How To Care For Birds In Spring

The dawn chorus is at its most vociferous as spring stirs British birds into the breeding season. Be sure to take time out, even for just five minutes and listen to the angelic birdsong and quirky behaviour of garden birds.

Singing at full throttle, our feathered friends are now marking their domain or trying to attract a suitable mate for their territory. It's the start of the breeding season and our garden birds need plenty of support to ensure success, nutritionally and establishing a suitable habitat.

Looking after chicks

Top up your bird feeders with a quality seed mix formulated for adults and chicks alike. Take up a seat nearby and watch their animated antics.

Adult birds can’t store the amount of calcium needed to make egg shells in their bodies, so at breeding time, when they are ready to lay their eggs, they need a plentiful source of calcium – and the clock is ticking.

Birds & Bees Essential Mix contains a supplement which contains all the vitamins and minerals needed to ensure birds have the essential nutrients they need to be fit and healthy. This includes calcium for strong eggshells, bone and feather growth and the formation of strong beaks in chicks.

Or you can choose a food that’s high in protein and energy to support the whole family. Peckish Nesting & Young Bird seed mix is a great choice as it’s also rich in Calvita, a supplement rich in essential calcium that will enhance egg production, growth and reproduction.

Creepy crawlies and insects

It’s also a good idea to give them some protein-rich treats. Birds eat an incredible amount of garden insects, making them by far the best garden-pest biological weapon in the gardener’s armoury. In the nesting season most birds need an accessible and plentiful supply of insects to support the babysitting adult and the developing chicks. Supplement their diet with an insect rich bird food such as Peckish Mealworms.

We recommend that you soak the mealworms in warm water before adding to the bird table so that the birds also absorb moisture too as they feed or place a nearby hydration station.

The soft mealworms make an excellent protein-rich food for growing birds and a welcome nutritious treat for nursing adults. It’s a welcome meal for hard-pushed adults foraging for food and will attract a range of wild birds to your garden.

Look out for a range of Peckish Bird Treats containing mealworms such as Peckish Energy Cake Peanut and Mealworm. They are the closest food to a bird’s natural diet and the perfect treat for adults and chicks.

Healthy mammals and active amphibians

Much-loved mammals and amphibians like frogs and newts are all helpful creatures to have in the garden to help bolster their overall populations and help gardeners like you keep the garden-pest populations under control.

Aphids and caterpillars are all nutritional sources of food, full of protein that these animals put away. Encourage them to stick around by planting shrubs for shelter and get accommodation like Hedgehog Igloos and Frog & Toad Houses set up around your garden.

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