Well-stocked bird feeders help to supplement birds’ food when it’s in short supply. Throughout the winter months, high-fat foods and water are in short supply but even through the spring and summer, a bird feeder will help to increase the number of birds you’ll see and help them raise their chicks successfully. Plus, if you’re regularly topping up your bird feeder, the same birds will continue to return as they learn your garden is a good source of food.
Specialist bird cakes, seeds and food like mealworms and flaked maize are all good options and supplying a variety of foods is a good way of attracting a wider range of bird species to your garden.
There’s a wide range of bird feeders on the market in a host of different styles and designs. Some offer additional features such as squirrel proofing and such as a larger cage around the central feeder to stop squirrels and larger birds reaching the bird food. Other garden bird feeders can be attached to windows to allow you to get closer to the birds; a great way to start teaching children about nature around our homes.
For other ways to look after the birds in your garden, read our guides to bird seed, bird tables and bird baths. If you’d like to watch birds, check out our guides on wildlife cameras and bird box cameras.
And if you want to encourage more wildlife to visit your garden, take a look at our selection of bat boxes and hedgehog houses, or be inspired by our guide to wildlife gifts.
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Browse our pick of bird feeders, below:
The best bird feeders
Finches Friend Cleaner Feeder 1
Created to help prevent the spread of avian diseases such as Trichomonosis, responsible for the decline in Chaffinch and Greenfinch, this easy clean feeder is simple to take apart, robust and fully recyclable. It holds 1.79l of food, more than a standard feeder, and it always stays clean and dry. Three sizes and a window feeder are also available.
Price: £44.99
Buy Finches Friend cleaner feeder from Finches Friend
Roamwild Pest Off Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder
Roamwild Pest Off Squirrel Proof Bird FeederTo stop squirrels and large birds eating the food, the hatch automatically moves down blocking it off when they land on the perch. Once they leave, the perch returns to normal. The 1.5 litre feeder from Roamwild also has a built-in rain guard to prevent seeds clogging.
Price: £31.99
Buy Roamwild Pest Off Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder at Roamwild
Buy Roamwild Pest Off Squirrel Proof Bird Feeder at Amazon
RSPB Suet Feeder and Guardian
The guardian on this suet feeder ensures that only small birds get to enjoy up to 10 suet balls. Measuring 30cm tall and 24cm wide, this feeder is small enough to find a place in any garden.
Price: £28
Buy RSPB Suet Feeder and Guardian at RSPB
Smart bird feeder with solar powered camera
This natty feeder doesn’t only provide birds with an ideal feeding spot but allows you to watch their visits, so you can identify who’s visiting your garden. The integrated video camera features AI recognition to capture and record visiting birds and allows you to share this with up to 5o people so you can all watch at the same time. With colour and night vision options it’s available in sage or grey.
Price: £171
Buy the Smart bird feeder with solar powered camera from QVC
Cleaner Peanut feeder
Also from the Finches Friend team comes a peanut feeder, a covered, sealed container to keep the nuts dry that’s designed to ensure they’re moved to the feeding area rather than staying stuck in the centre of the feeder. The hopper is removable for easy cleaning and it’s made from recyclable, UV-stabilised polycarbonate so it won’t weaken in the sun. Remember to only use Aflatoxin tested peanuts in your feeder.
Price: £29.99
Buy the Cleaner Peanut feeder from Finches Friend
Jacobi Jayne I love Robins Pearl Feeder
The dome shape of the I Love Robins feeder protects the food and birds from snow and rain. The height can be adjusted to dissuade larger birds and the feeding tray has draining holes to prevent the seeds from becoming waterlogged.
Price: £19.99
Buy Jacobi Jayne I Love Robins Pearl Feeder at Amazon
Ring Pull Large Bird Feeder
Able to hold 800g of seeds, this Ring-Pull bird feeder has six feeding ports so that multiple birds can perch at the same time. The base can be removed for easy cleaning and for a deep clean, a pin inside the feeder can be pulled to separate all the individual components.
Price: £19.99
Buy Ring-Pull Large Bird Feeder at Thompson & Morgan and Amazon
RSPB Easy-clean Seed Feeder
Made from a combination of durable zinc alloy and a polycarbonate tube, the RSPB guarantee it will not crack or discolour in the sun. Available in three sizes, with the largest able to hold 1.5 litres of feed.
Price: £12.00
Buy RSPB Ultimate Easy-clean Seed Feeder at RSPB
Wildlife World Ceramic Bird Feeder
This small bird feeder comes in the sweet design of a ceramic robin. Suitable for seeds, nuts and mealworms, this Wildlife World feeder is frost resistant and is hung with a strong steel wire.
Price: £14.93
Buy Wildlife World Ceramic Robin Feeder at Amazon
RSPB Ultimate Easy-clean Seed Feeder and Guardian
The guardian on this RSPB feeder is fitted by slipping it over the polycarbonate tube and screwing it into place. Complete with a seed tray to reduce the amount of food on the ground. The capacity is one litre.
Price: £42.00
Buy RSPB Ultimate Easy-clean Seed Feeder and Guardian at RSPB
Roamwild Arch Window Bird Feeder
With the ability to hold up to two litres of seed mix, this Roamwild feeder doesn’t need constant refilling. Multiple perches allow more than one bird to feed at once and suction cups keep the feeder secure to the window.
Price: £26.99
Buy Roamwild Arch Window Bird Feeder at Roamwild
Buy Roamwild Arch Window Bird Feeder at Amazon
How to choose a bird feeder
Choosing a bird feeder largely depends on two elements; what birds you are looking to attract and the size and layout of your garden.
There are four main types of garden feeders you can buy.
- Seed feeders: A hanging seed feeder can attract a range of small birds including sparrows, tits and finches. These can come in a variety of sizes and are typically made of plastic or metal.
- Ground feeders: A ground level feeder can be the preferred choice for birds such as blackbirds and wrens. Not ideal for a small garden as the table needs to be kept away from shrubbery where cats may be lurking. Read more tips on deterring cats from your garden.
- Nut feeders: Known to attract tits and woodpeckers, nut feeders are made from metal mesh. This mesh needs to be a specific size (approximately 6mm) to be safe. If it is too small, it can damage birds’ beaks but it needs to be small enough to stop birds removing large peanut chunks.
- Suet feeders: Popular with tits and starlings, suet feeders are made from wide metal mesh to give the birds purchase while they eat. Available in a range of sizes, the feeders will hold either suet cakes or balls.
If you’re in need of more advice on how or what to feed the birds in your garden, head to the RSPB website or take a look at more of our bird feeding content.
Where to put a bird feeder
Keeping away predators will be your main consideration when hanging your feeder in the garden. Bird feeders need to be kept out of reach from squirrels and cats for birds to feel safe.
Aim for a quiet and sheltered area and away from any tree, fence or shrub that could be used as a jumping point for either animal. At eye level, or a little above, is best.
Grey squirrels are not only known for eating the food, but can also damage feeders by chewing through the plastic. Some feeders now claim to be squirrel proof as they are either covered in a metal casing the animals cannot chew through or surrounded by a large cage, which is placed around the central feeder.
This Product Guide was last updated in April 2024 and we apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.
from BBC Gardeners World Magazine https://ift.tt/5oUMl97
