FEEDING GARDEN BIRDS SAFELY (From St Albans & Harpenden Review)

FEEDING GARDEN BIRDS SAFELY

9:22am Tuesday 4th January 2011

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Hearing on the news that we have just experienced the coldest December for over a hundred years, and I can’t think that many of us are surprised at that particular piece of information, I wonder what toll it has taken on our bird population. I recently picked up a really informative leaflet issued by the RSPB called ‘Food Fit for Birds?’ which gives clear guidance on the some of the best ways to feed garden birds safely and while some of the points made are well known others may surprise you.

It starts off stressing the importance of good hygiene around feeders and bird baths, particularly in the summer months. As food will go off more quickly in warmer weather it provides an opportunity for harmful bacteria to develop. So it is important to regularly clean feeders and follow a few simple hygiene rules. Wearing rubber gloves clean the feeders out of doors using brushes kept for the purpose and thoroughly wash your hands afterwards. Don’t put out mouldy food as this can cause respiratory infections in birds. If food turns mouldy or stale on your bird table you are being too generous. Remove any food that has turned mouldy as this can be a breeding ground for salmonella. Of all the wild creatures that visit our gardens we are more aware of birds and as food gets scarcer they tend to become bolder giving us the opportunity to watch them closer. Great entertainment for us but a matter of life and death for the birds to find sufficient food. Whilst it is important for us to help we have to be prepared to make a commitment for the entire winter. Birds are tiny creatures and use a great deal of their limited energy searching for the nourishment they need to survive and when food is only put out food on an occasional basis they will have wasted some of their precious reserves on the days their supplies aren’t topped up.

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