Arguably more important than providing food for our garden birds is ensuring they have access to fresh, clean water for bathing and drinking.

You'd be forgiven for thinking that their need for water is met elsewhere, particularly if you live near a river or lake, but these large bodies of water don't always suit smaller birds.

Providing a bird bath is a great way to attract birds into your garden. If you have a water feature or running water, they will thank you all the more! More...

The breeding season (April to July) is a great time to feed mealworms, wax worms and other live foods to your garden birds if you don't already do so!

Of the many varieties of garden bird whose numbers are in decline in the UK, it is the insectivores who have been the worst hit. The lack of mature, native trees in our gardens and ever-decreasing areas of natural woodland means that wild birds cannot find the insects they need to feed their young, resulting in fewer eggs and fewer fledgelings. This makes live foods a more conscientious choice, particularly during periods of colder weather (when insects will hide away in warm places) and especially when you consider that the birds' activity rate during the breeding season can be 100 times greater than during the winter months.

More...

Spring marks the beginning of nesting season, so wild birds will benefit from high energy food sources during this time. In fact, as the UK tends to stay cold right through into the middle of spring, it is recommended to continue with high-energy winter feeding techniques until around mid-March at least. If you're unsure how best to care for our feathered friends, here's what to feed birds in spring.

More...

Live mealworms and live mini mealworms are a fantastic source of protein and – believe it or not – water for garden birds. Many resident garden bird species are declining in number in the UK, and the worst hit are those who rely on insects and invertebrates for food.

20 - 30 years ago farms and gardens tended to be more diverse and there were a lot more insects, invertebrates, bees, butterflies and birds than there are now. More...

Around this time of year (mid to late November) when average daily temperatures start to fall and the seeds, masts and fruits in the hedgerows are pretty much eaten up, garden birds will start to return to your feeders. The seed-eaters like tits, finches, robins, dunnocks, blackbirds etc will visit feeders and will fill up on dry seed. However, it is a bit like having toast in the morning without an accompanying cup of tea if you don't also offer them clean drinking water!

Most garden birds do need to drink at least twice a day. They lose water through respiration and droppings. Really lucky people have a free-flowing stream or river running through their gardens and will notice that birds will find easy access points where they can drink and bathe in relative safety. For us less fortunate, putting out a birdbath, or an upturned metal dustbin lid, and keeping the supply of water clean, will be gratefully received. Here are a few water 'top tips' to make winter healthy for your birds and easy for you! More...

Regularly cleaning and disinfecting your bird feeders is just as important as filling them - especially when it comes to preventing salmonellosis, a bacterial disease that kills many small birds.

Salmonellosis occurs when a food source is contaminated with faecal matter. Since 1970, when the bacterial disease was first diagnosed, fatalities around bird feeders have become more common and have been witnessed in many bird species throughout the world.

More...

There is a great variety of bird feed available for the wild birds. Amongst these seeds and mealworms are the fatballs which are one of the most popular forms of bird feed. Fatballs prove to be excellent feed options for the birds especially during the winter. More...

Bird feeders are your best option if you want to attract a variety of birds to your garden. There are many different kinds of bird feeders available, such as feeder trays, hanging feeders, window feeders and many more. But during wet weather spells, using these feeders is not very feasible since the water creates a lot of problems for feeding the birds. If the wrong type of feeder is used, the seeds will get wet and spoil. In the event of water collecting in the feeder, your bird feed can quickly rot.

However, there are a few things that you can keep in mind which will help you to continue feeding your garden birds during wet, rainy periods and to protect your feed from getting spoilt.

Guarding against rain

To guard against rain, it makes sense to use bird feeders that are in the form of tubes rather than the trays. There are special feeders available with rain guards. These rain guards are domes that can be fitted to the feeders to protect the feed and also provide shelter for small birds. These guards help to keep the feeder seed dry and free-flowing.

 More...

As we begin to see the end of winter and the beginning of spring it is time to check our gardens are good places for birds to thrive. First on the check list is to ensure there is a suitable place for birds to eat and drink, then there is the need to provide adequate nesting boxes.

To provide suitable places for birds to eat erect a bird feeding table and position it close to cover like a bush to provide cover in case birds feel exposed to danger of attack in open spaces. Obviously once you have a good bird feeding table you need to stock up with good bird feed that attracts the right birds.

More...

As the days turn cold, the threats that our feathered friends face increase. The food is scarce during the winter and sustenance during these times is a big issue for them. The birds need to struggle, not only for food but also for making it through the chilly season.

So where do we stand in helping our wild birds survive during these harsh conditions? Small measures by us can do their bit in helping the birds pull through the difficult times. These small measures by us can easily attract the birds to the gardens and help them to a great extent during the chilly days. But is your garden attractive enough to the wild birds?

As we know natural food is scarce during the wet and the cold days as the insect population is less. So it is important to try and create a garden which provides a rich supply of natural foods. The supplementary moist and high protein food will help the adults survive and subsequently sustain fledglings in the nest in the spring. Planting a range of native UK shrubs, trees and climbers will produce berries, seeds, fruits and nuts, nectar and pollen and will also serve as a shelter for the birds with nesting sites and nesting materials.

By simply leaving a few rotting log piles in a shady spot or an area of grass un-mown and messy will help a great deal in increasing the insect population in the garden. This tends to be a vital food source for garden birds which will help in attracting more birds into the garden.

During the freezing days it is important to supply clean fresh drinking water as the birds need to replenish their lost water. But obviously the use of salt, glycerine or anti-freeze should be avoided!

The more the variety of food, the more will be the variety of garden birds. So try offering a range of different bird food types in a variety of different types of bird seed feeders as the eating habits of different birds are different.

Apart from the early mornings, you will also need to restock food in the early afternoons to provide nourishment before dusk since birds need extra energy during the winters as they flap their wings in order to keep warm.

With these small yet vital measures of bird care, you can easily improve your chances of satisfying a variety of different species and enticing them back to your garden time after time!