Golley - Make your own bird food: simple recipes to entice birds to your garden

Bloomsbury Natural History

An imprint of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

www.bloomsbury.com

This electronic edition published in 2016 by Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

Bloomsbury is a registered trademark of Bloomsbury Publishing Plc

First published by New Holland Publishers (UK) Ltd, 2006

This edition published by Bloomsbury, 2016

Mark Golley, 2006

Illustrations Rachel Lockwood, 2006 (except , by Richard Allen)

Mark Golley has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as Author of this work.

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Library of Congress Cataloguing-in-Publication data has been applied for.

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3761-2 (PB)

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3762-9 (eBook)

ISBN: 978-1-4729-3763-6 (ePDF)

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Introduction

When you browse the titles in your local bookstore, you can almost hear the shelves groaning under the weight of a plethora of cookery titles. Old ways, new ways, Thai, French, Chinese, Indian and Italian. For every Nigella, theres a Delia, each Ramsay is matched by an Oliver and a huge array besides. We seem to love cookery books and cooking for ourselves.

How often though, have you thought about a little kitchen fun and cooking for some rather different guests?

The most frequent visitors that you can entertain with your culinary skill visit every day of the year, come rain or shine. They wait patiently for anything that you care to serve to them, they never complain and you can guarantee that they are always grateful. They may even show their appreciation with a song. No garden should be without them, as they always brighten up a dull day. They are, of course, birds!

Birds are, undoubtedly, the life and colour of any garden, wherever it may be. You can live in the remotest of areas, or in the most populated; your garden can be acres long, or just a few feet wide. But one thing is guaranteed, with food made available, the birds will come.

This book aims to bring you some of the most popular and successful bird food recipes there are. Some are based on childhood successes, others are adapted from popular ideas from sources around the world.

So whether its a treat for tits, a nibble for a Nuthatch or a bellyful for a Blackbird, there should be plenty here to entice a variety of visitors to your bird table or bird feeders. And, hopefully, the whole family will enjoy making the recipes, and then take pleasure in the reaction of the birds!

The Importance of Feeding

There is no doubting the enormous pleasure that many millions of people across the country gain from feeding the various species of birds they see in their gardens. A survey conducted by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds towards the end of the 1990s suggested that an astonishing two out of three people put food out for birds regularly during the winter.

There are numerous reasons why we should feed our wild birds. Perhaps the most obvious of all is that, without our help, many of them may die, particularly during severe winters. Smaller species such as Robins, Wrens and Blue Tits are especially at risk because they all use up vital energy searching for food during the short winter days. And so, if we can help them by providing a safe and regular source of energy, then so much the better. Loss of suitable habitat has also become an issue: with the decline of woodlands, hedgerows and weedy field margins, we, in turn, lose plants and insects that are vital components in a birds food chain, particularly during the summer, when there are millions of baby birds in need of food.

You neednt confine your garden bird feeding to winter and early spring. Over the years, the question of whether to feed birds during the breeding season has been something of a hot potato. Now though, conservation organisations have recognised the benefits and importance of feeding all year round. Providing an easy source of food in the garden during the summer keeps the adults in good condition and leaves them more time to look for the caterpillars, insects and grubs required by the growing chicks, which they will not need to eat themselves!

For the spring and summer it is best to:

Continue to provide food, but ensure variety at all times (perhaps including live food too).

Avoid using whole peanuts; a wire feeder will ensure that adults only take small pieces.

Reduce the amount of food you put out as autumn approaches, as this is the one time of year when natural food supplies should be at their optimum.

In addition to food, you should always ensure that there is a good supply of fresh water available. Many birds need to drink at least a couple of times through the course of a day, so fresh water is invaluable. A separate source for bathing is also a welcome addition for birds in your garden.

For more detailed information on this and all other matters relating to the subject read Stephen Moss and David Cottridges excellent, information-packed book, Attracting Birds To Your Garden (New Holland).

Core Ingredients

Throughout the book several core ingredients are used for a number of recipes. Many of these things are likely to be on hand within the kitchen, but if you feel a meal-making frenzy coming on, it may be worth ensuring that you have the following essentials available:

Core Ingredients

Suet (animal or vegetable)

Wild bird seed mixture

Peanut butter

Stale cornflakes or rice crispies (or cornmeal)

Raisins

Breadcrumbs

Seeds & Pulses

All manner of seeds and pulses are available throughout the country, in specialist wholefood stores or in most supermarkets. The recipes that follow are all incredibly simple to follow and will always prove popular with seed-eating species, such as Chaffinches, Greenfinches, and Siskins. The first recipe doesnt even require any cooking!