Wood Pigeon Nestlings (September 2012). Original photo by nottsexminer. Licensed under CC BY-SA 2.0.
If you find a baby pigeon (also known as a squab) that seems to be in need of help, there are a few different steps you need to take…
In 1996, a rumour began to gain traction after being published in a bird-feeding advice column: Wild birds cannot eat uncooked rice because when ingested, it swells and causes their stomach to extend.
We now know that this rumour isn’t true – cooked and uncooked rice pose no risk to wild birds – however, that did not stop the rumour becoming so widespread and it pretty much stopped the tradition of throwing rice at weddings for fear of killing the local wildlife.
In this blog, we will explore the facts behind the assumptions and discuss the safest ways to feed rice to your local bird population. Let’s get started!
Disproving the Rumour
There are a couple of reasons why the rice rumour doesn’t make logical sense:
- For rice to be cooked and swell, it must be boiled in water at 100 degrees. A bird’s internal temperature is usually around 37 degrees and is therefore nowhere near hot enough to cook the rice and cause it to swell.
- Birds also have very fast metabolisms and so the food they eat is sometimes digested within just minutes and converted into energy. Therefore, the rice does not stay in the bird’s stomachs long enough to cook or swell.
Is Rice Good for Birds?
Although rice is safe for birds, it’s not necessarily a great nutritional source. It can provide a quick energy source in the form of carbohydrates, however, rice lacks many of the essential nutrients, vitamins and minerals that wild birds need for their balanced diet.
Brown rice is healthier for humans and thus is also more beneficial for wild birds too. It contains more of the energy, proteins and fibre needed for a healthy avian diet.
How to Feed Rice to Birds
If you choose to feed your local birds rice, make sure it is only offered in moderation and as a supplement to a balanced diet. You also must ensure that you never feed fried, seasoned or salted rice to your garden birds – you may also want to rinse plain rice to remove some of the extra starch before putting it out.
So, if you have a wedding coming up and you want to follow the throwing rice tradition, know that you can without harming the local bird population; however, throwing a traditional seed mix or white millet will probably be more popular with your feathered friends and you won’t have to worry about the clean up!
The premium Tidy Garden™ seed mix is always our number-one seller, but never more so than during the summer months when people are out in their gardens and don't want to be looking at messy sprouting seeds and untidy feeding areas.
Of course, this year's drought has made it more difficult for left-over seeds to germinate – but it's still great to know that everything is eaten up and your garden will remain mess-free!
We've taken 15% OFF all Tidy Garden Mix™ pack sizes for the month of July. Prices start from just £9.31 for 2kg of bird food. This is a really good opportunity to try a fantastic feed at a great price!
And don't forget: you can save a further 15% if you CLICK & COLLECT from the farm!
Another pick of the month for us: pulling wild oats!
We have taken on more land this year, which will enable us to keep up with the demand for all our bird seed crops. Unfortunately the new acquisition has some quite large patches of wild oats growing, which need to be removed before harvest. If they are allowed to remain, they will profusely shed their seeds and create an even bigger problem next year, and the only way to do it is to get out there are pull them up by hand!
Luckily, we have fantastic staff members (and a daughter home from uni) who have been willing to get onto the land and give us some help. We are very grateful to them all. We have a great team working for us; everyone willing to muck in.
Left: a handful of wild oats. Right: another glorious day and a 7am start to beat the heat!
As I write this, the harvest has just started. Richard is off to start combining our oilseed rape. The first day of harvest is always an exciting day, usually filled with trepidation and the big question: 'will the combine be trouble-free?!'
There is a huge amount of work undertaken in the weeks running up to harvest time. The combine is thoroughly serviced and checked for any parts which need replacing (and there are invariably some significant repairs and replacements needed). This year it was the water pump – always an expensive item to replace – and the poor design of this particular combine meant that accessing it was extremely tricky; a real headache for our mechanics. All the trailers and grain moving equipment are given a 5* clean, as are the grain stores which will be housing our newly-harvested crops. Shiny and spotless!
Lots more news to tell you in my next newsletter, but until then.... stay out of the heat and enjoy your garden birds!
