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Many people like to supplement their garden birds' diet with extra food – especially over the winter period, and this can be a real life-saver in harsh weather. There is also an important knock-on effect for the garden too as birds will get used to searching for common plant and lawn pests such as greenfly, caterpillars and snails during the rest of the year.
Although a fair proportion of our birds migrate south in the winter in order to carry on eating their main food-source - insects, our resident birds have to compete with visiting birds, such as thrushes and blackbirds.
These have migrated here from northern countries, such as Scandinavia.
After the glut of autumn fruits has passed, and insects are no longer flying, food will become scarce.
Unfortunately, without reliable food sources, many of our native birds won't be able to survive the cold weather. Without doubt, winter is the time to feed the birds.
When should you stop feeding birds?
There are two schools of thought on this. One says you should gradually stop once winter is over and more natural foods are available.
The other says that stopping increases the stress to birds when they are already under pressure building nests, and defending territories.. It is true that allowing blue tits to feed their young on peanuts is likely to cause their death as the young birds can't digest the nuts.
You could strike a happy medium and switch to other foods, perhaps hanging up the bone from the Sunday joint, or other such high protein food. There should be plenty of natural food available in the garden in summer, with caterpillars, greenfly etc. in abundance, but many people continue feeding, especially with wild bird seed mix and pre-packed dried insects. Not only will this encourage a stunning display of wild birds to your garden, birds will already be familiar with the location of your feeding stations before the cold of winter sets in.
This is extremely important as it reduces the pressure on your local bird population to expend valuable energy in searching for new food sources. Smaller bird species can literally run out of energy if they are not able to find enough food, resulting in their death!
Why should you feed birds?
These are bleak times for our native wildlife. Each year the struggle to survive becomes increasingly difficult as mounting odds continue to stack up against them. Over the past 70 years, changes in our farming practices have reduced their natural habitats drastically and Britain’s once abundant sources of food for over-wintering species has become severely depleted.
The question is this – are you prepared to tolerate a minimum level of insect damage on your edible and ornamental crops, or would you rather see a continual decline in our native wildlife until we start to see the reality of extinction?
It’s all about maintaining - or rather claiming back - habitat and trying to keep a healthy balance. You can’t complain about caterpillars eating your cabbages, and then lament about the loss of butterfly’s once commonplace in your childhood.
If you want to truly witness the damaged caused to our environment through over half a century of insecticide and molluscicide (slug killing) use, then look to their top predators - our native birds. If we can change our gardening practices to such a point that the populations of insect and mollusc eating birds decline no further, then we would have already achieved something worthwhile.
Furthermore, this issue of species decline isn't going to be solved by feeding the birds with evermore fancy nuts and berry recipes, or how cool your ceramic topped seed and nut feeder is, because the birds that are attracted to this type of food are not the ones in danger - of course this doesn't mean you should stop feeding them. In fact, populations of seed and nut eating birds have never been better. The truth is that our native insect eating birds are suffering their worst declines on record!
The key here is not to subsidise insect eating birds with non-indigenous grubs bought from your local pet shop, it’s about protecting and developing sustainable levels of our native insect species so that the birds can feed themselves throughout the year. In many people minds insects are the enemy, and while its true that certain species will make your roses look a bit untidy, if you are prepared to work with nature you can always attract the beneficial insects that will feed on them.
What can you do to halt the decline in insect eating birds?
The most important thing that we can do in our gardens is to stop using blanket insecticides that will kill anything and everything.
Chemicals such as brand Provado contain the active ingredient imidacloprid, and although predominately marketed as a vine weevil killer it will kill most insects that ingest it.
What makes it worse is that it can remain active within the plant for up to three months at a time on a single application.
However, when applied as a soil drench Provado 'Vine weevil Killer 2' becomes an even bigger threat by remaining viable within the plant for up to four months.
Slug pellets, which usually contain the active ingredient of metaldehyde, are just as bad with its active ingredient moving up through the food chain as predators digest poisoned slugs and snails. Although there are no figures for the death of native birds, reptiles and mammals through metaldehyde poisoning, the population of every native creature that eats molluscs as part of their diet is either in decline, in serious decline or near to extinction.
If you insist on using insecticide then at least try and stop before the autumn comes, bearing in mind that most of the plants you will be spraying will soon be dropping their leaves anyway. The insects that are causing the small amount of damage at this time of year are the same once that the birds are fattening up on in order to survive the on coming winter. During the late autumn your visiting birds will be feeding on all kinds of garden pests, be they snails, slugs or aphids so given the chance they can be a great help to the garden. Depriving them of their last ‘harvest’ will guarantee fewer birds returning next year.
