I do use feeders, I go over and back about whether this is truly beneficial or if I'm just doing it for my own gratification, but on balance I think our suburban environment is so nature depleted that the birds need a bit of help. We do provide natural sources of food through leaving seedheads and all of that which the birds do use, but it's hard in a garden our size to provide a lot, and we're really the only garden in our estate that is not either paved over or denuded of anything except lawn grass. In the summertime we see very few birds, it's depressing really.
I'm with you, don't worry - if there isn't enough natural sources of food, feeders is the next best option. I guess I'm hoping this post might spark more planting by communities with bird food in mind :)
Yes, and us wilder gardeners can follow your example and maybe show that suburban gardens can be something other than the platonic idea that most people have. I do wonder though, I spotted one of my neighbours this morning literally vacuuming his tarmac driveway 😄
Great advice. I stopped feeding birds a few years ago (mainly as the cleaning advice was getting stronger and I am lazy!). Whilst I do miss the daily flocks of finches and tits it is such a thrill to have goldfinches on the teasels or flocks of tits gleaning through the silver birch. I sometimes think I garden for invertebrates and the larger animals are the bonus that follow them.
I stopped feeding after our first year here, the birds don’t all come as close to our window now, but year on year we seem to have stable populations still. I think feeding wildlife probably interrupts their natural foraging behaviour, which in the grand scheme of things is likely to not be great.
I do use feeders, I go over and back about whether this is truly beneficial or if I'm just doing it for my own gratification, but on balance I think our suburban environment is so nature depleted that the birds need a bit of help. We do provide natural sources of food through leaving seedheads and all of that which the birds do use, but it's hard in a garden our size to provide a lot, and we're really the only garden in our estate that is not either paved over or denuded of anything except lawn grass. In the summertime we see very few birds, it's depressing really.
I'm with you, don't worry - if there isn't enough natural sources of food, feeders is the next best option. I guess I'm hoping this post might spark more planting by communities with bird food in mind :)
Yes, and us wilder gardeners can follow your example and maybe show that suburban gardens can be something other than the platonic idea that most people have. I do wonder though, I spotted one of my neighbours this morning literally vacuuming his tarmac driveway 😄
ha, the uphill battle is real!
Great advice. I stopped feeding birds a few years ago (mainly as the cleaning advice was getting stronger and I am lazy!). Whilst I do miss the daily flocks of finches and tits it is such a thrill to have goldfinches on the teasels or flocks of tits gleaning through the silver birch. I sometimes think I garden for invertebrates and the larger animals are the bonus that follow them.
I stopped feeding after our first year here, the birds don’t all come as close to our window now, but year on year we seem to have stable populations still. I think feeding wildlife probably interrupts their natural foraging behaviour, which in the grand scheme of things is likely to not be great.
Great article. I’m right with you on making flowerful a recognised word. Indeed, why isn’t it?