Garden Birds

Our resident pair of blue tits are busy right now. Flitting in and out of the garden I'm told they'll need to take over 10,000 caterpillars to the nest to raise a successful brood.

It's no wonder they look so tired. And it's not just the blue tits, all our other feathered friends will be working just as hard right now.

So what can I do to make their job a bit easier?  Simple…keep feeding them.

As it gets warmer, a good mix of the right sort of food in the garden is important. In particular, protein is essential for the health of both the adults and the new brood in spring and summer.

It takes 10,000 caterpillars to feed a brood

A great way to start providing this would be with dried mealworms. These can be broken up and sprinkled on the bird table with good birdseed or soaked and put out separately.

Providing fruit is also a good idea. Not only is it good for some birds to eat, it also attracts insects which the birds can feed on.

However, if you enjoy eating all your fruit in summer, leaving little for the birds, you can try a fruity food supplement. These are full of fruity goodness and leave no soggy cores to pick off the table.

What to avoid? Bread is never a good idea, while the birds will eat it, it has actually got very little nutritional value. Although peanuts are a good food for birds, keep them in a wire feeder, or crush them if you're going to put out on the bird table to avoid choking young birds. And remember, fat-based products like home made fat balls can go off quickly in the heat.

It's important to talk about hygiene when it comes to summer feeding. In hot weather, it's good idea to keep an eye on the feeders and tables and keep them nice and clean.

I find it amazing to think that in the time it has taken me to write this, the busy little blue tits have had to find another 60 caterpillars. I love watching them. I can't imagine a more charming form of pest control - I just love the idea of all those saved cabbages.

If you would like any help or advice with spring and summer feeding, why not just pop into the RSPB shop at Darts Farm, Topsham, where we would be happy to help with advice, or just to chat.