With the sunshine and warmer weather of recent weeks, it’s time to get excited about summer and all that time spent enjoying the outdoors. For many of us, that means getting our gardens back in shape and spending lots of time in them, planting, growing and even playing with the children and grandchildren.
And one of the most joyful and enjoyable things about our gardens in the spring and summer is the regular presence of birds, whose chirping provides such a happy soundtrack to the warmer months. Lots of us encourage those visits by feeding them and installing bird boxes to have our gardens as full of birds as possible.
But we’re all being advised to avoid one thing this summer if we want to see more birds in our gardens.
The RHS (Royal Horticultural Society) says gardens “can be a valuable refuge for many birds and, in turn, being able to watch them brings us joy and boosts our own wellbeing”. But a 2023 State of Nature report found that 43% of all UK bird species are at risk of being lost over the coming decades, which is a strikingly large figure and the highest of any animal group.
So birds very much need all the help they can get, including from us. Of course, feeding is one thing we can do (but please research the best foods to put out for birds and see below for some useful tips), as is providing them a safe place to shelter and rear their young. Even the way we plan and care for our gardens can be a big help.
And one way the RHS says we can help birds is by not doing something. It says we should “avoid using any pesticides”, adding: “The insects that you may consider unwanted visitors are a crucial food source for the birds in your garden. For example, blue tits need a steady supply of caterpillars to feed their chicks through summer. In turn, birds will keep many insect populations under control.”
Other helpful advice it gives on how to help garden birds in spring and summer include:
Resisting the urge to tidy up: Seedheads provide seeds for birds (and insects) which will help them get through their busy period of building nests and laying eggs. Things like fallen leaves, twigs and moss also make excellent construction materials for their nests.
Leave your lawn (or parts of it) long: This benefits all wildlife, not just birds. It means things like dandelion seedheads provide seeds for the birds, but also enables them to search for worms and other bugs. So leave your grass long for as long as you can!
Delay hedge cutting: As with your lawns, the longer you can let nature grow, the better the wildlife ecosystem will be. But there’s another crucial reason to let your hedgerows grow through summer: to get nesting season safely out of the way, which is usually by late August.
Plant with birds in mind: Things like wildflowers and sunflowers provide seeds for food, and benefit the bugs too.
Make a birdbath or even a small garden pond: This gives birds a handy bathing and drinking spot.
What to feed birds in summer
Many birds will happily eat a variety of foods. While there are certain foods that suit certain birds best, this is a general overview.
- Suet pellets
- Peanuts
- Seeds
- Leftovers like dried fruit, apples or pears
The RSPB says: “During the spring and summer months, birds also require high-protein foods, especially while they’re moulting. Be careful with peanuts, fat and bread during spring and summer. If you want to feed peanuts only do so in rigid mesh feeders that will not allow sizeable pieces to be removed, since these could be a choking hazard to chicks. Home-made fat balls can melt in warm summer weather, and should be avoided.”