Following RSPB garden bird feeding advice to pause feeders from May 1, an expert gardener shares bird-friendly garden plants that keep UK birds visiting safely all year round
Emilia Randall GAU Writer and Vita Molyneux Travel reporter
09:41, 10 May 2026
There are concerns bird feeders could spread disease(Image: Trudie Davidson via Getty Images)
The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) has issued an urgent warning asking people to stop putting seeds out for garden birds from 1 May, but one expert gardener has revealed a clever, healthy alternative to keep birds visiting your garden throughout the year.
The bird charity introduced new guidelines that came into force on Friday, May 1 and will remain in effect until October 31. The RSPB has advised gardeners, bird lovers and amateur ornithologists to stop offering seeds or peanuts to birds, as it fears that feeding birds during the spring and summer months, however well-meaning, is actively contributing to the spread of disease.
The organisation reports that birds have experienced a ‘worrying decline’ in UK gardens, partly attributed to an illness known as trichomonosis. The ‘highly contagious’ condition can spread wherever birds gather in large numbers, such as at garden bird feeders.
Bird feeders are thought to be spreading disease(Image: Getty Images)
Kate Bradbury, writing in her One Garden Against the World Substack, suggests considering bird-friendly planting as an alternative. You may already have some of these plants growing in your garden – unwittingly encouraging robins and sparrows to return to your borders in search of food, reports Wales Online.
Bradbury said: “Grow more plants like sunflowers, teasels and ivy, which provide natural sources of seeds and also insects.” As plants are smaller sources of food, have less surface area for diseases to proliferate and are spread around your garden, they pose far less of a threat to British birds.
You could also consider planting Zinnias, Echinacea, Black-eyed Susan as well as shrubs such as Elderberry, Viburnum, and Honeysuckle which provide nourishment for birds throughout the summer months, according to Wild Way.
The RSPB highlighted evidence suggesting greenfinch populations have plummeted by 65% since 1979.
It said: “Research has shown a worrying decline in some of our much-loved garden birds due to a disease called trichomonosis. This is a highly contagious disease and can spread where birds gather in large numbers such as at bird feeders.
“Greenfinches, for example, have dropped by over 65% in the last three decades – and you may have seen this decline yourself.
The RSBP warns that trichomonosis is spreading(Image: Ben Andrew)
“Back when the Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979 Greenfinches were at number seven in the top ten birds seen. This year they were down to number 18.
“The latest RSPB guidance is to feed birds seasonally and safely to avoid the spread of disease.”
You can achieve this by cleaning and relocating feeders on a weekly basis, refreshing the water in bird baths daily and steering clear of flat-surfaced feeders such as bird tables.
It is also advisable to halt the supply of seeds and peanuts between 1 May and 31 October. “Stopping the spread of disease is a challenge we can’t tackle alone. By taking these simple steps to feed seasonally and safely, we can all help protect the future of our birds.”
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