Gardeners have been urged to leave grated cheese on bird tables for one bird in particular. The Awesome Wildlife Company gave advice on what to leave out to attract robins to the garden.
The company suggested leaving out ‘fermented dairy products in small doses’, such as mild grated cheese. Dried peas are another great household item to feed robins, especially in the winter to give them an energy boost. Robins are fruit lovers and will, according to the Awesome Wildlife Company, eat any fruit or fruit seeds. Robins have also been known to eat peanuts, particularly crushed ones, straight from a human’s hand. They also like suet, sunflower hearts, and raisins.
The birds feed on insects (especially beetles) and worms. You might notice one following you as you dig up your garden, hoping to nab a few worms as you unearth them.
As they’re such fans of mealworms, you can give them an extra helping hand by soaking dried mealworms in water, giving the robins some valuable moisture from the food.
Robins are natural ground feeders, so feeding trays are ideal. Mix bird seed, sunflower hearts, and mealworms, sprinkle them on a tray, and wait for the robins to arrive.
Like ground feeding trays, bird tables give robins an easy place to eat. Pop some fruit and mealworms out on the platform and watch them tuck in.
You could also try making your own bird cake or food bars using melted suet or lard. Just pour the mixture of seeds, raisins, and nuts into a pan, let it cool, and then place it on the table.
You can leave food on an open bird table, but make sure you remove it if it gets wet. Damp food is susceptible to mould and bacteria, which can make birds ill.
Covered bird tables are best as their roofs help keep food dry, protect smaller birds from predators, and can make it harder for pigeons to eat all the food.