Feeding Birds

Feeding birds in the garden is a popular activity - providing birds with supplementary food brings them closer for us to marvel at their exciting behaviour and wonderful colours and rewards them for sharing this intimacy with us. Feeding birds is an easy way to start teaching children about wildlife. 

Supplementary feeding cannot provide all of the natural proteins and vitamins that adult and young birds need, so it is important to create and manage your garden to provide a source of natural foods too, through well-managed lawns, shrub and flowerbeds.

With this popularity of feeding birds, it is important that we do so responsibly and safely. By following a few simple guidelines we can all play a valuable role in helping the birds that visit gardens to: overcome periods of natural food shortage, survive periods of severe winter weather and be in good breeding condition in the spring.

Wild Birds Unlimited [vancouver.wbu.com] have two stores in the Vancouver area and offer a wide range of seed, bird feeders and accessories. Their Certified Birdfeeding Specialists are trained to show your how to turn your yard into a birdfeeding habitat that not only brings song, color and life to your home, but also benefits the wild birds and the environment in your area.

Birds and water

Many people put food out for birds, but fewer provide a regular supply of clean water. Birds need water for drinking and bathing. Water is particularly important during the winter when natural supplies may be frozen and in dry weather during the summer.

When we give talks around the country, people often ask our opinion on the best way to attract birds to the garden in winter. People usually expect us to say they should put out lots of feeders containing seeds, suet, and other energy-rich consumables, but that's actually our THIRD recommendation. Our SECOND suggestion is to develop suitable habitat - a good mix of trees, shrubs, vines, and herbaceous plants - all of which provide nesting sites, natural foods, and shelter from predators and the elements. Without question, however, our FIRST advice for the most effective way to attract winter birds is to offer copious amounts of clean, fresh water for drinking and bathing.