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

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Insect Block

Now only £11.66

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Insect House

Now only £16.16

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Large Insect House

Now only £21.56

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Insect Hotel

Now only £38.66

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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!

View All Insect Homes

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

No Mow May is an annual campaign started in 2019 by conservation charity Plantlife. The campaign encourages people to put down their mowers for the month of May in order to let wildflowers and your local biodiversity flourish.

At Really Wild Bird Food, we’re no strangers to feeding birds. In fact, we’ve been providing Britain’s birds with nutritious and tasty meals since the nineties! On Street End Farm, just outside of Hampshire, we grow all sorts of healthy food for a variety of different garden birds.

Whether you’re looking to help out your local bird population or just enjoy a spot of bird watching, here are some of the key benefits you can reap by putting a bird feeder in your garden.

What are the benefits of feeding birds?

1. Helping your local birds
2. Protecting your garden from bugs and weeds
3. Pollinating your flowers
4. Watching the birds
5. Keeping UK bird species off the endangered list

1. Helping your local birds

Your local birds may struggle to find sources of nourishment, especially if you live in a built-up area. Providing high-calorie foods for your local birds can be a literal lifesaver (especially during the winter months, when natural food sources are at their most scarce).

2. Protecting your garden from bugs and weeds

Birds are great for your garden! For one thing, they will sometimes eat seeds that would otherwise have grown into weeds. Draw birds to your garden with a feeder, and they might pick up a few extra snacks along the way. This prevents the weeds from growing and ruining your lovely flower beds. You might also attract birds that eat slugs, such as starlings, robins and blackbirds. This can be handy if those slimy so-and-sos have been treating your garden like an open buffet.

While birds may naturally flit through your garden on occasion, the best way to get them to eat your bugs and weeds is to properly invite them to your garden with a good meal.

3. Pollinating your flowers

For the most part, we associate pollination with bees. While protecting bees is still very important because they are great pollinators, there are also some birds who can pollinate flowers too. This is great, because pollination is super important for the flowers in your garden. It’s also crucial for food production!

Birds pollinate flowers when they are trying to eat nectar. While the most well-known avian pollinator is probably the American hummingbird, there are UK birds that occasionally enjoy nectar too, like blue tits. You may see goldfinches burying their long beaks inside teasel flowers to get at seeds! When birds stick their beaks into a flower, pollen will get stuck along the beak. This can then be transferred to other flowers, pollinating them.

SEE ALSO: Planting Wildflowers in Your Garden

4. Watching the birds

There are good reasons why bird-watching is such a popular hobby: it’s relaxing, it’s entertaining, and it can help you feel closer to nature. Birdwatching can even help you to improve your mental wellbeing! Once you’ve set up a feeding station in your back garden, you can simply sit and enjoy the sight of the birds – or you can hone your ornithology skills by keeping a list of the different kinds of birds you see! People with restricted mobility can enjoy this accessible hobby from the comfort of their own home or garden.

This is one of the major benefits of feeding the birds. If you’ve never experienced the thrill of running to the window to spot an unusual bird in your garden, then you really should give it a try. 

5. Keeping UK bird species off the endangered list

While you might not see any immediate benefit from this on a personal level, this is possibly the most important point on this list. In the long run, preserving diversity in bird species is incredibly important for the ecosystem.

Birds help keep the population of small creatures they eat (like mice) from becoming a problem. Birds are also prey for a lot of wildlife. The loss of even one species of bird can have a significant impact on our entire ecosystem. By feeding your local birds – and putting up nest boxes to give them a safe place to rest – you can contribute to the preservation of bird populations.

SEE ALSO: Endangered UK Birds & How You Can Help Them

How to start feeding the birds

Interested in the above benefits of feeding birds? It’s really easy to turn these ideas into a reality. You can start feeding birds healthy and nutritious food with very little effort.

Firstly, pick out a bird feeder that suits your garden. We offer a great range for you to choose from, including both hanging feeders and bird tables. You might also consider putting up nesting boxes, which can offer your birds a place to shelter. It's also important to put out some clean water for birds to drink and clean with!

