Water For Wildlife

In summer it can be harder for wildlife to source water. All wildlife needs water for drinking and also to stay cool especially when it’s hot in summer and they are burning more energy.

You can help local wildlife like birds, squirrels hedgehogs and more by making sure they have access to water. There are several ways you can provide water for these animals, but sometimes just placing a bowl of water out in your garden might not always be the safest option for some smaller creatures like birds.

Do Birds Need Water?

Birds need water to survive. They need to drink it to stay hydrated. Sometimes in the wild, birds are able to get moisture from eating juicy foods like fruit.

Fruit isn’t always readily available to birds, especially if they live in built-up and suburban areas. A lot of birds in built-up and suburban areas have very dry diets, especially if they mostly survive from food in birdfeeders that tend to be very dry.

Birds do have smaller sweat glands than a lot of wildlife so luckily they don’t lose too much water through perspiration. They do however look hydrated through respiration and excretion so will still need to drink plenty throughout the day.

Birds will also need water for bathing in. For flying animals, it is essential that they keep their feathers in a good condition. Birds need water so they can dampen their feather and this makes them easier to preen.

Preening is when the birds rearrange their feather and spread oil from the preen gland over the feather to help keep them waterproof and trap an insulating layer of air underneath to keep them warm

How Should I Provide Water For Birds?

Providing birds with water will attract more birds to your garden, however, you should be careful how you choose to supply it. Placing a bowl of water on the ground will attract birds, but It will also attract other creatures.

Feeding and drinking low on the ground can make birds an easy target for predators like cats who can easily pounce when a bird is preoccupied.

To keep your garden birds safe make sure the water is somewhere high up or better yet use a birdbath. A birdbath is a great way to provide birds with water that is safe and away from predators, whilst also being the right size for them to drink from or bathe in.

It can also help to have a large area of water like a pond or a pool in your garden, this way a bird can swoop down and collect water without having to stay near the ground long enough for a predator to attack.

What More Can I Do For Birds?

It’s not just water that birds need. Birds use up a lot of every throughout the day so need to be able to get food whenever they need it. By having a bird feeder in your garden you can provide a much-needed source of food for the birds. Having a bird feeder and a place for your birds to get water will not only really help the birds that do visit your garden but will also attract more birds.

What Should I Feed The Birds

Here at Kennedy Wild Bird Feed, we have a variety of healthy nutritious foods to suit any garden bird that may visit. Including

Mixed Birdseed

We sell a range of mixed birds seeds with every mix specially designed to either suit a particular bird or help with a particular part of the bird's diet.

Mealworms For Birds

We sell both dried and live mealworms for birds. We also sell a specially designed mealworm bird feeder.

Peanuts For Birds

The peanuts we sell for birds are different from the ones you find in supermarkets. It’s important you only feed birds food that has been tested so that is it not harmful to them. We have a variety of peanuts for birds including peanuts both with and without shells.

Plain Wild Bird Seeds

We get a variety of different seeds from a range of different plants and food mixes including maize, oats and raisins.

Suet For Birds

Suet is a great alternative to dry foods. Here at Kennedy Wild Bird Feed we a have a variety of different suet products like suet pellets, fat balls and filled coconut shells.

Sunflower Seeds For Birds

Sunflower seeds are possibly the best thing you possibly feed to your garden birds. They are full of all the nutrients and good fats birds need to stay healthy. We have sunflower hearts, sunflower heart chips and black sunflower seeds.