The RSPB has changed its guidance on feeding garden birds, warning against some of the feeders, foods and practices bird lovers have used for decades. As many gardeners rush to send their bird feeders to the wheelie bin, and the Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) announces it will no longer sell bird seed mixes and peanuts during the summer, this is a change sparking a lot of conversation in the gardening world.
To avoid inadvertently harming local wildlife, it’s essential to understand the new guidance and recommendations.
New Guidance on Bird Feeders
The RSPB’s new guidance comes in four key parts: clean and move bird feeders weekly, avoid filling bird feeders with seeds and peanuts between 1 May and 31 October, avoid using bird feeders with flat surfaces, and clean water bowls and bird baths weekly and refill them daily.
Avoiding seeds and peanuts during warmer months can help prevent the transmission of disease among birds, especially trichomonosis, which spreads easily when birds gather around feeders.
Cleaning water bowls and feeders weekly and moving them to avoid debris building up underneath can help protect against diseases.
The RSPB is taking this step to reduce disease transmission.
Reasons Behind the New Guidance
The purpose of this new guidance is to avoid the transmission of disease among birds, especially trichomonosis, which has affected greenfinches, chaffinches, and bullfinches.
Greenfinches have been particularly affected by disease in recent years, with numbers dropping by 67% since the Big Garden Birdwatch began in 1979.
According to the RSPB’s chief executive Beccy Speight, “Feeding birds is something millions of us love and value, but the science shows us that birds such as greenfinches have been affected by the spread of disease at feeders.”
The Trichomonas Gallinae parasite is found in the feeders, not on them, and is transferred to the food through saliva, where it will survive for a while.
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If bird food is damp or wet and at a certain temperature, it recreates the conditions of a finch’s digestive tract, and so the parasite is able to replicate itself.
Supporting Garden Birds Safely
The best way to support garden birds safely is to grow plants to attract insects and invertebrates – their primary food source – and to feed the birds themselves.
Insect-attracting plants, such as field scabious, dog rose, and lavender, can bring invertebrates to the garden in the summer months.
Colourful and seed-rich flowers, like sunflowers, cornflowers, and teasels, can produce seedheads that birds feed on in autumn and winter.
Long and short grass, as well as berrying shrubs and trees, like hawthorn and elder, can provide food and habitat for birds.
As Helen Bostock, senior wildlife expert at the RHS, says, “Even small changes can make a meaningful difference to local bird populations, and with spring now well underway it’s the perfect time to get sowing and planting with birds in mind.”
By choosing the right plants and creating a welcoming safe habitat, gardeners can help birds thrive throughout the year.
Gardeners can make a positive impact by creating a garden design that incorporates plants that attract insects and invertebrates.
As Beccy Speight says, “We’re not asking people to stop feeding, just to feed in a way that protects birds’ long-term health. By making small changes together, we can ensure garden feeding continues to be a positive force for nature.”
The Trichomonas Gallinae parasite is found in the feeders, not on them, explains Dick Woods at Finches Friend, which sells ‘cleaner feeders’ designed to prevent illness and death in wild birds.