With very best wishes,
Lesley
P.S. I may need a physio after this!
If you have ever spent time watching birds fly around in your garden, you may have wondered: do birds see colour in the same way humans do? The short answer: yes, birds can see colour, but in a very different way to how we do.
This blog will take a closer look at how birds see colour and how this affects their behaviour. Let’s dive in!
How Do Birds See Colour?
Birds have an additional cone in their eyes that allows them to perceive a wider ranger of colours than we can as humans. While we humans have three colour receptors (or cones) in our eye that allow us to see red, green and blue, birds have four colour receptors, allowing them to see ultraviolet (UV) light in addition to the three colours we can perceive.
This allows birds to see contrasts in colours and shades that are invisible to us. For example, around 15 years ago, Finnish researchers discovered that vole urine reflects UV light which kestrels flying over open fields can plainly see. As voles run through grassy fields, they use squirts of urine to mark their trails, the kestrels can then follow these trails directly to their pray.
How Does Colour Impact Bird Behaviour?
Birds’ ability to see a wide range of colours and ultraviolet light influences a range of their behaviours, from mate selection to foraging to territory defence.
Mate Selection
Many birds’ feathers reflect UV light, which can serve as a signal in mate selection. Bright colours often indicate health and genetic fitness and thus birds that are less fit or in poor condition will have a duller plumage. For example, some parrots and finches have UV patterns that are only visible to other birds and females are drawn to these bright patterns and colours as they signal good health and strength for breeding.
Territory Defence
Bright coloured plumage can be used to signal aggression and territoriality for some male birds. They can flash their bright colours to intimidate rivals and establish dominance over a particular area, warning other males to stay away.
Foraging for Food
Birds also use their ability to see UV light to identify food sources. Many insects, fruits and flowers have ultraviolet reflections that make them more visible to birds. In fact, many seeds and fruits develop a reflective waxy coating as they open, signalling to birds that they are ripe and ready to eat.
Certain bird species are also attracted to specific colours. For example, hummingbirds are drawn to red and goldfinches are attracted to yellow, which is why many goldfinch feeders are yellow – like our Goldfinch Taster Feeder!
So, if you’re looking to attract more birds to your garden, consider looking for bird seed mixes that contain sunflower seeds and safflower seeds as both of these are known to reflect UV light.
Feeding birds is a fantastic way to connect with nature, improve your mental health and boost your local ecosystem. However, as anyone who regularly feeds the birds knows, stocking up on bird seed and supplies (particularly if you have lots of garden visitors with lots of feeders out) can be expensive. At Really Wild Bird Food, we’re here to tell you that you don’t have the break the bank to feed your feathered friends!
This blog will detail some simple and cost-effective ways you can feed the birds for less. Let’s get started…
Buy in Bulk
One of the best ways to save money on feeding the birds is to buy your bird food in bulk. Smaller bags of seed tend to cost more per kg, while larger bags (20, 30 or 40kg) work out much cheaper on a £/kg price basis.
Bags of birdseed that weigh less than 12.5kg are subject to VAT, therefore this immediately increases to price to the customer by 20%. If you can buy large sacks (weighing more than 12.5kg) then you immediately are making the VAT saving. Obviously buying in bulk will mean that you will have to find space to store your bulk purchase. We recommend putting your bird food in a vermin proof container – like a metal dustbin – and in a cool environment. Avoid storing your seed near a boiler or hot cupboard.
If you can store it in a cool place, your bird food should last for 5-6 months!
If you are looking to buy a large number or bird food sacks, it might make financial sense to have them delivered on a pallet. If you have neighbours who also order bird food, why not put a combined order in with them?
Attract Natural Food Sources
Another sustainable way to feed the birds for less is to plant native plants that produce natural food sources. Native trees, shrubs and flowers produce seeds, fruits and nectar that many bird species love to snack on. For example, sunflowers produce tasty sunflower seeds and holly bushes produce berries. This will not only provide natural food but also create habitat and cover for your garden birds.
