Summer Essentials For Birds

As summer comes around, the availability of natural food sources for wild birds can fluctuate unpredictably. Factors such as changes in insect populations, flowering patterns of plants, and the ripening of fruits alter year to year so it’s hard to know how much food will be around. That’s where you can help your feathered friends by supplementing their diet all year round and making sure they’re never short of some healthy grub.  

Bird feeders serve as invaluable lifelines for birds during the summer months. By strategically placing feeders in the garden, you can provide a reliable source of sustenance while also getting to enjoy watching your feathery neighbours. There are a variety of wild bird feeders suited to different species and their feeding preferences, ranging from tube feeders for small songbirds to platform feeders for ground feeding species that need some extra stability. 

In addition to traditional bird seed mixes, consider offering a diverse array of high energy foods such as fruits, nuts, and seeds. These nutrient rich offerings provide them with the essential calories and nutrients they need to fuel their active lifestyles during the summer months. Fruits like berries and apples appeal to a wide range of species, while nuts and seeds offer a concentrated source of energy. A seed mix like Jollyes Wild Bird Food is a great option for all year round and appeals to a wide variety of species. You can add extra energy sources like mealworms, fresh fruit and peanuts to keep them well fed.  

While it's important to provide birds with high energy summer bird food to meet their increased metabolic demands during the busy season, it's equally crucial to offer options that are low in fat. Excessive fat consumption can lead to health issues such as obesity and fatty liver disease in birds. While winter months call for extra fat to be added into their diets with great options like Peckish Extra Goodness Fat Balls, they are too rich for the summer and go off quickly in warmer weather.  

Incorporating additional water features such as drippers, misters, or baths can attract a diverse range of bird species to your garden while providing them with essential hydration and cooling opportunities. Birds don’t just need to drink water but it also helps during grooming to remove dirt and debris from their feathers.  

Keeping clean and free of dirt will reduce the chance of parasites and shed any extra muck that might slow them down during their busy summer months. Offering sources of fresh water to birds is a great way to keep them healthy, especially during warmer weather but you must remember to change the water on a daily basis. Stagnant water will develop algae and allow for bacteria to grow which can turn your good deed for the local wildlife into something that is more likely to do more harm than good.  

The Henry Bell Bronze Wild Bird Bath is a great option for offering wild birds a drink and somewhere clean to bathe during the summer. It’s easy to install and can just be placed anywhere on your lawn where your feathered friends might want to rinse off and get a drink. Providing water as well as a nourishing meal will make you their favourite one stop shop for whatever they need all year round.  

All the new life that crops up throughout spring starts to slow down during summer. All of the trees and bushes full of new growth will thin a little and finding a good nesting place can be more of a challenge than it was in earlier months. Different species will nest and raise young throughout different months. Many of these occur throughout spring and will have their babies earlier in the year. Some species can be late bloomers and nest in July or even August with individuals even sitting on a second clutch if their first failed. Offering a safe place for these birds, especially so close to a good source of food and water that you provide will help these late developers find their feet in the world. 

Providing artificial nesting sites like roosting boxes and dense shrubs can compensate for the loss of natural shelter as trees and bushes start to thin out in the summer. Roosting boxes mimic the cosy confines of tree hollows, offering your local birds a safe haven to raise their young away from prying eyes and changing weather. Dense shrubs can also provide great cover and nesting sites for a variety of species, from sparrows and finches to wrens and thrushes. 

When selecting and installing nesting options for wild birds, it's crucial to consider factors such as shade and ventilation. Birds, like humans, seek refuge from the scorching summer sun, and providing shaded nesting sites will give them a nice escape from it. Nesting boxes like the LFJ Millers Sloping Roof Nest Box for Birds are not just an aesthetically pleasing option but will be a popular choice for small varieties of wild birds. Whether it's a private box nestled among the branches or a leafy shrub teeming with life, each nesting site is a way you can offer your local population of birds comfort that will help make summer less challenging so they can get back to thinking about breeding for next year’s batch after a successful year raising their babies. If you’re lucky, you might even catch sight of the fledglings leaving home.  

Summer might not be as difficult as the cold and drab winter months but it poses its own challenges for your feathered friends. High temperatures pose a significant risk and can easily cause dehydration, heat stress, and even death if adequate measures are not taken to provide cooling and drinking options. 

Predators also become more active during the summer months, posing a heightened threat to both adults and baby birds. With their own young to take care of and a flurry of young predators learning the ropes of how to hunt, summer can be quite treacherous. Fledglings in particular are vulnerable during summer as they learn to fly and navigate their surroundings, making them easy targets for predators. They’re often clumsy and don’t get it right the first time which can cut their young lives too short. Creating a safe haven in your back garden will help to give them the best chance at success.  

By understanding how summer conditions affect birds' needs, you can help provide the food, water, shelter and safety they require to thrive in the warmer months ahead. By helping to meet their basic needs you can make sure they thrive and go on to have their own young while visiting your garden every year. To turn your garden into a one stop shop for everything your local bird friends need, visit us in store and online.