Gardeners are being urged to stop using flat bird tables after the RSPB pulled them from sale over concerns they are linked ot the spread of disease.
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds has immediately suspended all sales of traditional flat bird tables after concerns were raised over the spread of diseases killing birds in winter.
Now, Chris Packham, Iolo Williams and the BBC Winterwatch presenters have urged people who have flat bird tables in their gardens to take note and ‘change our minds and our habits’.
The RSPB is undertaking a safety review and has pulled bird tables from sale for the time being until the findings come back.
This is because of fears the bird tables could be spreading disease this winter, especially among finches.
The product suspension only affects flat bird tables, not upright feeders, because it is thought that flat tables could be spreading the disease.
In the meantime, gardeners are being urged to use upright hanging feeders instead of flat tables.
Iolo Williams, speaking on Winterwatch, said: “The RSPB are increasingly concerned that people putting food out on flat surfaces such as the floor of bird tables are actually helping the spread of diseases that affect some of our garden birds, especially finches.
“They believe that the food is left to the elements, it gets wet, it mixes with faeces, and that facilitates the spread of some of those diseases.
“They are actually so concerned that they’ve commissioned a study and they’ve also stopped selling bird tables”.
Now, gardeners are being urged to plant hedges and trees which benefit birds instead.
Co-presenter Chris Packham added: “Of course there are alternatives, you don’t have to leave food out, you can garden for wildlife.
“Plant trees and bushes which provide berries in the winter, things like rowan trees and cherry trees, which are quite small and you can grow them in relatively small gardens and they aren’t going to give you any trouble.
“But listen, if the science is done, we need to change our minds and our habits, we care about our birds and that means following the best possible advice. So we’re all eager to see what that RSPB study comes up with.
In its product suspension notice, The RSPB said: “At the RSPB, the safety and welfare of birds has and always will be our priority.
“We know so many of you love feeding your garden birds and some bird species really do benefit from us putting out extra food for them, especially in winter. However, there is increasing evidence that for other birds there can also be negative effects such as the spread of disease, especially among finches.
“We want to make bird feeding as safe as possible, so we’re reviewing the advice we give you and products we sell based on the latest science.
“As a precautionary measure, whilst we await the findings of the review, we have suspended all our bird tables and related products, table mix and table mix extra, window feeders and feeder guardians with trays, from sale. This is because there is evidence to suggest that some birds, particularly finches, can be more exposed to disease when fed on flat surfaces like these.
“As the country’s largest nature conservation charity we want to be transparent with our supporters and customers. We believe suspending the products until we have a better understanding of how the disease spreads is our best option to ensure the safety of birds.”
The charity is still selling upright feeders and feeding stations and gardeners are being urged to use them instead.