Winter is a tough season for wild birds; natural food sources such as insects and berries are scarce, and they need lots of energy-rich food to maintain their fat reserves which are called-upon most when temperatures drop. Providing a Winter food source for wild birds is not only a great way to help your local wildlife, encouraging birds to visit your garden will supply you with plenty of interest during the Winter months. My kids love bird-spotting and take their job of topping up the feeders very seriously, it’s a great way to keep them involved in the outdoors at this time of year.
You can buy a wide variety of bird seed to keep your feathered friends happy and it can be a bit daunting knowing what to choose. We’ve been been trying out the Peckish range of bird seed from Feedem, here are my top picks to suit wild birds in the colder months.
For year-round convenience: Complete premium seed blend
Choosing a blend of seeds is a quick and convenient way to provide garden birds with a balanced food source. Peckish Complete includes 12 different ingredients, each one specifically chosen for its high energy content and to encourage the widest variety of birds into your garden. We’ve used this mix on our bird table and it has attracted lots of visitors, so it’s obviously a hit!
There are two features of this product that I particularly like. All seed husks have been removed, this prevents the seed from germinating and creating unwanted weeds – brilliant if like us your feeders are situated amongst garden beds. And the bag has a resealable pouring spout; this keeps the seed dry, makes it really quick and easy to top up our feeders, and avoids the messy spillage that you get with standard seed bags.
For a Winter boost: Winter Warmer seed mix for wild birds
A seed mix specifically designed for the Winter season is a great choice when natural food sources are scarce. The Peckish Winter Warmer seed mix is a combination of high energy seeds and grains and contains 20% oil for essential winter energy. We’ve been using this mix in our feeders to give our wild bird visitors some variety. We’re also going to use it to make our homemade fat cakes, the children make these every year when the weather gets cold and using the Winter warmer seed mix will make them an extra-high energy treat.
For a Winter treat: sunflower seeds and hearts
Sunflower seeds and hearts are high in energy and essential oils, making them a greet feeding option for Winter. Sunflower hearts are the seeds with the husks removed, which means birds don’t have to waste energy doing this job themselves, so they’re a particularly good option for very cold weather when wild birds need lots of energy to keep warm. We’ve used the sunflower seeds and hearts in our cup feeders, we tuck these in amongst plants to provide an easy-access treat.
All Peckish wild bird food products are enriched with Calvita, a specially developed supplement that gives birds the very best nutrients, helping to provide them with essential energy and ensure they stay healthy. They’re high quality and a great option for keeping your garden visitors happy all year round. Feedem has a wide selection of wild bird seed products to choose from, head over to their website to see the full range.
I was gifted the bird seed for review purposes, all opinions and comments are honest and genuine.
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