As the days grow shorter after the summer is over and we hideaway indoors, spare a thought for our feathered friends. To survive the cold, birds must fatten up to increase their chances of survival. Each day presents a fresh challenge to source food.
And that’s why a little mixed seed and fresh water can save bird lives. It goes without saying that the local and visiting birds will appreciate any food you can offer, but there’s no doubt that clean seed is better for birds.

Then there’s the added benefit of watching the wildlife in your garden. Feeding birds is the easiest way to reconnect with nature. So, if you started feeding the birds this summer, don’t give up now! Birds need our help during the colder months too. Indeed the food you put out could be the difference between life and death in cold snaps.

There’s no denying it, though; autumn is here and big changes are afoot in the natural world.

Plants look to the future in autumn and disperse their seeds so they can grow and spread in the spring. Sycamore ‘helicopters’ travel by air while acorns and beechnuts are usually spread about and cached by squirrels and jays who store them for winter feeding. Blackberries feed everything from blackbirds and fieldfares to foxes and wasps. Planting trees, shrubs and hedges in your garden will provide more food and shelter. But these will all take time before they’re ready to add to autumn’s natural flush of insects and berries.

In the immediate term, you can help your garden birds by feeding high-energy suet. Our suet contains premium fat and is full of wholesome ingredients that add extra value. Tits are especially attracted to suet balls. Suet is available in a range of different formats, such as pellets and nuggets. This makes them appealing to many birds including robins and dunnocks.
 

A good seed mix is worth the investment. Try our Autumn/Winter Mix as it’s great for cold weather feeding. It is full of tiny seeds, which the smaller birds love. It’s always successful in our annual bird food trials here at The Bird Food Centre. Its number one job is to help birds enter spring in great shape for breeding.


Moving up a gear in energy (and price), we defy any garden bird to turn their beaks up at sunflower hearts. It’s unheard of. This sheer amount of birds they appeal to is sensational. And that’s why they feature in many of our seed mixes.

Our sunflower hearts herald from European seeds. We buy close to home to reduce the carbon (and product degradation) involved in shipping. This means our sunflowers are plump, clean and sound for European birds. Feed them from a tube-type seed feeder, bird table, ground feeder or, sprinkle them on the ground. The birds always find them.

Autumn is an important season for the wildlife garden. Within a few weeks, more birds will be ready to feed on feeders. Don’t miss out. What you’re doing is good for the birds and let’s face it, it’s good for we humans to. So enjoy your autumn garden – marvel at the transformation of colour and natural changes. It will soon be spring! But not before winter has its wicked way with the weather. And then the birds will need every calorie they can consume.