A nice and warm cup of soup on a very hot day… Not really what would come to your mind, right? Same as human birds like and need different kinds of food in different seasons. So let’s take a closer look at the feeding needs per season.

Do you want to know how you attract a specific kind of bird? Take a look at our inspiration page "which bird eats what”?

Autumn

Birds have more trouble finding food in autumn. Therefore you can help them out with multiple feeding places in the garden.

Tip: do you want birds in the garden all year round? Start feeding on time in autumn. As soon as birds know that there are enough treats around in the garden, they will defenitely come back! Especially if you have a nesting box near the (sheltered) feeding area. They will remember this nice and warm place for the breeding season as well.

In this season birds need high calorie food. Think of peanuts, peanut butter or dried fruits.

Winter

Did you know that birds can loose up to ten percent of their body weight during a cold winter night? Fat is a welcome extra source of energy during these cold winter months. Fats can be found in, of course, suet balls, but also in bird peanut butter. Our seed mixes are also a welcome addition during the cold months.

Attach peanut butter in a peanut butter house. The acrobats among the birds are very happy with this!

Spring

In spring, birds do not only need food for themselves, but also for their kids. In this early phase of their life they are in full growth. Therefore they need a lot of protein. Proteins can be found, for example, in mealworms. In the cold first months of spring these insects are more difficult to find and harder to pull out of the ground. Dried mealworms at the feeding place are therefore a solution. Seed mixes as addition is a welcome treat as well.

Summer

Summer may not be the season in which you immediately think of feeding birds. But also summer should not be forgotten. To make it easier for birds to get rid of their winter coat, you can help them out by adding protein-rich foods such as (dried) mealworms, seed mixes and sunflower seeds to their diet. Sunflower seeds are available as scattered food, but also in butter form or as a pendant.

Tip: during hot summer days, don’t only think of food, but also water! During drought it is harder for birds to meet their water needs. Not only to drink, but also to take a refreshing bath. A bird bath offers refreshment.

View more heat tips here.