Finchwold
Garden wildlife questions answered
27 questions people ask about feeding birds, nest boxes, hedgehogs and garden cameras. Each answer starts with the short version, then gives the detail and the official page it came from.
For a longer read, start with the Finchwold guides. Unfamiliar words, from aflatoxin to torpor, are defined in the glossary.
Feeding garden birds
Should I stop feeding garden birds in summer?
You do not have to stop altogether, but both the RSPB and the BTO now ask you to pause seeds and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October. Small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet can carry on through the summer. From 1 November to 30 April the RSPB says you can offer the full range of bird foods again.
How often should I clean my bird feeder?
At least once a week while the feeder is in use. The RSPB says clean feeders and water baths “at least once a week”, and the BTO gives weekly as its example for feeders and bird baths. Change bird-bath water every day as well.
Should I still use a bird table?
The current advice is no. The RSPB says “Don’t use bird feeders with flat surfaces, such as bird tables, window feeders and feeders with trays”, and the BTO says flat-surface feeders appear to carry a higher risk of passing disease on than hanging feeders, so they are “best avoided”.
Can I put bread and kitchen scraps out for birds?
Mostly no. The RSPB’s list of foods to avoid includes salted foods, which it says dehydrate birds; cooked food, which can attract rats; and dry, hard foods or bread in spring and summer, because chicks can choke on them. It suggests seed, peanuts, insect foods such as mealworms, lard and beef suet, and bruised apples and pears instead.
Are peanuts safe for garden birds?
Yes, with three conditions from the RSPB and the BTO: offer them in a rigid steel mesh feeder, buy good-quality nuts with no sign of mould, and only put them out from 1 November to 30 April. Loose peanuts are on the RSPB’s list of things to avoid.
Do garden birds need water in winter?
Water helps most when natural sources are frozen or dried up. The RSPB says you do not need to provide extra water “unless the pond has dried out or the water is frozen”, and the BTO says much the same about shallow-edged ponds. If you do put out a bird bath, both say change the water every day and clean the bath weekly.
What do goldfinches eat, and how do I attract them?
Seeds. The RSPB says “Goldfinches mainly eat seeds, especially those of thistles, teasels and dandelions”, and that they visit garden feeders for sunflower hearts and nyjer seed. Seed-bearing plants left standing in autumn and winter, and a seed feeder from November to April, are the two ways to offer that.
Sick, injured and dead birds
What should I do if I see a sick bird at my feeder?
Stop feeding, clean the feeders and bird bath thoroughly, and report the sighting to Garden Wildlife Health. How long to stop is where the RSPB and the BTO differ: the RSPB says resume only after a month, and only if no more sick birds are seen; the BTO says stop for at least two weeks since you last saw an unwell bird. Finchwold does not pick between them.
What should I do with a dead bird in my garden?
Do not touch it with bare hands. In England, Scotland and Wales you can report dead wild birds to Defra online or by phone on 03459 33 55 77, and they may be collected and tested for bird flu. If it is not collected, GOV.UK sets out how to double-bag a small number of birds for your outside bin, then wash your hands.
I’ve found a baby bird on the ground. What should I do?
If it is fully feathered, it is probably a fledgling and the RSPB says it is usually best left alone: its parents are normally nearby, so keep people and pets away. If it has no feathers, it is a nestling that should not be out of the nest and needs help; return it to its own nest if you can.
Who should I call about an injured wild bird?
Start with a local wildlife rescue. The RSPB says it is not the right organisation to contact about individual birds, and recommends asking a wildlife rescue for advice before you do anything. It also says any vet should give emergency first aid to wildlife free of charge.
Why does a bird keep attacking my window?
It is usually fighting its own reflection. The BTO says birds that repeatedly attack windows are generally showing territorial behaviour, and that the fix is to take away the reflection, for example with a non-reflective material such as cling film or non-reflective cellophane on the outside of the glass. Attacks should tail off outside the breeding season.
Nest boxes and nesting birds
When should I put up a nest box?
