During winter, wild birds often need extra help to survive – and many of us will start feeding them as soon as the weather gets colder.
But birds can really benefit from extra help in summer and early autumn too. Food, water and safe places to roost and nest are needed year-round – and there are lots of ways we can help the birds in our gardens and community green spaces during the warmer months. Here are a few ideas.
Offer food
In hot, dry weather the earth hardens – making it difficult for birds like blackbirds and thrushes to get earthworms and other invertebrates from the soil.
This year, insect-eating birds – blue tits, swallows and robins for example – will be struggling to find food. Unusually cold, wet weather in the spring and early summer has had a negative impact on insect populations – but this is part of a much longer-term decline that’s been happening since the 1970s. The Bugs Matter citizen science survey, led by Buglife and Kent Wildlife Trust, found that insect numbers have declined by almost 80% between 2004 and 2023.
One way to help insect-eating birds is to offer a range of different bird foods, including some bug-based treats such as mealworms or insect suet blocks. If putting out peanuts during the summer, offer them in a suitable peanut feeder rather than loose – some species may still be feeding their young, and young birds can choke on whole peanuts.
Attract insects
To help insect-eating birds, create an insect-friendly habitat by growing nectar-rich plants. Bees, butterflies, moths, ladybirds, lacewings and hoverflies will all be attracted to nectar-rich flowers. Scabious, cosmos, lavender, marjoram and verbena bonariensis are all good choices. Also include some plants that flower later in the year, such as sedums and Michaelmas daisies. Allowing dandelions to grow will attract insects too.
Choose a sunny, sheltered spot for your nectar-rich plants – and avoid frilly, double flowers, which contain little nectar and pollen and are hard for insects to get in and out of.
Grow plants for caterpillars
Lots of birds – including house sparrows, blue tits and great tits – eat caterpillars. So making space for some of the plants that butterflies lay their eggs on is a good idea.
Nettles are brilliant – they’re eaten by the caterpillars of comma, peacock, small tortoiseshell and red admiral butterflies. Orange tip and green-veined white butterflies will lay their eggs on lady's smock, garlic mustard and honesty. If you leave a corner to grow wild, many of these plants might appear of their own accord.
Many trees are good too for caterpillars too – the leaves of oak and hawthorn trees, for example, are eaten by several different species of caterpillar. In fact, both these trees are fantastic for insects, supporting hundreds of different invertebrate species.
Provide water
In hot, dry weather fresh drinking water is harder for birds to find, as natural sources such as small streams and ponds may dry up. Bathing is important for birds too, to remove dirt and grit and to keep their feathers in tip-top condition.
Offer water for bathing and drinking in a bird bath or shallow container, such as a large plant pot saucer. Put a few pebbles in so that smaller birds can access the water more easily.
If you have a garden pond, then you're already providing a great source of drinking and bathing water for birds – as well as for small mammals. Ponds also offer a habitat for many invertebrates, such as dragonflies and damselflies.
Check the water level in your pond regularly, as shallow ponds in sunny positions can dry up. If you have access to rainwater from a water butt it's best to use this to top up the pond, as this maintains the correct ecological conditions. But tap water is better than nothing if that's all you have – just top up little and often to avoid altering the water quality too much.
If your pond is deep, make sure there are gently sloping access and exit points for small animals – a few strategically placed stones can help. This will prevent animals getting trapped in the water and drowning.
Shelter and shade
It’s important for birds to have places to rest and nest. Plants that provide thick foliage and protective thorns help keep birds safe from predators – hawthorn, blackthorn, pyracantha and holly are ideal, and these also produce autumn berries that are eaten by birds. If you have space, you could grow a hedgerow containing some of these plants. Birds also like to roost and nest in ivy thickets, so avoid cutting back ivy – especially during nesting season, which runs from February to August.
Growing lots of trees and shrubs can provide natural shade that will give birds and other wildlife respite on hot, sunny days. Choose native plants, such as dogwood, hazel or honeysuckle, wherever possible. Native plants have evolved alongside wildlife species over hundreds of years, so they can support each other more effectively.
Allowing a patch of grass to grow long will also provide shade and cooler conditions for birds and other animals.
Avoid pesticides
Pesticides kill all insects, including butterflies, ground beetles, and ladybirds – which reduces the amount of food available to birds.
As well as depleting food sources, pesticides can affect birds and other wildlife directly. When animals eat worms and insects, pesticide residues move up through the food chain. According to Friends of the Earth, studies in France, the Netherlands and the UK have found links between the use of pesticides and bird population declines.
According to the RSPB, there were at least 150 active chemical substances being spread on UK farmland in 2020 – but there’s been very little research into what happens when these substances are mixed together. Once chemicals have been sprayed, they move around – drifting across landscapes, and finding their way into rivers and streams. And they can remain in the environment for months or even years.
With insect populations crashing, it’s more important than ever to stop using pesticides and herbicides – not just for bees, butterflies and other insects, but for all wildlife. From companion planting to hand-pulling weeds, there are lots of ways to work with nature and avoid the need for toxic chemicals.
Penny Bunting
Twitter @LGSpace
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