Bird Care Guide
Complete Bird Care Guide
Everything You Need to Know to Turn Your Garden into a Bird Paradise 🐦🌿
Whether you are new to feeding garden birds or a seasoned bird watcher looking to attract more species, this guide covers everything you need to know. From choosing the right feeder to setting up the perfect birdhouse — we have got you covered.
1. Choosing the Right Bird Feeder
The feeder you choose determines which birds visit your garden. Here is a simple guide:
Hanging tube feeders — Perfect for small clinging birds like tits, finches, and chickadees. Fill with sunflower hearts or nyjer seed for best results.
Platform feeders — The most versatile option. Open design welcomes robins, doves, thrushes, jays, and all ground-feeding birds that prefer a flat surface. Our Hexagon Cedar Bird Feeder Tray is a perfect example.
Fly-through feeders — The gold standard for attracting variety. Birds can approach from any direction, making shy species feel safe. Our Large Handmade Fly-Through Feeder attracts the widest range of garden birds.
Hanging birdhouses — Provide shelter and nesting space rather than food. Position alongside feeders for a complete bird-friendly garden setup.
Pro tip: Use multiple feeder types at different heights to attract the maximum variety of bird species to your garden.
2. What Seeds and Food to Use
Sunflower hearts — The single best bird food available. No husks means no mess and virtually every garden bird species loves them. A must-have.
Mixed seed — Good for variety but choose quality mixes without cheap fillers like wheat and milo that birds simply ignore and waste.
Nyjer seed — Specifically loved by goldfinches and siskins. Requires a specialist nyjer feeder with small ports.
Mealworms — Robins absolutely love them. Excellent for attracting robins to your garden, especially during nesting season.
Suet balls and fat cakes — High energy food perfect for winter feeding when birds need maximum calories to stay warm.
Fresh water — Often overlooked but critically important. Birds need fresh water for drinking and bathing every single day. A simple bird bath placed near your feeder dramatically increases bird activity.
Foods to avoid:
- Salted or seasoned nuts
- Cooked porridge oats (they dry and stick to beaks)
- Desiccated coconut
- Cooking fat or drippings
- Mouldy or spoiled food
3. Where to Position Your Feeder
Location is everything. Even the best feeder will be ignored if it is in the wrong spot.
Near cover but not in it — Position feeders within 10–15 feet of shrubs or trees. Birds feel safer feeding close to cover they can retreat to if threatened, but avoid placing feeders directly inside dense vegetation where predators can hide.
Away from windows — Place feeders either very close to windows (within 3 feet) or far away (more than 10 feet). The danger zone is 3–10 feet — birds that take off in fright at this distance can hit windows at full speed.
Off the ground — Hang feeders at least 5 feet off the ground to protect feeding birds from cats and other ground predators.
In partial shade — Full afternoon sun heats up feeders and spoils food faster. Morning sun with afternoon shade is ideal.
Away from squirrels — If squirrels are a problem, position feeders at least 10 feet from any surface a squirrel can jump from.
4. Setting Up a Birdhouse
A birdhouse in the right location can provide a nesting home for garden birds season after season. Here is how to get it right:
Height — Small birds like wrens and tits prefer birdhouses 5–10 feet off the ground. Larger birds may prefer higher positions of 10–15 feet.
Direction — Face the entrance hole away from prevailing winds and rain — typically facing between north and east in most climates. Avoid south-facing which gets too hot in summer.
Tilt slightly forward — A very slight forward tilt (5–10 degrees) helps rainwater run off the roof and away from the entrance hole.
Away from feeders — Birds prefer to nest away from busy feeding areas. Keep birdhouses at least 15–20 feet from feeders where possible.
Space between houses — If hanging multiple birdhouses, keep them at least 15–20 feet apart. Most small birds are territorial during nesting season and will not nest too close to each other.
Avoid direct sunlight — Birdhouses in full afternoon sun can overheat, harming eggs and chicks. Morning sun and afternoon shade is ideal.
5. Cleaning Your Feeder
A dirty feeder can spread disease among garden birds. Regular cleaning is one of the most important things you can do for the birds in your garden.
How often: Clean your feeder every 2 weeks in normal conditions, weekly during hot weather when bacteria and mould grow faster.
How to clean:
- Remove all old seed and food debris
- Wash with warm soapy water
- Rinse thoroughly — soap residue can harm birds
- Allow to dry completely before refilling
- Discard any wet, clumped, or mouldy seed
Birdhouses: Clean out old nesting material at the end of each nesting season (typically late summer or autumn). This removes parasites and prepares the house for the next breeding season.
6. Seasonal Bird Care
Spring (March–May): Nesting season begins. Provide nesting material near your birdhouses — small twigs, dry grass, and moss. Increase feeding as birds need maximum energy for egg-laying and chick-raising.
Summer (June–August): Young birds fledge and learn to feed. Keep feeders well-stocked. Fresh water is especially important during hot weather. Clean feeders more frequently.
Autumn (September–November): Birds begin building up fat reserves for winter. High-energy foods like sunflower hearts and suet are especially valuable. Many migratory species pass through — a great time to spot new visitors.
Winter (December–February): The most critical feeding period. Natural food is scarce and birds can struggle to survive cold nights without adequate calories. Keep feeders full and water ice-free. Fat cakes, suet, and sunflower hearts are most valuable.
7. Attracting Specific Birds
Robins: Ground-level feeding with mealworms. Robins are territorial and often feed alone. A platform feeder low to the ground works perfectly.
Goldfinches: Nyjer seed in a specialist nyjer feeder. Goldfinches are sociable and often visit in groups called charms.
Blue tits and great tits: Hanging peanut feeders and sunflower heart feeders. They love to cling and are acrobatic feeders.
Sparrows: Mixed seed on a platform feeder. House sparrows are sociable and feed in flocks — a busy feeder full of sparrows is a wonderful sight.
Doves and pigeons: Ground feeding or platform feeders. Scatter mixed grain on the ground or use a large open platform feeder.
Woodpeckers: Suet feeders attached to or near trees. Great spotted woodpeckers are increasingly visiting garden feeders in many areas.
8. Creating a Bird-Friendly Garden
Beyond feeders and birdhouses, your whole garden can become a bird sanctuary with a few simple changes:
Plant native trees and shrubs — Native plants provide natural food sources including berries, seeds, and insects that birds love. Berry-producing shrubs like holly, hawthorn, and rowan are especially valuable.
Leave some areas wild — A corner of long grass and wildflowers provides insects, seeds, and nesting material. Not every garden needs to be perfectly manicured.
Add a water feature — Even a simple shallow bird bath transforms your garden's appeal to birds. Moving water is even more attractive — a small dripper or fountain attachment makes your bird bath irresistible.
Reduce pesticide use — Insects are a critical food source for garden birds, especially during nesting season when chicks need protein. Reducing pesticide use means more insects, which means more birds.
Provide shelter — Dense shrubs, climbing plants, and hedges provide roosting and nesting spots for garden birds beyond what birdhouses offer.
Shop Our Bird Care Collection
Ready to create the perfect bird-friendly garden? Explore our full collection of handcrafted eco-friendly bird feeders and birdhouses — all made from natural materials, built to last, and loved by birds.
Questions? Email us at birdloverstore@outlook.com — we love talking birds! 🐦🌿