Feeding the birds that visit your garden is one of life’s small pleasures. Not only is it a relaxing pastime for us, but it also provides birds with vital nutrients and calories during the winter months. However, if you plan on dishing up Christmas dinner for your garden wildlife this year, there are a few things wildlife experts want us to know.
Knowing what to feed birds and when is essential if you want to attract birds and keep them coming back to your garden. While it is tempting to leave out your roast dinner scraps for them to feast on on Christmas Day, not everything on your festive dinner plate is suitable for the bird feeder.
What can you feed birds from a Christmas dinner?
Some aspects of your Christmas Dinner can provide a wonderful energy boost for birds, while others are best avoided. For example, you can feed birds cooked potatoes. But it must be completely plain with no seasonings, butter or cooking oils and should NEVER be offered raw. It’s best to boil them and leave them unseasoned.
‘Good options include plain, cooked vegetables, such as carrots, parsnips, sprouts, green beans and peas. Birds will happily pick at small, chopped pieces, and these veggies provide useful fibre and nutrients at a time of year when natural food is scarce. Raw vegetable peelings from your prep – especially carrot or parsnip peel – can also go out, as long as they’re pesticide-free and finely sliced to help smaller birds,’ explains Danny Yeoman, Wild Bird Expert for Pets Corner and Developer of Peter & Paul Wild Bird Foods.
‘A small amount of plain roast potato, as long as it’s not covered in oil, salt or seasoning, is acceptable too – though birds will always benefit more from traditional high-energy foods like seeds, suet and mealworms.’
Not to mention birds can be a little fussy, so don’t be offended if they turn down your veg scraps.
‘With leftover vegetables from your Christmas dinner prep, birds can be fussy, and boiled vegetables are always more favoured than raw ones as they’re easier to digest. While vegetables can lose some nutritional value when boiled, they’re still a great energy and nutrition source for birds. You can always try mixing boiled root vegetables with seeds like sunflower hearts and mealworms to make the veggies more appealing,’ explains James Ewens, wildlife and gardening expert from Green Feathers.
What can’t you feed birds from a Christmas dinner?
‘The number one rule is no salt allowed. It’s easy to think ‘oh, these roasties are plain enough for birds’, but in reality, if they’re seasoned and cooked in butter or oils (which typically they are), they can be dehydrating, smear feathers, and pose a threat to their health,’ says James.
Danny also says that it is vital you avoid giving birds onions, leeks and anything from the allium family. You should also avoid anything sugary like mince pies and christmas pudding as the alcohol, fat and sugar content make them unsafe. Meat fats, buttery veg, pigs in blankets, gravy and stuffing should be avoided, too.
What the experts are feeding birds on Christmas Day
Now, if you’re wondering what our two experts would serve up as a festive feast in their gardens, don’t worry, because I already asked – and it’s a worthy bird buffet, let me tell you.
‘If garden birds had their own Christmas menu, it would be deliciously practical – high-energy, nutritious and easy to eat. I’d serve,’ begins Danny.
‘A ‘starter’ of mealworms – the equivalent of their favourite canapé, full of protein and perfect on frosty mornings.
‘A generous helping of mixed seeds and suet – the main course of winter bird feeding. Choose a seed mix with the husks removed, as it makes feeding much easier for birds, and avoid mixes bulked out with wheat and oats, which many garden birds simply push aside.
‘Steamed and chopped root vegetables – carrots, parsnips and sprouts make a lovely side dish for blackbirds, robins and thrushes.
‘Soft fruits like apple or pear pieces – a fruity dessert that mimics the berries they search for in hedgerows. It might not win any Michelin stars, but for garden birds, it’s a real feast.’
Similarly, James will be taking the natural route, too.
‘Replicating their natural diet is always most appealing, like dried fruit, seeds, fresh apples and pears, dried oats and mealworms are favoured. Adding in some plain boiled root vegetable leftovers, and unsalted, cooked fat, can reduce waste and benefit bird populations – providing them with extra energy and nutrients – and won’t go amiss,’ he says.
‘For a bird’s Christmas dinner, I’d be considering calorie-dense, nutrient-dense options that lure them in all year round. Unsalted nuts, sunflower hearts, raisins, chopped apples and pears, and plain cooked carbs like potatoes, will be both appealing and nourishing to birds.’
RSPB
Rspb No Mess Sunflower Wild Bird Food Mix, 1.8 Kg
Sunflower seeds and hearts are packed with high-energy fats, protein and vitamins, which is essential for keeping birds healthy during winter.
Suitable for year round feeding, these fat balls are high-quality and great value for money, too – your garden birds will love them.
Copdock Mill
Wild Bird Seed & Grain Mix 20kg Bag
This high-energy feed mix is desigend to encourage robins, siskins, thrushes, sparrows, finches, blackbirds and tits.
‘Sharing your Christmas scraps with wildlife can be a lovely, heart-warming tradition. During winter, birds burn a huge amount of energy simply staying warm, and a few extra nutritious offerings can make a meaningful difference. It also brings a touch of magic to the garden on Christmas Day – there’s something special about looking out the window and seeing robins, blackbirds and tits enjoying their own festive feast,’ concludes Danny.
It’s a lovely idea, providing a Christmas dinner for birds. Just remember to keep the portions small and free from rich, fatty human treats for a happy garden ecosystem.
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