Spring Time Bird Food Treats

Bird food for spring. Natural food is scarce during the winter and early spring period so providing them with a food source will be beneficial.

It’s best to put bird feed out all year-round so they’ll always have a source of nutrition. Coming to the end of winter means you should change the bird food that’s out to something more appropriate.

So what bird food treats are specific to the season of spring?

What Can I Feed Birds In Spring?

In the early days of spring, birds will be around more and their behavioural patterns will adjust. They also require different nutritional needs for seasonal occurrences. Like breeding.

Water

Not technically food but perhaps the most important on this list.

Birds need water to clean and bathe as well as to drink. It's important to always provide a hydration source for birds, especially more so in the warmer months. Throughout spring, hydration is essential for adult birds. They make few trips to provide for their nestling as well as themselves. Staying topped up on water will prevent dehydration.

Fruit

Some nice treats further into spring may be cut up fruits. It’s okay to leave soft fruits around for birds, like bananas and grapes. They can eat dried fruits, too, such as sultanas and raisins. As long as you clean your feeding table to make sure the food stays in good condition.

Mealworms

Talk about a meal full of sustenance. At this time of the year, birds need a little more nourishment and dried mealworms offer exactly that. (Remember to also provide a water source with dried foods!)

They are also a good option to help birds avoid starvation. During the constant weather fluxes, the availability of natural foods can also flux. Wet weather can affect birds that eat insects and dry food can affect birds that eat earth insects, like worms. So having bird feed all year-round helps this. Especially when these occurrences happen.

Seeds

Sunflower seeds have many nutrients that are great for birds at this time of the year. And they are always a very popular choice by the birds.

To be all-inclusive, you should provide bird feed mixtures. This will attract a number of species who can all benefit from the bird food. You could consider seed mixtures without peanuts, and insect bird food mixtures for those insectivores.

What Should I Avoid Feeding Birds In Spring?

Some people have attempted to use soaked pet foods before, things like tinned cat food and dog food. This should be avoided. Putting out soaked pet food just attracts cats. And cats are a known predator of birds.

Though bread can sometimes offer nutritious value, not in spring. Adult birds feed what they can scavenge to their nestling.

You can put peanuts out as bird food. But, bigger peanuts should be in mesh feeders or small metal-wired feeders. Larger nut pieces pose choking hazards to young chicks. And even if you’re unsure about whether there’s baby birds, you can still do this. After all, it is the season of birth and new life so it’s likely that mothers will take bird food back to the nesting.

Any fat balls you have will soften in the warmer weather so they’ll go rotten. It’s best to give bird feed in this situation as stale food will not provide any nutritional value to their diets.

Making sure there is extra bird food on your table, in the feeders, or out in your garden can really make all the difference. It can really help push the survival of the birds, as well as keep them healthy.