Robins are fans of certain foods and if you leave out a mixture of things they like, they will flock to your garden
You can put out a number of things in your garden to help birds(Image: Getty Images)
Householders are being advised to leave out two particular food items in their garden as they will help robins this autumn. These birds are active all year round but will often be spotted in the colder months gathering materials to build nests and searching for food.
Robins don’t migrate from the UK in the winter so gardeners are urged to leave food and water out for them on a regular basis as their usual sources of food can be harder to come by. The birds typically feed on a diet of live insects, worms and fruit, but when the weather turns colder this supply of food can dry up a bit, with fruit trees becoming bare and the ground becoming hard or even frozen.
Wildlife experts recommend leaving extra food out for the birds in gardens as this will help them to build up their fat stores for both energy and warmth. Robins need high energy foods to help them thrive at this time of the year so experts advise offering a combination of sunflower seeds and mealworms. This comes as experts explained how robins will be ‘obsessed’ with your garden if food is put in one specific place, as reported by ChronicleLive.
Experts at The Woodland Trust said: “Robins are natural ground feeders, so feeding trays are ideal. Make a mixture of bird seed, sunflower hearts and mealworms, sprinkle it out on a tray and wait for the robins to arrive. 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.”
Bird food specialists at Beaky Bites add: “Sunflower seeds are loved by many birds, including tits and greenfinches, for their high energy content. These seeds provide the energy birds need to go about their daily activities especially during colder months when their energy needs are higher.
“But one downside of feeding black sunflower seeds is they can create a pile of husks below the feeder that may need to be cleaned regularly. Including high energy seeds like sunflower seeds in your bird feeders gives your feathered friends the energy they need to thrive. This is especially important during breeding season and winter when their energy needs peak.”
While feeding birds in autumn and winter is recommended, gardeners should be mindful not to overfeed birds as an excess of food can attract other wildlife, such as rats, squirrels and pigeons, which can make it harder for smaller birds, like robins, to get to the food, reports the Express.
Food should also be removed from bird tables if it gets wet as damp food is susceptible to mould and bacteria which can cause birds to fall ill. Using a covered bird table is the safest option as it keeps food dry and small birds are better protected from predators.
Meanwhile, people are being asked not to leave out a certain food item for garden birds as it can “cause real harm”. Experts say the snack could be deadly “even in small amounts”.
Peanuts are often recommended as a food to feed birds, due to their high protein and calorie content. But one bird-feeding specialist warned that not all of them are safe for birds to consume, and could even prove deadly.
He said: “It’s important to use only peanuts from trusted wildlife suppliers, as these are tested to make sure they’re free from aflatoxin, a natural mould toxin that can be fatal to birds even in small amounts. Avoid salted or roasted peanuts altogether, as these can cause real harm.”
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