It's a wonderful time of year for bird feeding, and offering the right foods can attract an array of colourful and unique wild birds to your garden. Here we’ve highlighted some of the best bird foods to use in your garden during this blooming beautiful season.

Sunflower Hearts and Chips for birds

Sunflowers are quickly becoming one of the most popular wild bird foods here in the UK. These versatile little seeds are fantastic to feed during the spring and summer as they’re high in healthy oils and protein to keep our wild birds fuelled up during their most active time of the year.

Sunflower Hearts are de-husked Black Sunflower Seeds which means they don’t have a hard, outer shell for birds to chip off and they don’t leave any waste in your garden. The inner hearts are lovely and soft, making them ideal for soft-billed birds, birds with small beaks and young birds or fledglings.

Feed them: In standard seed feeders or on bird tables.

Good to know: Goldfinches love sunflower hearts so these are our number 1 recommendation if you’re trying to attract Goldfinches to your garden.

Goldfinch and Redpoll on Sunflower Heart Feeder

Live or Dried Mealworms

Mealworms are a firm favourite with our customers. Packed full of protein, mealworms are an ideal spring food for young, insectivorous birds.

Dried Mealworms are the more cost-effective option with a longer shelf life and better value when you buy in bulk. Our top tip is to soak them in warm water at least 30 minutes before you put them in your garden. This way you can rehydrate them, make their skin softer to digest and double the moisture content for your garden birds in the warmer weather.

Feed them: Straight on the ground, on bird tables or in ground feeder trays or bowls/dishes.

Good to know: Mealworms are a favourite with Robins and other ground feeding birds.

Dried Mealworms for Birds

Suet Pellets (Preferably Mini Ones)

Pellets made using high-quality beef suet are a great energy source for young wild birds. Good quality suet pellets will include more than just suet and wheat flour. Look out for nutritious ingredients like peanut flour and oyster shell (a great source of calcium) as well as added insects, mealworms or fruits that can also offer an extra boost of protein and nutrients.

Feed them: On tables, straight onto the ground and in mesh or tray feeders.

Good to know: Birds don’t chew in the same way that we do, instead they break up their food and swallow it whole. Using shorter and thinner suet pellets makes it easier for birds to nip off and digest smaller pieces.

Ivel Valley Insect & Mealworm Suet Pellets

Peanut Granules

Peanut Granules are a fantastic source of natural oils and proteins for wild birds. Their small size makes them great for a variety of birds and lessens the risk of choking in fledglings.

Feed them: In a seed feeder, on bird tables or simply sprinkle on the ground. Peanut Granules aren’t seeds so you don’t run any risk of unwanted plants sprouting.

Good to know: Avoid offering whole peanuts. As some of your garden birds may be taking food back to their chicks, the RSPB recommends only using peanut granules or crushed peanuts in the spring and summer.