Feeding Wild Birds: The Seasonal Calendar from Autumn to Summer

When should you start feeding birds - and when should you stop? This seasonal calendar explains what to do at the feeding station in autumn, winter, breeding season, and summer, which feed belongs in which season, and where most mistakes happen.

The short answer: two schools of thought, both acceptable

The classic recommendation is Winter feeding from November until the end of February - that is when natural food is scarcest. Alongside this is year-round feeding, which was made especially well known by ornithologist Peter Berthold: feed continuously, because the cleared agricultural landscape offers birds little even in summer.

Both are acceptable. What matters less is Whether than How: the right feed at the right time and a clean feeding station. That is exactly what the calendar below covers.

September and October: prepare the feeding station

Autumn is the most important month for preparation - and the one most often missed. Birds explore their territory in autumn and memorize reliable food sources. If you only hang up a feeder when the first snow falls, you will often wait weeks for visitors; if you start in October, you will have an established feeding station by December.

• Clean: thoroughly clean the feeder or silo with hot water and let it dry completely. No harsh disinfectants are needed.
• Check the location: cat-safe (clearly visible, not directly next to bushes from which an attack could be launched), but with cover a few meters away. At least two meters from large glass surfaces or right on the pane - both reduce the risk of collision.
• Start feeding slowly: with the first frosty nights, offer small amounts, for example a scatter feed grain mix or black sunflower seeds.

By the way: if you regularly get visits from squirrels in autumn, the guide Feeding squirrels explains what applies there.

November to February: the main feeding period

Now energy counts. Short days and long frosty nights mean a small songbird must eat a significant share of its body weight every day to get through the night.

• Seed eaters (tits, finches, sparrows): sunflower seeds are the standard feed, plus peanuts and mixes such as the Super Energy Mix with a high fat content.
• Soft food eaters (robins, blackbirds, dunnocks): feed on the ground and eat fine seeds, oats and hulled sunflower seeds. A hull-free mix is also suitable for them - it leaves no piles of shells under the feeder.
• Suet feed covers both groups, for example as shell-free suet feed. Fat balls and fat blocks can also be easily made at home from coconut fat and seeds - the instructions are in the guide Make bird feed yourself.

Regularity beats quantity: better a small portion every morning than a lot irregularly. Birds plan their routes around reliable sources - an empty feeder costs them valuable time in winter.

March to May: breeding season - the part many people get wrong

People often say in general that feeding during the breeding season harms young birds. That is not true as stated - what is dangerous is not feeding, but the wrong feed. Whole peanuts and coarse pieces can choke nestlings when adult birds feed them. So if you keep feeding in spring, provide:

• fine seeds and small kernels instead of whole nuts,
• peanuts only in dispensers with a grid from which whole nuts cannot be removed,
• no suet feed in the full spring sun - it turns rancid.

From March onward, the amount can drop significantly: the natural supply of insects and seeds increases, and feeding is now a supplement, not full provision.

June to August: little feeding, lots of hygiene - and water

Summer feeding is the most controversial part of the calendar. If you do it, you should know two rules:

• Hygiene is more important than feed in summer. At warm feeding stations, pathogens such as trichomonads can spread, especially affecting greenfinches. Therefore: small amounts, fresh every day, remove leftover feed. If sick or dead birds appear at the feeding station, stop feeding immediately for several weeks so the birds do not keep infecting each other.
• Water helps more than feed in midsummer. A shallow dish with fresh water every day, changed twice on hot days, is accepted more readily than any seed mix.

The calendar at a glance

Frequently asked questions

From when should you feed birds?

With the first frosty nights, usually from the end of October to the beginning of November - and ideally start with small amounts in October so the birds know the spot before they need it.

When should you stop feeding birds?

Traditionally at the end of February to March, when natural food becomes available again. If you feed year-round, reduce the amount from March onward and switch to breeding-season-safe feed without whole nuts.

Can you feed birds in summer?

Yes, it is not forbidden - but it does require discipline: small amounts, fresh feed and water every day, and a clean feeding station. If sick or dead birds appear, pause immediately for several weeks.

Why are no birds coming to my feeder?

Usually a matter of patience - a new feeding station takes one to two weeks to be discovered. After that, check the location: too close to hiding places for cats, too far from cover, or directly next to a reflective pane.

What should you not give wild birds?

Bread, salty foods, seasoned foods, leftovers, and rancid fat. What should go in the feeder instead, and how to help sensibly, is explained in detail in the article Feeding wild birds - helping sensibly, acting correctly.

You can find the right feed for every season under Bird feed, Bird feed mixes for wild birds and Millet sprays, sunflower seeds & peanuts.