Once you’re ready to start shopping, simply click the button below to discover our huge range of bird seeds.

Shop Bird Food   More Bird Feeding Tips

It is a common misconception that, for birds, a healthy diet consists of seeds and nothing else.

It’s true that most birds enjoy seeds, but many bird species have evolved to eat a range of different foods, from seeds to insects to fruit.

So why are seeds such a staple? And what else is on the menu? Read on to find out!

Which Garden Birds Eat Seeds?

Seed-eating birds tend to have specially-adapted bills that can crack open hard seed coatings and get to the nutritious and tasty interior. For example, birds like finches and sparrows have conical bills that are perfect for munching on seeds.

Pigeons and doves will also happily consume a wide range of seeds, although they are also known to eat insects, fruits and even human food scraps.

Which Garden Birds Don’t Eat Seeds?

Some birds – like robins, swallows, blackbirds and warblers – don’t have a hard beak to crack open seeds. These birds are known as ‘softbills’ and tend to be insectivorous, primarily eating small insects like beetles, worms, caterpillars and flies.

Softbills will also happily eat fruit, suet and special softbill bird foods like naked oats and mealworms.

Why Do Birds Eat Seeds?

Seeds are packed with essential nutrients that birds need to survive, and different types of seed offer different health benefits to birds. For example, sunflower seeds are an oil-rich source of protein, vitamins and minerals, providing long-lasting energy for garden birds – something that is essential for the colder winter months. The husks of sunflower seeds can even be removed, leaving the ‘sunflower heart’ behind, a treat that even softbill birds can enjoy!

Another reason why birds eat seeds is because they’re often abundant and relatively easy for birds to find. Particularly during the autumn and spring, many plants produce seeds as part of their reproductive cycle, leaving a wide variety of goodies behind for birds to scoop up, store and eat. Plus, compared to other food sources like insects and fruits, seeds are a reliable food source that can be found all year round.

So, next time you’re filling your bird feeders, consider varying the food you put out so that every bird species visiting your garden can find a tasty snack. Here at Really Wild Bird Food, we stock a wide range of different bird feeds, including seeds, mealworms, suet and so much more!

Use the button below to browse our bird food range and treat your garden birds to a proper buffet!

Shop Bird Foods

If you regularly feed the birds or you're planning to start, it is crucial that you know what not to feed wild birds and why. Feeding birds any of these items can potentially cause them harm and so should be avoided.

Bread

Most of us have probably fed birds bread at some point in our lives and while bread isn't immediately harmful to wild birds, it lacks nutritional value and therefore can lead to malnutrition if consumed in excess. This is why nowadays it is not recommended to feed wild birds' bread – even if you have some leftover!

Chocolate

Chocolate contains theobromine and caffeine, both of which are toxic to birds (in the same way that they are toxic to dogs!). These compounds can lead to seizures, heart arrhythmias and even death in wild birds and so should never be offered as foods!

Onion & Garlic

Both onion and garlic, even in small amounts, can damage a bird's red blood cells and digestion, leading to potentially fatal anaemia and weakness.

Dairy

Most wild birds are lactose intolerant, meaning they cannot properly digest dairy products. Birds can suffer gastrointestinal upset and diarrhoea from even small amounts of milk, cheese or yoghurt, so it is best to avoid these foods completely.

Salt

In the same way that too much salt can be bad for humans, salty foods can be bad for wild birds. Natural foods in the wild contain very little salt, so birds have not adapted to eating it. Feeding wild birds' salty food ( and that would include things like salted peanuts! ) can therefore cause serious health issues, like dehydration and organ failure.

Avocado

Avocados contain Persin, an anti-fungal toxin that can cause heart damage, respiratory distress and even death in birds. Although the exact levels of Persin vary in different parts of the avocado, it's best to keep avocados away from wild birds completely.

