Winter feeding of garden birds

Do you also enjoy visits to your garden from our feathered friends?
During the summer, birds can easily fend for themselves, even if you do not have a bird feeder or bird table, but throughout autumn and winter, the birds become dependent on your feeding if you want to be sure of keeping their delightful company in the garden. It is therefore also extremely important that you continue feeding them if you have already started providing them with food regularly during the cold months.

If you create a good foundation for birds to nest in your garden, winter feeding can bring you more breeding birds in your garden the following year. One of the benefits of having birds in the garden during the summer is that they can help curb pest infestations, as the birds eat aphids, larvae and other small creatures. In addition, it is, of course, extremely pleasant to enjoy your morning coffee and the sunrise while listening to the birds chirping.

In this article, you can read about the feeding preferences of different bird species, as well as useful tips and tricks for winter feeding.

A good bird table or bird feeder is important

It is important to get a bird table, bird feeder or seed feeder when feeding birds in autumn or winter. The weather is not always on our side in Denmark, so the food can quickly go to waste, as it can disappear in rain, snow and sleet. Furthermore, the birds should preferably not sit among the food while eating it, as diseases can easily spread among them if they leave droppings in the food.
Also remember to clean the bird feeder or table frequently, as diseases can occur there as well.  
Besides being very practical, a bird table also adds an extremely charming and cosy touch to your garden. It also makes it easier to observe the birds from inside your house if the feeding station is elevated rather than having the food lying in the grass.

There is a vast range of different bird tables and bird feeders, so it is important to choose one that suits the particular birds you want in your garden. See our entire range of beautiful bird tables here.

Safe placement of bird food

Make sure to place your feeding station in an elevated position, e.g. on a post, and preferably out in the open, so you can prevent the neighbour's cat from getting hold of your beloved friends. If the feeding station is out in the open, the birds can also more easily keep an eye out for approaching cats or other predators.

Different bird food for different species

The bird species attracted to your garden depend on the composition of the food you put out. Below, you can read more about the different types of food

Sunflower seeds and fat balls

Blue tits and great tits are typically the birds that come to visit when you put sunflower seeds and fat balls on the bird table. These birds are not particularly social, which means that they usually do not share their food. If you would like to see more great tits and blue tits, it may therefore be a good idea to distribute the food among several different feeding stations in the garden.

 Besides the blue tit, there are also other types of tits, including the marsh tit, crested tit, coal tit and long-tailed tit. Tits also enjoy fat and will actually eat meat during the winter months if necessary. You can make your own fat balls for tits relatively easily; simply mix lard with sunflower seeds.

Sunflower seeds are also popular among birds such as greenfinches, hawfinches and bullfinches – these birds prefer to be fed in open areas, as they are highly alert to cats and other alarming threats.

Ordinary grain

Grain attracts both tree sparrows and house sparrows, which, unlike tits, are much more social. It is not unusual to see flocks of sparrows occupying the area around a bird table.
If you live further out in the countryside among fields, you may be lucky enough to receive a visit from the yellowhammer, which will also eagerly accept grain.

Apples and other small berries

Blackbirds and fieldfares enjoy apples during cold periods, when the ground may be frozen or covered in snow, sleet and rain. They also love raisins, although these are a very expensive type of food.
Waxwings, on the other hand, do not eat apples but stick to other small berries from trees and shrubs.

Mealworms for robins

If you would like robins to visit your garden, you should serve mealworms, as they are among their favourite foods. However, robins will also eat leftovers and crumbs from the fat balls that the tits eagerly devour.

Even birds need water

If possible, you should make sure that your birds have access to fresh drinking water, as they need water just like us humans. If you feed the birds frequently and also give them access to water, this will help increase the number of visits to your garden.

Good books about birds in Denmark

Would you like to know more about the bird species found in Denmark? Then visit our section featuring gardening books about birds.