The UK Bird Feeding Calendar

What to put out, what to look for, and the single job worth doing — for every month of the British year.

What should I feed garden birds each month?

Feed high-fat foods from October to March, shift to softer foods and soaked mealworms through the nesting season, and make water the priority in July and August. Sunflower hearts work every month of the year, which is why they are the one food worth buying in bulk.

October to March: fat balls, suet, peanuts and sunflower hearts.
April to June: no whole peanuts, no large hard fat, soak dried mealworms.
July to August: water matters more than food in a dry spell.
September: deep-clean everything while it can still dry properly.
Sunflower hearts are safe and useful in all twelve months.

January

Feed: Fat balls, suet pellets, peanuts, sunflower hearts. Feed again an hour before dusk.
Watch for: Roving tit flocks, blackcaps on the fat, robins singing to hold territory.
One job: Tip the ice out of the bath every morning and refill with cool water.

February

Feed: Keep the fat going. Add mealworms on a tray for robins starting to pair up.
Watch for: Song building; great tits calling. Birds carrying nest material by month end.
One job: Check nest boxes are clear and sound before anything moves in.

March

Feed: High energy still. Stop offering whole peanuts loose as nesting begins.
Watch for: Nest building in earnest. Leave out pet hair and moss — it goes within hours.
One job: Deep-clean the feeders before the busy season.

April

Feed: Sunflower hearts, suet pellets, soaked mealworms. No large hard fat lumps.
Watch for: The hungry gap — berries gone, insects not yet abundant. Feeding matters here.
One job: Soak all dried mealworms before putting them out.

May

Feed: Softer foods only. Keep feeding — adults are working flat out.
Watch for: First fledglings. Short-tailed, badly coordinated, begging loudly.
One job: Top the bath up daily; nesting adults drink far more than usual.

June

Feed: Light feeding. Expect the feeder to go quiet — that is natural plenty, not failure.
Watch for: Juvenile robins with no red breast at all. Second broods starting.
One job: Move feeders if summer growth has closed your squirrel clearance.

July

Feed: Water first, food second. Small amounts, topped up often in the heat.
Watch for: Moulting adults looking scruffy or half-bald. Entirely normal.
One job: Clean the bath weekly — algae moves fastest now.

August

Feed: Keep it small and fresh. Soft fat goes rancid quickly in warmth.
Watch for: Blackbirds at their worst-looking. Goldfinch charms on teasel heads.
One job: Leave seed heads standing rather than cutting the border back.

September

Feed: Start weighting the menu back toward fat as nights lengthen.
Watch for: Tit flocks re-forming. Coal tits caching in earnest.
One job: The annual deep clean, while everything still dries in an afternoon.

October

Feed: Fat balls and peanuts back in full. Sunflower hearts throughout.
Watch for: Redwings and fieldfares arriving. Jays burying acorns.
One job: Re-site feeders for winter shelter, now the leaves are coming down.

November

Feed: Two feeds a day — morning and an hour before dusk.
Watch for: Feeder traffic climbing steadily. Sparrowhawks working the garden.
One job: Move the bath to the sunniest spot you have for the winter.

December

Feed: Maximum fat. Put out more than you think and expect it to go.
Watch for: Long-tailed tit flocks. Blackcaps holding a feeder against much larger birds.
One job: Leave the ivy, the hedge and the log pile alone. Cover is warmth.

Kit for the season

What the calendar asks you to have

Nothing on this page needs more than a feeder, a bath and somewhere sensible to put them.

Fat ball feeders Seed feeders Peanut feeders Bird baths Solar fountains Feeder poles Catcher trays Starter kits

Common questions

Questions about the feeding year

What month should I start feeding birds?

Any of them. Year-round feeding is the current advice, with the menu changing by season rather than stopping. If you are starting now, late September is a particularly good moment, because you can deep-clean everything and be established before the cold arrives.

What should I feed birds in summer?

Sunflower hearts, suet pellets and soaked mealworms, in small amounts topped up often. Avoid whole peanuts and large lumps of hard fat during the nesting season, since adults carry food straight to chicks. Fresh water matters more than food in a dry spell.

When is feeding garden birds most important?

Two periods. Hard frost between December and February, when a small bird can lose a tenth of its body weight overnight, and the hungry gap in April and May, when winter food is finished and insects have not yet built up while adults are feeding chicks.

Do I need to change bird food between seasons?

Change the balance rather than the whole menu. Weight it toward fat from October to March and toward softer foods through the nesting season. Sunflower hearts are safe and useful in every month, which is why they are the one food worth buying in bulk.

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