Whole Peanuts

Offering whole peanuts can pose a serious choking risk to wild birds, particularly chicks, therefore they should always be offered in a rigid mesh feeder to prevent chicks from choking on large pieces. This is especially important during fledgling season where adults can easily take whole peanuts back to the nest for their young.

Fruit Pits

The pits or seeds of certain fruits like cherries, peaches and apricots contain low levels of cyanide, which is toxic to birds. They can also be a choking risk and therefore should be avoided altogether.

Desiccated Coconut

Desiccated coconut can swell up when it reaches the stomach and cause birds serious discomfort and sometimes even death. This is why any bird seeds containing desiccated coconut should be avoided.

Mouldy Food

Spoiled seed and mouldy food can be harmful for birds, leading to diseases and illness in the same way that it does for humans. If it's too mouldy for you to eat, they probably won't want to eat it either!

So, What Can I Feed Wild Birds?

• Bird seed mixes
  
  
• Mealworms
  
  
• Suet and fat balls
  
  
• Bird-friendly peanuts

At Really Wild Bird Food, our bird seed offers unparalleled nutritional quality and cleanliness – your local birds just won't be able to resist!

If you're wondering what you can feed your local birds from your kitchen, check out our blog post What Kitchen Scraps Can I Feed To My Birds?

And if you have any further questions about what not to feed wild birds, please don't hesitate to contact us and a member of our team will be happy to help.

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Softbill birds are birds who, due to their relatively soft beaks, are unable to crack open seeds or penetrate through the tough outer layers of certain husks and grains (whereas hardbill birds like finches and tits can use their beaks to crack open seeds and nuts with ease).

The most common softbill birds in the UK are blackbirds, song thrushes, dunnocks, wrens and robins, all of which can be seen in gardens up and down the country. But how can you attract these softies to your patch? Keep reading to find out!

What Do Softbill Birds Eat?

Softbill birds tend to be mostly insectivorous, meaning they feed on insects, worms and other invertebrates. Softbills are particularly fond of live mealworms, but you can also soak dried mealworms overnight as a special juicy treat!

A variety of fruits and soft grains will also go down well with your local softbills. You can even try to grow berry-bearing plants like hawthorn, holly and honeysuckle in your garden if you want to provide them with a plentiful natural supply of their favourite snacks.

Softbill birds can also eat certain seeds if the husk has been removed. For example, dehusked sunflower hearts are OK for soft-billed species.

At Really Wild Bird Food, we stock a variety of premade softbill bird food mixes that are sure to go down a treat with your local softbils.

What Type of Feeder Is Best for Softbill Birds?

Most softbill birds have a preference for feeding on the ground, as this is where they usually find tasty insects and worms to gobble up. This means you’re unlikely to have much success attracting softbills to your garden using a hanging feeder.

Instead, try one of our ground feeders – but make sure you protect the feeder with a ground feeder guardian if you want to keep predators and larger birds away!

At Really Wild Bird Food, we offer FREE delivery on any orders that contain a bird seed mix, so get your softbill bird food, ground feeder and feeder guardian today to take advantage of this deal!

Shop Softbill Bird Food

As the human population continues to expand, so does the demand for new housing. This means that in recent years, our urban landscape has continued to encroach  more and more on natural spaces and countrysides, forcing birds and other wildlife to either move on and find a new place to live, or adapt and survive.

Unfortunately, many of Britain’s favourite feathered friends are becoming more difficult to spot due to declining bird populations. Endangered UK birds are threatened by issues like global warming, disease, and food scarcity.

In the UK, the Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) system is used to sort bird species into three different lists: Red, Amber and Green. The Red List comprises the UK’s most endangered birds, many of which are at risk of extinction.

All three lists are updated periodically, to give an accurate impression of which birds are currently at risk. Sadly, the picture is getting bleaker as time goes by; the most recent edition of the Red List (published in 2021) featured eleven more birds than the previous one.

Read on to learn about some of the UK’s most endangered bird species, as well as what can be done to help them.

1) Starling

Found in UK gardens, starlings are excellent mimics!

