stuffing nature into your garden, a guy’s gotta drink! If you’re lucky you’ll bring in frogs and toads too.

BOOM. Bird song, buzzing and explosions in the sky!