Seasonal Feeding: Supporting Avian Species Responsibly

Here at Hillbans, we are continuing with the Seasonal Garden Management theme, moving into avian species and how to support them responsibly.

Feeding wild birds is popular in domestic gardens across the world, with around half of households in the UK, North America, and Australia doing so (Orros & Fellowes, 2015). From garden feeders to backyard chickens, supplementary feeding has become a routine part of seasonal garden management.

But an important question remains:

Who are you feeding and what are the wider effects?

At Hillbans Pest Control, we regularly see how people feeding birds within gardens can cause issues with rodents, alter bird behaviour, as well as affect population dynamics and increase disease and parasite transmission. A balanced approach supports wildlife while reducing pest risk.

There has been a rise in parasite activity within finches, spread from pigeons that are utilising the same bird feeders. Although the parasite targets each species differently, several studies have shown a decrease in certain finch populations across the UK due to increased contact, habitat loss, and human intervention (Robinson et al., 2010).

Of late, avian influenza, (bird flu) has been on the rise and affects avian species from livestock to wild populations. This is also known as a zoonotic disease. Guidance is readily available on the government website. Increased education, wellbeing initiatives, and more sustainable practices at home could help reduce the spread of disease.

Understanding Supplementary Feeding

Every year, millions of households provide huge quantities of supplementary food to wild birds (Robb et al., 2008). Research has shown that the increasing prevalence of predictable anthropogenic food subsidies, such as those provided by garden bird feeders, is likely to intensify between-species competition (Francis et al., 2018).

Therefore, supplementary feeding can significantly influence bird population dynamics, behaviour, and survival. Always be responsible and accountable for your own practices.

Looking into the various foods available on the market, alongside statics on species recorded by associations and organisations, can help inform better decisions. Knowing if your area supports certain species can help with understanding population dynamics. Surveying your garden yearly will also help both personal understanding and national data on the overall effects of this practice.

Feeding Stations Can:

• Increase overwinter survival in some small passerines.
• Alter migration timing.
• Change dominance hierarchies.
• Concentrate birds at unnaturally high densities.
• Spead disease.

Who is Visiting Your Garden?

Putting out food does not guarantee you are only feeding birds.

Supplementary feeding can attract multiple species, including but not limited to:

• Rats (Rattus norvegicus)
• Mice (Mus musculus)
• Birds (Avis)
• Badgers (Meles meles)
• Ants (Formicidea)

Inviting prey species into a garden with known predator activity is likely to result in fatalities and reduced populations.

Garden Bird Feeder Management: Best Practice

To reduce unintended consequences:

1. Use Appropriate Feeders

Different feeders can reduce waste:

• Tube feeders for small seed.
• Suet cages for fat-based products.
• Ground trays used sparingly.

Avoid overfilling and provide only what birds will consume within an individual day.

2. Manage Food Quantities

Ensure you:

• Adjust food quantities seasonally.
• Reduce feeding in periods of natural abundance.
• Avoid continuous surplus supply.

3. Hygiene is Critical

Bird feeders can have important ecological consequences in localised areas because dense aggregations of birds at predictable feeding sites can attract predators, non-target species, and increased infection risk (Dayer et al., 2019).

Best practice includes:

• Cleaning feeders weekly with hot water and disinfectant.
• Rotating feeder locations.
• Removing mouldy or wet seed.
• Providing fresh water daily.

4. Positioning Matters

Place feeders:

• Away from dense hedging where rodents nest.
• In visible, central garden locations.
• Away from overhanging roofs that allow pigeon roosting.

Seagull Awareness:

Human–animal conflict involving larger species is on the rise due to their protected status.

They are known to scare other smaller species, attract rodents, and spread diseases.

Always:

• Secure all bin waste to avoid increased activity.
• Deter individuals by not feeding them.
• Create areas within gardens to promote smaller bird species.

References

Dayer, A. A., Rosenblatt, C., Bonter, D. N., Faulkner, H., Hall, R. J., Hochachka, W. M., Phillips, T. B., & Hawley, D. M. (2019). Observations at backyard bird feeders influence the emotions and actions of people that feed birds. People and Nature, 1(2). https://doi.org/10.1002/pan3.17

Francis, M. L., Plummer, K. E., Lythgoe, B. A., Macallan, C., Currie, T. E., & Blount, J. D. (2018). Effects of supplementary feeding on interspecific dominance hierarchies in garden birds. PLOS ONE, 13(9), e0202152. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0202152

Orros, M. E., & Fellowes, M. D. E. (2015). Wild Bird Feeding in an Urban Area: Intensity, Economics and Numbers of Individuals Supported. Acta Ornithologica, 50(1), 43–58. https://doi.org/10.3161/00016454ao2015.50.1.006

Robinson, R.A., Lawson, B., Toms, M.P., Peck, K.M., Kirkwood, J.K., Chantrey, J., Clatworthy, I.R., Evans, A.D., Hughes, L.A., Hutchinson, O.C., John, S.K., Pennycott, T.W., Perkins, M.W., Rowley, P.S., Simpson, V.R., Tyler, K.M. and Cunningham, A.A. (2010). Emerging Infectious Disease Leads to Rapid Population Declines of Common British Birds. PLoS ONE, [online] 5(8), p.e12215. doi:https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0012215.

Robb, G. N., McDonald, R. A., Chamberlain, D. E., & Bearhop, S. (2008). Food for thought: supplementary feeding as a driver of ecological change in avian populations. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, 6(9), 476–484. https://doi.org/10.1890/060152