Feed in the Right Location
By placing your bird feeders in the right spots, you can reduce seed waste and attract more birds. Try to hang your feeders in sheltered spots to protect the seed from rain and wind – this will prevent your seed from getting spoiled. Also, try to place feeders near natural cover, like trees or shrubs, so that birds can quickly seek shelter if predators approach.
Keep It Fresh
To help prevent excessive waste and weather damage to seed in feeders, only fill feeders with enough seed to last a couple of days, particularly in the winter months when seed is more likely to become damp. Keeping seed and peanuts in tip top condition will be tastier for birds and will reduce the amount you have to throw away.
Choose Low-Cost High-Quality Seed Mixes
At Really Wild Bird Food, we understand that times are tight, and as the cost of living continues to rise, many people can’t afford to spend a lot of money feeding their local birds. That’s why we have created our very own Birdie Basics range, so that you can feed the birds for less this summer!
Just like our premium seed mixes, our range of Birdie Basics seed mixes are packed with home-grown ingredients from our UK farm, so even with the lower price tag, the quality will be far better than any cheap bird seed mixes you can find online.
While the low cost of cheaper seed may initially seem like good value for money, keep an eye on how much is being wasted. Buying more expensive seed that has little of no-waste will, in the long-run, be much better value.
Our Birdie Basics range consists of three low-cost bird seed mixes:
Birdie Basics Bronze contains wheat, red millet, white millet, black sunflower seeds, rape, cut maize and naked oats.
Birdie Basics Silver contains wheat, red millet, white millet, black sunflower seeds, rape, cut maize, naked oats and canary seed.
Birdie Basics Gold is wheat-free and contains red millet, white millet, black sunflower seeds, rape, cut maize, naked oats and barley.
We hope that these low-cost bird seed mixes will enable you to keep feeding your local birds while saving a little bit of cash!
If you have any questions about our Birdie Basics range or how to feed your birds for less, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with us using the button below.
26 Jun 2025
Look after your feeding station by cleaning regularly and refilling it daily. Read on for more useful bird feeder maintenance tips!
What’s a Bird Feeding Station?
A bird feeding station is a device that lets you hang multiple bird feeders in one place. Most bird feeding stations look a bit like a coat rack, with many arms for hanging feeders, though some feeding stations can also support feeding trays at the same time. You can build your own with a sturdy pole or buy ready-made bird feeding stations for your garden.
Whether you’ve got a full feeding station with a plethora of feeders, or just a single feeder on a branch, proper cleaning and maintenance is crucial.
19 Jun 2025
Feeding the birds is a fun and very rewarding activity, but it’s also an important responsibility. Providing bird food means that the health of your local wildlife is in your hands. Don’t worry though – you can help protect these birds by avoiding common bird feeding mistakes.
Below are the top 10 bird feeding mistakes that people tend to make when they start feeding the birds, as well as our expert advice on how to avoid them.
16th – 22nd June 2025 is Pollinator Week!
Pollinator Week 2025 is a celebration and acknowledgement of the vital role that pollinators play in our ecosystems, economies, gardens and farms. These essential and special creatures (including bees, butterflies, moths, bats, beetles and hummingbirds) are the hard-working heroes behind the food we enjoy and the natural beauty of the environment that surrounds us.
By doing simple things like planting for pollinators and providing homes for them in our gardens, we can help to create a world where both nature and people thrive in harmony. It's very easy to do, and we have just made it a little easier by discounting our Nooks & Crannies range of insect houses by 10% AND for every purchase, we will include a FREE pack of Best for Bees wildflower seeds (RRP £6.25).
Scroll down to see some of our Nooks & Crannies insect houses. All prices correct at time of writing.
Insect Loft
Now only £8.51
Insect Block
Now only £11.66
Insect House
Now only £16.16
Large Insect House
Now only £21.56
Insect Hotel
Now only £38.66
Click here to view our full range of Nooks & Crannies products. As with all of our offers, they do get snapped up very quickly and will only apply while stocks last. So do make the most of it!
The weather is baking hot right now! Remember, we're offering 15% off all bird baths until the end of June. Just enter the code BIRDBATH15 at checkout!
Enjoy your birds, bees and butterflies!
With very best wishes,
Lesley
Bumblebee photo from Unsplash