If you have a bird feeder, you might be surprised to see starlings on this list. After all, they are fairly common visitors to UK gardens. However, their population has drastically declined since the 1980s. This fast rate of decline is extremely concerning and has earned them a place on the Red List.

It’s been suggested that this decline is due to pollution and food scarcity caused by rising temperatures. Starlings eat a wide variety of foods, including spiders and moths, as well as nutritious fruit, but it is getting harder for them to access these resources. Putting out fruit for local starlings is just one way you can help – but we’ll have more advice on that later in the article.

2) Goldeneye

A diving duck known for its golden gaze!

Goldeneye ducks are named for their yellow eyes, which make them easy to recognise despite the fact that males and females have different feather patterns. Brown-headed goldeneye ducks (like the one pictured above) are female, whereas male goldeneyes have green and white heads. You might be more familiar with these birds if you live in Scotland, where many of them nest.

The goldeneye duck has sadly been moved from the Amber List to the Red List, indicating a risk to this bird’s future. There are only around 200 breeding pairs left in the UK. Thankfully, measures have now been taken to try and save this duck, and there were more than 25 young goldeneyes born in Cairngorms National Park in 2023.

3) Greenfinch

A vibrant, charismatic bird with a distinctive tweet!

Greenfinches might be small, but thanks to their bright feathers and loud ‘wheezing’ bird call, they are easy to spot. If you live in the UK and put out bird seed regularly, you’ve likely seen a greenfinch or two in your garden – possibly with a flock of other finches in tow! They tend to flock together in winter when searching for seeds.

Greenfinches were previously on the Green List, but a rapid decline in breeding population means that they are now a species of conservational concern. This is likely due to an unfortunate spread of the parasite-induced disease known as trichomonosis. Remember to clean your bird feeders regularly!

4) Merlin

The UK’s smallest bird of prey – a small falcon with pointed wings.

Merlins are on the Red List of endangered UK birds due to low population numbers, but their population has fluctuated over time. They were briefly taken off the Red List when numbers went up, though unfortunately they are now considered to be at risk again.

For now, at least, merlins are widespread and can be found throughout much of the UK during breeding season, so you might be able to spot one of these birds near you! In winter, you’ll find merlins hiding out in farmland and coastal marshes.

As a bird of prey, merlins mainly eat smaller birds and mammals – though they will also eat insects.

5) Linnet

Once a common farmland bird, loved for their beautiful birdsong 

A linnet is a type of finch with a pink forehead and breast. Linnets like seeds so much that they were named after them! Specifically, they are named after linseed, which is another name for flaxseeds. You may see linnets among large flocks of seed-seeking birds, particularly on UK farmland. 

According to the RSPB, the UK’s linnet population has declined by 72% since 1967 (mostly due to a loss of their food sources). Even more worryingly, linnets are not just at risk in this country – they are facing a global population decline.

How You Can Help Endangered UK Birds

As you may have noticed, many endangered UK birds are on the Red List because they don’t have access to enough food. Providing nutritious bird foods, like seeds and insects, can help these birds to survive. Giving birds access to a water source can also be helpful, so consider adding a bird bath to your garden if you have room.

As in the case of the greenfinch, bird populations will sometimes decline due to avian diseases. To help prevent the spread of these fatal illnesses, try to keep your bird baths and feeding stations as clean as possible. We recommend using Ark-Klens™ disinfectant (diluted in water) to clean your feeders, tables and baths. And be sure to change feeds regularly; bird seed will go mouldy if left in the feeder for too long.

You can also try to boost natural food sources, which is particularly helpful for birds like starlings who are losing these resources. Create ponds, plant wildflower seeds, and let your grass grow! You could also try planting bushes and hedgerows, so birds like linnets can nest and take cover. Don’t forget to add nesting boxes to your garden, as these can provide birds with necessary shelter from predators and other dangers.

Really Wild Bird Food offers a large variety of supplies for the care and protection of wild birds, including nutritious bird food, homes and feeders. If you’re interested in protecting endangered birds, you can get started through the links below!

Bird Foods      Bird Feeders