Feeding birds

In winter, when the cold presses, some species of birds approach human settlements. If we offer them suitable food in the vicinity of our home, we can take a closer look at them and get to know them better.

Considering the professional point of view, feeding birds has no special significance for their conservation. Certainly, however, this is the simplest option for bird watching and one of the ways to develop our relationship to them. Feeding the birds and observing what is happening at the wheelhouse is especially interesting for children, who in this way develop the values of nature conservation. Therefore, at the Society, we recommend feeding the birds, taking into account the instructions given below.

Krmilnico postavimo v bližino kritja, ki ga pticam predstavljajo krošnje dreves ali grmov, da se lahko krmilnici postopno približajo. Hkrati pa naj ne bo preblizu oziroma vsaj dva metra stran od različnih visokih struktur, da jih ne morejo presenetiti plenilci kot so mačke.

The feeder must be checked and cleaned regularly, as food and dirt residues accumulate in it, which can be a source of infection with various pathogens in birds. We also pay attention to a sufficient amount of fresh food to be available in moderation.

We can start feeding in late autumn, but definitely when there is a snow blanket in nature or night temperatures are below freezing. When we start feeding, we continue to do so every day until a greater permanent warming, and with the appropriate mixture, we can continue feeding even in the summer months.

It has long been believed that we feed birds only in winter. The fear of harming birds with summer feeding is unnecessary. Many modern mixtures for summer feeding, which are available on the market at home and abroad, are adapted to the summer needs of birds. In addition, the birds will still look for food on their own, such as insects, and help us in the garden. As they are generally more territorial due to nesting in the summer months, it is normal to expect significantly less of them on the feeder during this time than in winter.

The most general rule is to feed birds only with food that is available to them in the same form in nature. We do not feed birds with leftover human food, especially not that which has been cooked and seasoned.