Spring has brought dry and warm weather this year, making some gardens a less than ideal environment for the UK’s bird life. The lack of rain can make it difficult for birds to find protein and moisture-rich invertebrate creatures like caterpillars, earthworms, and snails, which they eat and feed to their young during breeding season.
It can also mean birds don’t have the water in birdbaths needed for drinking and bathing.
But if you’re concerned by the dearth of dunnocks, wrens, and other creatures you’re used to seeing out back, garden bird expert Lucy Taylor of Vine House Farm Bird Foods has a number of tips that could help them return.
Put out mealworms
Lucy recommends leaving out live mealworms (the larvae of a species of beetle, which can be bought in large amounts at various places, including garden centres), which garden birds love.
Lucy says “even if you only purchase a small quantity, the benefit to your garden birds is huge because live mealworms are packed with protein and have a very high moisture content, which the young in the nest need to stop them becoming dehydrated”.
Soak some bird foods in moisture
She also advises gardeners to soak some foods in moisture, explaining that dried mealworms “are a rather poor alternative to live, but if they are used, then they must be first soaked in cold water for a few hours before putting them out”.
“Sultanas are another food which are good for some species of garden bird, but again, it’s essential they’re first soaked in water,” she added.
Ensure bird baths are ready for visitors
Lucy says keeping bird baths full and clean can also help, as can getting another source of water for them.
“Access to clean water can be a lifesaver for birds when there’s no natural source of water close by, but dirty water in bird baths is a real hazard as it can cause and spread disease in birds,” she said.
“So keep the bird bath clean and full with fresh water throughout the day. The other thing you can do is add a further source of clean water in your garden, which can be any sort of shallow dish or tray – e.g. the sort that goes under a plant pot.”
Lay on mud for nest-building
Gardeners can also help the nest-building efforts of house martins and swallows by putting out a tray wet mud “which is what both species use as their main material”, Lucy says.
“Both species tend to breed a little later than many of our resident garden birds, so there’s still time to help them.”
Switch to a wild-life focused garden
Lucy says gardeners can also take steps to make the outside of their homes more welcoming to wildlife generally. She says “the change we now see in our weather patterns, which has resulted in more extremes of dry and wet conditions at different times of the year, can be a prompt to consider the sort of gardens we have”.
“Many people have already switched to wildlife-focused gardens, with the benefit being that birds and other wildlife are far better able to withstand extremes of weather.”
She therefore urged “anyone who’s yet to make the change, to research more and put a plan into action – even if it’s just a corner of a garden which has wildlife totally in mind”.