How to attract more birds to your garden and save money on seed and feeders

Birds benefit hugely from garden feeders in the winter

Watching the birds arrive in your outside space can be incredibly fulfilling. Knowing that you're supporting nature and helping a few species to thrive really warms the cockles.

And now is the best time of the year to put food out for the birds and other wildlife, because with winter upon us and we're approaching what's referred to as the "hungry gap".

From late winter, all the way until the start of spring, the seasonal bounty that birds find in natural sources has all but disappeared, and it's harder to find berries, seeds and insects.

It's also colder, which is a drain on fat reserves, and birds are busy getting ready to raise a brood. So they need all the help they can get.

Putting food out will not only entertain you and help you learn more about the natural world, but it could be a lifeline for your local bird population.

With the RSPB's annual Big Garden Birdwatch now just weeks away, here's a guide to helping birds find your feeders, and keeping them fed without breaking the bank.

How to attract more birds to your garden

There are a few important things birds are looking for when they visit a garden: Food, water, and shelter.

They need to eat, that's the first thing on their minds, but they also need to feel safe. If you don't have a lot of natural cover in the way of shrubs and trees, think about how they can keep themselves out of harm's way. Create spaces they can escape to if they need to.

If birds don't feel safe in your garden, they won't want to hang around | Andy Hay (rspb-images.com)

Also, avoid using insecticides and other harmful products. If you're keen to keep insects out of your garden, you're also going to struggle to attract their natural predators.

A source of water, even a tiny pond or bird bath, can be the foundation of a nature-friendly garden. Take this step first, and wildlife will soon find you.

Then introduce food to your garden. It could be something as simple as half an apple, or some bread crust, but investing in a feeder and some quality bird food will pay dividends. Always make sure the birds have somewhere nearby to feel secure in, and they'll keep visiting.

Save money on bird food - the cheapest ways to feed your feathered friends

Once you're getting regular visitors, the costs can start to pile up. A bag of bird seed can cost at least a few quid, and that's before you factor in the cost of feeders, let alone a bird table or feeding station.

Of course, you can just hang feeders in trees, there's no reason to splash out on a feeding station, but it's a good way of keeping everything organised, and keeping the food in one place.

Amazon is always a good place to look for the essentials to get you started.

Bird feeding stations can cost as little as a tenner, and this one by Divchi costs £12.99 and even includes feeders.

A quality bird feeding station is a great first investment for your wildlife garden | Garden Wildlife Direct

My favourite brand is iBorn, and their cheapest feeding station costs £29.99. You'll need to buy the feeders on top of that, and a full set with feeders costs over £50, but it's really good quality stuff and stands up well to attacks from squirrels, trust me.

If you prefer, you could choose a bird table instead. While they're more aesthetically pleasing, they only offer basic feeding options. This one by Aamen is the cheapest one I can find on Amazon for £25, but expect to pay around double that for something that will properly last.

If you can afford it, and you'd really like to go high-tech for a closer look, consider installing a smart bird feeder. These pipe pictures of the birds straight to your smartphone. It's a costly but fun way to learn about the birds that visit. This is the cheapest one I can find, but it's £69.99.

When it comes to buying bird food, it's always worth checking your local pet shop. But Amazon's not a bad resource, and one of the cheapest online shops is Garden Wildlife Direct. I use them all the time.

Also check out the RSPB shop, because this is where you'll find the best quality, fully tested and approved foods that experts know the birds are going to love. It costs a bit more, but you'll be supporting the charity and you know you're getting the best bits for your birds.

The best foods for the birds in your garden

Choosing the right foods can be dependent on the time of year, but to simplify things, if you only put one type of food out, make sure it's sunflower hearts.

They're certainly not the cheapest bird food, but there are very few birds that aren't attracted to them. Tits, finches, starlings, and sparrows - they all go mad for them. And if you're trying to attract birds for the first time, it's going to give you a really good head start.

Sunflower hearts can cost anything from £6 per kilogram to £1.50 per kilogram, and it's all down to the quantity you buy. Here's a 1kg bag for £4.94 on Amazon, but if you were to buy a 12.55kg bag from Garden Wildlife Direct, you'd pay just £1.59 per kg. That's a huge saving. Just remember to store them somewhere that rodents can't get to. A galvanised bin is ideal.

Sunflower hearts are the best bet for attracting all kinds of birds | Garden Wildlife Direct

Fat balls are another important staple, especially at this time of year. Don't be too tempted by the really cheap ones, and buy in bulk if you can. Here's a pack of 25 for just £5.99 at Garden Wildlife Direct. If you buy them elsewhere, remember to never leave the netting on them. It's a real hazard for small birds.

Peanuts are another relatively cheap energy provider, but only from a feeder, and you will attract all sorts of birds to mealworms - but they're very expensive.

It's well worth avoiding the really cheap seed you often see in supermarkets. These tend to be bulked out with corn, which most birds will turn their beaks up at. The pigeons will thank you for it, but that's about all you'll get.

You can of course source your own ingredients to fill coconut shells, or create suet balls, and Garden Wildlife Direct is an ideal place to find the right mix.

Just make sure you don't put too much food out at a time. If you haven't got enough birds for your banquet, it'll just go to waste.

How to take part in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch

Taking place this year from January 24 to 26, the Big Garden Birdwatch is a hugely important citizen science project that uses data from hundreds of thousands of gardens to monitor the health of each species that visits our green spaces.

All you need to do is to register yourself as a participant on the RSPB's website and the charity will send you a free guide and, as a thank you for taking part, you'll be offered a 20% discount and free delivery on food and feeders at the RSPB shop.

Study the birds for one hour, and record what you see | Ben Andrew (rspb-images.com)

Then you need to pick a time over the weekend when you can spare one hour to sit and watch the birds in your garden or local green space.

It's important that you only count the birds that land in your specific "patch", which could be your front garden, your back garden, or a defined area in your public space. Remember, do not count birds that are flying overhead, only count them when they land.

As you're counting the total number of birds that land, rather than count the number of times you see each bird, just record the highest number of bird species you see at any time.

So, for example, if you see four blue tits all feeding from your suet balls, jot down four. If, a little later, you see another two, you've still only seen a maximum of four blue tits. If you then see six birds together, jot down six and record that as your result.

You can record the results however you want to, but the RSPB's digital guide will make it easy. And don't forget to submit your results at the end! You've got loads of time to upload them.

And finally, the most important thing to remember...

If you're attracting birds into your garden, it's a sad reality that you could also quite easily be attracting diseases.

This is why it's absolutely vital that you observe good hygiene around your feeders and feeding stations. Clear up any discarded food, don't leave uneaten food hanging for too long and, crucially, wash your feeders regularly.

Entire local populations of birds, especially finches, can be wiped out if a disease spreads. And you'll miss them when they're gone.