Feed All Year ? (1 Viewer)

Cormac

Well-known member

• Apr 30, 2015

• #1

Should we feed the garden birds (seed / nuts) all year or do we stop during summer months ?

 

V

VeraVerte

Member

• May 1, 2015

• #2

I personally provide a variety of foods all year round to benefit different species.
I know there are some who frown upon this, on the basis that the birds can become too dependent upon their human 'benefactors' ... but I take the view that human activity has been responsible for the depletion of so much of the birds' natural food sources, that it's OK for us to 'redress the balance' somewhat!

 

larksong

Well-known member

• May 1, 2015

• #3

Its really up to you. I wouldn't totally recommend suet in the summer, because of melting, but mainly because they don't need it. Suet is more for winter, when birds really need the fat and energy in it. You can feed seeds to birds all year round. I do that, providing fruit and seeds in summer, and suet and seeds in winter. I know some people who totally stop feeding birds in the summer and feed them only in the winter cause that is when they need it the most. Feeding them in the summer gives me great summer bird photos to

 

Cormac

Well-known member

• May 1, 2015

• #4

Thanks for those comments. There is food for thought (excuse the pun) there.
Greatly appreciated.

 

A

Alinde10

Active member

• May 2, 2015

• #5

Peanuts can choke young birds if they are feed whole, so only put out peanuts in a feeder that only allows very small pieces to be taken or avoid feeding them altogether during the nesting season. Bread is also harmful to nestlings.

 

E

Elmer Fudd

Well-known member

• May 4, 2015

• #6

Alinde10 said:

Peanuts can choke young birds if they are feed whole, so only put out peanuts in a feeder that only allows very small pieces to be taken or avoid feeding them altogether during the nesting season. Bread is also harmful to nestlings.

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Thank you for this helpful advise.

This year we started feeding the garden birds throughout the whole year. And it's fun to watch them. We also noticed that they do not only rely on what we feed them but also successfully try to get their own food by hunting worms and insects.

The impulse for feeding the birds not only during wintertime came from my aunt. At school she was a co-student of Prof. Dr. Peter Berhold when he was the pupil named Peter Berthold somewhere back in the 40s/50s.

After getting her advice I bought his book:

http://www.amazon.de/Vögel-füttern-richtig-Peter-Berthold/dp/3440116441