What birds can you see in your garden this October?

October is when we expect a flurry of garden activity as many birds begin to prepare for winter.

This is a great time to watch out for Jays as they cache acorns or peanuts in the ground. Other crows will then follow them to steal the Jay’s hard earned treasure. Coal Tits will also stow smaller seeds for the colder parts of winter, including underneath roof tiles and in sheds.

1. Jay

2. Coal Tit

Our winter thrushes will be arriving. Redwings can be heard sweeping over gardens at night as they migrate south. Fieldfares will be seen in more rural areas, but will move into gardens as fruits and seeds become scarce. Resident thrushes, like Song Thrush and Blackbird, will have their populations boosted by migrant birds, so our gardens will feel full of life soon enough.

3. Redwing

4. Fieldfare

5. Song Thrush

Other birds arriving will be Goldcrests. They don’t use feeders often, preferring to stick to invertebrates in dense evergreen trees, but fat balls and suet cakes may be used during cold spells.

 6. Gold Crest

What to Feed

• If you are new to feeding birds, you can choose a ‘year round’ bird food. This is suitable for all seasons and all popular garden birds. Peckish Complete Seed Mix has 12 varieties of high energy seeds and nuts and will attract a wide range of birds

• If the weather is colder, put out some fat balls or suet cakes. These are high in energy and our Peckish Extra Goodness Energy Balls feed twice as fast as standard balls, keeping birds fuelled for longer.

How to Feed

• You will know how much food to put out based on how much is left. If the food is taking days to be eaten, simply reduce the amount you put out

• Use several feeding stations to reduce the number of birds feeding in one spot

• If you use a feeding table, make sure to keep it clean

• Use a ground feeding tray if you prefer to place food on the ground. Just remember to remove any leftover food before nightfall to prevent attracting unwanted visitors

• Avoid putting feeders under garden features where birds may perch or roost

If you would like to learn more about understanding birds, in particular about changing bird populations visit the charity –  British Trust for Ornithology (BTO)