Before the breeding season, so autumn and winter are fine. The BTO says nest boxes for small birds are “traditionally” put up in spring, notes that pairs start prospecting for sites in late February, and adds that boxes can also be used for roosting in winter, so a box up early is not wasted.
Which way should a nest box face?
Away from the weather rather than towards a particular compass point. The BTO’s advice is: “Make sure it is sheltered from prevailing wind, rain and strong sunlight.” It also says the front should be vertical or angled slightly downwards so rain does not get in.
What size hole does a nest box need?
It depends on the bird you want. The BTO gives 25mm for blue tits, coal tits and marsh tits; 28mm for great tits and tree sparrows; and 32mm for house sparrows and nuthatches. For starlings it suggests a box with a 45mm hole. Robins use an open-fronted box instead.
When can I clean out a nest box?
Between 1 September and 31 January. The BTO says “Bird Protection Law permits the cleaning out of nests between 1 September and 31 January.” Outside that window, and at any time while a nest is in use or being built, leave the box alone.
Can I remove a bird’s nest?
Not while it is active. In England and Wales, section 1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to intentionally take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built. The RSPB’s advice is to wait until the chicks have left before you remove a nest or block its way in.
Birds are nesting in my roof. Can I block them out?
Not while they are nesting. The RSPB says it is illegal to remove an active nest in your home, and that you should wait until the chicks have left before removing a nest or blocking its entrance. If you need to keep birds out, it advises doing it in the winter months when they are not nesting, and offering a nest box outside instead.
Where should I put a swift box?
High on a building, in the shade. The RSPB says put a swift box at least 5 metres (16 feet) above the ground, right under the roof overhang, on a wall that faces north, east or somewhere in between, out of direct sunlight, and where swifts can fly straight in.
Hedgehogs
What can I feed hedgehogs, and is milk OK?
Meat-based wet cat or dog food, dry cat or kitten food, or a specially made hedgehog food, with a shallow dish of water. Do not give milk: Hedgehog Street says “Hedgehogs are lactose intolerant, so please do not give them milk.” Bread is low in energy and, in its words, “fairly worthless to them”.
How big should a hedgehog hole in a fence be?
13cm by 13cm. Hedgehog Street says a square that size “is sufficient for any hedgehog to pass through”, and that it will be too small for nearly all pets. A gap like this between gardens is what is meant by a hedgehog highway.
I’ve seen a hedgehog out in the day. Does it need help?
Possibly. Hedgehog Street says a hedgehog out during the day “could be a warning sign that all is not well”. One that is staggering, lying still outside a nest, has flies around it, or is obviously sick or injured needs urgent help, day or night. Call the British Hedgehog Preservation Society on 01584 890 801 once it is settled somewhere quiet indoors.
When do hedgehogs hibernate?
Usually from October or November through to March or April. Hedgehog Street gives that range, and warns that disturbing a hibernating hedgehog is dangerous because it makes the animal spend energy reserves it needs to get through the winter.
How do I keep hedgehogs safe from a bonfire?
Build it on the day you burn it. Hedgehog Street says “Bonfires should only be built on the day of burning.” If a pile has been standing, move it and rebuild it on the day, which discourages any hedgehogs that have moved in, and check it for nesting hedgehogs before you light it.
Where should I put a hedgehog house?
In a shady, quiet area of the garden. That is Hedgehog Street’s advice, along with two conditions that matter as much as the spot: the hedgehog has to be able to get into your garden in the first place, and food should be kept at least a couple of metres from the house rather than inside it.
Are slug pellets bad for hedgehogs?
Yes. Hedgehog Street calls slug pellets “the most well-known chemical hazard to hedgehogs”. On 18 September 2020 GOV.UK announced that outdoor use of metaldehyde, a slug pesticide used on farms and in gardens, would be banned, with use to end by 31 March 2022, because of the risks to birds and mammals.
Cameras and privacy
Can my bird camera film my neighbour’s garden?
It can, but then the rules change. The ICO says: “If CCTV records beyond your property boundary, data protection law applies and there are rules you must follow.” Where possible, it says, cameras should be positioned to capture only your own property. A camera inside a nest box, looking only at the nest, is the simpler case.