Providing insects their natural habitat
To help build up insects populations in your garden is relatively easy and can be dealt with in a number of ways. The most obvious is to practice organic methods which will at least stop the local destruction of insects, but it’s just as important to create the natural habitats that will support insects through each stage of their life cycles.
Planting schemes are vitally important as these can be designed to include a suitable range of plants that can supply nectar throughout the year. Without these, bee, butterflies and other pollinating insects will struggle as they use the nectar as their main source of energy.
The winter is the most difficult time of the year as there are only a few native plants in flower.
Consider planting winter flowering heathers, Daphne mezereum and odora, Viburnum bodnantense and Viburnum tinus, and Mahonia ‘Charity’. In autumn plant Mahonia x media, aquifolium and japonica varieties. Not only will they produce flowers and valuable nectar in late autumn, they will also provide berries from winter through to early spring as food for other bird species. If it's berry eating bird you want to encourage then you can't go wrong with planting Cotoneaster, Pyracantha and the mature form of Hedera helix.
If you are considering planting up a hedge, one of the best to choose for the wildlife gardener is the wild dog rose - Rosa rugosa. Not only is this plant known to be able to support over 200 different species if insect, its dense thorny framework of branches also make it ideal for nesting in.
Wildlife ponds planted with native aquatic plants are a great environment for creating new insect life while log piles are not only valuable for over-wintering insect larvae and adults. They also provide sought after protection for native lizards, amphibians and smaller mammals like hedgehogs and voles.
The reasons why our native insect eating birds are in decline are well documented, but then so are the steps that need to be taken to help reverse them. What needs to happen now is for the countries population to look at their gardens and open spaces and work them with a different ethic in mind. An ethic that doesn't strive for an unnatural pursuit of perfection, but one that benefits not only ourselves but nature at large. If we continue to ignore our place in the environment – particularly as we are now top of the food chain - then it is only a matter of time before our own population goes into decline
For further information click onto:
Are Slug Pellets Poisoning Our Wildlife
British Birds of Paradise
British Government Creates Worlds Largest Marine Reserve Around Chagos Islands
Discovered - of New Species of Giant Carnivorous Plant.
Easter Island - a Lesson in Environmental Exploitation
Environmental Issues
Feeding Wild Birds
How do Elephants Communicate and Talk to Each Other?
How to Feed Birds?
How to Make a Natural and Organic Insecticide for Aphids
Jellyfish Swarms - The Latest Man-Made disaster?
Light Pollution and the Decline in Bat Populations
Light Pollution and the Decline of Native Insects
Light Pollution - The Hidden Threat
Nectar Rich American Wildflowers for Attracting Native Bumble Bees
Nectar Rich Plants
Organic and Wildlife Gardening
Organic Control of Aphids on Roses
Pesticides Toxic to Honey Bees
Sacrificial Planting
Seed Bearing Plants for Attracting Wild Finches
The Decline of Butterfly and Caterpillar Habitat
The Decline of Insect Eating Birds
The Eagle Owl - Friend or Foe?
The Importance of Log Pile to Native Wildlife
The Plight of English Woodlands
What is 'Slash and Burn' Farming and How does it Affect the Rainforests?
Which Plants can Attract Bats into the Garden?
Why do Carnivorous Plants Eat Insects and Animals?
Why Should we Protect the Rainforest?
Images care of http://pbenjay.wordpress.com/2011/04/03/fab-foto-friday-finches-feeding-frenzy/ and http://farmerfredrant.blogspot.co.uk/2009/11/this-blog-is-for-birds.html and http://www.flickr.com/photos/48035701@N04/4729758559/sizes/z/in/photostream/ and http://www.adelaidenow.com.au/ipad/gardening-report-classic-old-cure-alls/story-fn6br97j-1226118507996 and http://ideastations.org/radio/archive/2012-10-16-gardening-with-native-plants-to-attract-insects and http://www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/indepth/homes_and_gardens/10012873.Berry_nice_for_birds/ and http://www.earthworksstalbans.co.uk/gardens.html and http://lansingwbu.blogspot.co.uk/2011/03/what-do-you-feed-robins.html
Based on an article from http://www.lincstrust.org.uk/factsheets/feeding-wild-birds.php