There are two key factors to consider when hanging a bird feeder in your garden.

1. Visibility
2. Safety

While there is a lot of emphasis on feeding wild birds in the winter, it’s actually beneficial to feed garden birds all year round! There’s a common misconception that birds don’t need to be fed in the summer months, and even that feeding birds in the summer will make them fat and lazy, but that’s not the case!

While it’s true that winter can be a particularly difficult time for wild birds with natural food (and occasionally drinkable water)  being in short supply, wild birds will benefit from feeding all year round. Feeding wild birds through all seasons is an effective way to support their populations; improving chick numbers born and the survival of youngsters, and helping adults to stay in good body condition.

If there’s one thing that most dogs have in common, it’s a healthy appetite. Even after a perfectly sizeable meal, they’re still eyeing up whatever you’ve got in your hands, and it sure looks really yummy.

If given the opportunity, some dogs will gobble up anything they can get their paws on, from your breakfast right off your plate to bird seed that has fallen from your bird feeder.

If you’ve found your way to this blog, your own pooch has probably helped themselves to some bird feed, and you’re looking for information as to whether or not you should be worried. So, is bird seed bad for dogs?

When you put out bird feed, you never know what kind of birds you’ll attract. While you can select certain feeds that are more popular with certain birds, you can never predict exactly what birds will come to visit your garden.

While having any feathered friend come to visit is a delight, putting out food for birds can also entice some more unwelcome visitors. Bird feeders can be an attractive sight for garden rats, and they can be inclined to help themselves to the feed.

Bird feeding is an excellent, worth-while and rewarding activity. Birds in areas with bird feeders are generally in overall better health than those who have no access to supplementary nutrition, especially during periods of inclement weather. By giving them the nutrients they require at the time they need them, we can make a world of difference for the futures of our winged friends.

You don't need a large garden to make birds feel at home!

It's estimated that there will be more than 28.3 million households in the UK by the end of 2022. Because space is limited, new build estates are smaller than they used to be, and the size of the average British garden is trending downwards too.

The UK has three native species of woodpecker; the great spotted woodpecker, the lesser spotted woodpecker and the green woodpecker. As well known as they are, "seen but not heard" definitely isn't an expression that would ever be used to describe woodpeckers!

Taking a walk through the woods you may often hear the tell-tale thrumming and knocking of a woodpecker nearby, but you'd be lucky if you happened to catch a glimpse of their distinctive red head and stripy wings.

There's no shortage of bird feeders on the market: seed feeders, peanut feeders, peanut butter feeders, window feeders, hanging feeders, ground feeders...the list goes on and on.