Help small birds get their fair share in the garden

One of the joys of having a garden is bird watching – but if you’re not careful, it only takes a greedy magpie or squawking jackdaw to steal the best bites and leave the little ones with nothing.

Sarah Hancocks, of specialist CJ Wildlife says: “There is never a guarantee that by putting out bird food, larger birds won’t attempt to eat it. However, some foods such as nyjer seed are less likely to attract larger birds because they have the biggest draw to greenfinches and chaffinches.

“Mesh feeders that contain peanuts are also less likely to attract larger birds, as the mesh makes it more difficult for them to get to the food.”

Here’s what experts advise to help smaller birds get their fair share.

Add a ground feeder

Ensure the larger birds have their own supply of food away from your small garden bird feeder – Sarah says this will deter them away from waiting for scraps from the smaller birds.

Hide the feeder behind shrubbery

“Out of sight, out of mind! Larger ground feeding birds are less likely to forage for food that’s more hidden behind shrubbery and plants,” says Sarah.

“Whereas smaller garden birds such as blue tits and chaffinches will root around for their food in the undergrowth, so hiding your bird feeder can help deter larger birds.”

Place your feeder close to a hedge or wall – this will stop any large birds landing on your feeder, causing it to swing and shake food to the floor. “This often causes a feeding frenzy for ground feeding birds!” adds Sarah.

Get the right feeder

As Helen Moffat from the RSPB points out, feeders are key to helping ensure smaller birds can access food, if you’re concerned about larger species taking it all first.

“Special nyjer seed feeders have very small feeding holes which are difficult for larger birds to feed from. Finches – especially goldfinches – love this tiny oil-rich seed,” she says.

“Hanging bird feeders are ideal for perch-feeding birds like tits, goldfinches, and greenfinches, and you can deter larger birds with ‘feeder guardians’ – cages placed around the feeders.”

Choose food suitable for little birds

In terms of what sort of food to offer small birds in your garden at this time of year, Helen says that black sunflower seeds are popular with lots of garden birds, from finches to robins and tits, along with other smaller seed varieties like millet and flaked maize.

“Split peas, beans, dried rice, lentils and even dog biscuits are sometimes added to cheaper seed mixes to bulk them out – and small birds cannot eat things like this unless they have been soaked, so avoid them,” advises Helen.

While there are chicks in nests, she recommends avoiding foods which pose choking risks like whole peanuts and fat.

“These foods become important later in the year, when birds need more calories to cope with the colder weather,” notes Helen.

“You can also put out some staples from your own kitchen such as soft fruit, like halved apples and bananas, soaked raisins or grated cheese.”

Place some food higher up

As Sarah points out: “Larger birds are much more likely to sit and feed from greater heights.

“So, by putting out some food on top of your garden shed, on top of a high wall or other high flat locations, this will keep the bigger birds happy and off the smaller garden bird feeders.”