Garden Bird Seeds & Mixtures

The first person in Britain to advocate the feeding of wild birds is generally accredited to St.Serf of Fife, a Sixth Century monk living in Scotland, who is reputed to have tamed a robin. But it was to be another 1300 years and an appeal by British newspapers in the winter of 1890-91, for the public to put food out for the birds that it really began to develop on a wider scale. Such was the explosion in its popularity though, that in the space of just twenty years, a 1910 edition of Punch declared bird feeding to be a 'national pastime' in the UK - a place which more than a century later, it continues to occupy to this day.
Having morphed into a multi-million pound business[said to be America's second favourite hobby after gardening and where in 1994, Congress designated February as National Bird Feeding Month!] the days when feeding the birds simply meant hanging out a plastic net of peanuts and half a coconut are consigned to the history books! With more publicity, better understanding and a far greater choice of food available, bird-feeding has grown up - a win-win situation for birds and birders alike.
It is estimated that around half of all households in the UK take part in feeding wild birds, providing more than 50 tonnes of food per year, all of which is good news for the 60 million wild birds that arrive on our shores each autumn. During the coldest months of the year [or whenever there is bad weather] when fat reserves are depleted and food is scarce, many birds face the risk of starvation and have come to rely on our intervention, not only as a means of supplementing their meagre rations but also as their life-line to better days ahead.
With such a variety of food to choose from, you and the birds will be spoiled for choice and its sometimes difficult to know where to begin. If you are a newcomer to bird feeding, then a good place to start might be with garden bird seed mixes. Described by Haiths as one of the Magnificent Seven essential food types, seed mix proudly takes its place alongside black sunflower, sunflower hearts, niger seed, suet, peanuts and mealworms - the combination of which may attract as many as fifteen different species to your garden.
The easiest and most cost effective way of feeding the birds is to choose a good garden mix, made from the best quality ingredients and specially blended to achieve optimum nutrition.Whether its a classic seed mix, to appeal to the widest audience or something more specialised (like the bull and greenfinch packs) there's a food for every beak and palate! From feathers to song, breakfast to banquet, you will find it all at Pets' |Pantry. With six Bill Oddie varieties to choose from, plus hi-energy, husk-free options you can feed from the ground, on a table or in a regular feeder all year round or just one season in particular.
So this winter when there is nothing on the television, why not make bird feeding your new hobby...after all everyone else is tweeting these days. Just remember to keep it up throughout the rest of the year!