Help your garden's feathered visitors through the heatwave with this advice from wildlife experts
Give birds a helping hand through the high temperatures this weekend
With temperatures set to hit record highs this long weekend, there are a few things you can do to give your feathered friends a little helping hand to get through the heat.
If you've made changes in your garden to help attract more birds to the space, then you'll no doubt have a few repeat visitors. And whilst you might have learned what food you can and can't leave out for all wildlife during autumn, when it comes to summer, there's a different set of rules.
Along with the RSPB's new advice on summer feeding, when the heatwaves arrive, there are a couple of helpful things you can do in your garden to ensure any winged visitors are well looked after.
How to help birds during heatwaves
As well as keeping your garden as cool as possible this summer, it's important to know what you can do to help the wildlife in your area to survive the high temperatures.
"As the UK faces an unusually hot and dry spell, it’s important to remember that our garden birds are struggling in ways we might not immediately see. Alongside rising temperatures, bird flu and other emerging diseases like Usutu virus are spreading more widely, and our feathered friends need our help to stay safe and healthy," explains Sean McMenemy, Wildlife expert at Ark Wildlife.
Sean McMenemy is a Wildlife Product Expert who’s built an enduring business on an unusual passion: he gets ridiculously excited about bird feeders.
1. Provide fresh water
One of the best ways to attract birds to your garden that eat slugs and serve as natural pest control is to provide them with fresh water. It's also one of the most important ways you can help them in the summer, too.
"In hot weather, birds lose moisture quickly and urgently need access to clean, fresh water, not just for drinking, but for bathing too. Tap water is absolutely safe to use. If you’re in an area with heavily chlorinated water, let it stand in a watering can or bucket for a few hours before putting it out," suggests Sean.
Not only is this bath easy to clean, it's made from 100% recycled plastic and has a shallow dish design to keep your garden's birds safe.
2. Clean food and water stations
Wildlife experts have recently warned against using flat-top bird tables as they're more likely to harbour bacteria and become damp. It's key to keep your bird feeding and watering stations as clean as possible, especially when temperatures start rising.
"With many pathogens, such as E. coli and Salmonella, active in warm weather, it’s important to maintain good hygiene for bird health. Warm, stagnant bird baths can become breeding grounds for disease if not regularly cleaned. We recommend rinsing bird baths daily and giving them a full scrub at least once a week," explains Sean.
3. Put out the right food
Along with the garden plants that are safe and healthy for birds to eat, you'll need to keep up to date with the latest bird feeding advice.
The RSPB say you should stop filling your bird feeder with seeds and peanuts between the beginning of May and the end of October. You can, however, put out small amounts of mealworms, fatballs and suet, just ensure they're in a clean feeder and aren't contaminated.
"During summer and autumn, there’s a higher risk of disease spreading. But it’s also when there are more natural foods available to birds, such as seeds and insects," explains the RSPB.
Give your garden birds small amounts of their favourite snack with this large bag of dried mealworms. There's enough to last you the entire summer and will have your garden filled with feathered friends.
Another low-maintenance way you can help birds and other wildlife is by leaving particular weeds they can eat to grow in your garden. It saves you another job when sorting out your garden and provides a seasonally safe food source for the animals.
