Feeding garden birds is one of the easiest ways to bring your garden — and yourself — back to life.
Start simple with fresh seed, add a few British Suet Balls for energy, and you’ll soon have robins, blackbirds, and finches dropping by daily.
All our feeds are mixed fresh on our Herefordshire farm — no filler, no mess, just happy birds.
Feed the birds. Watch the magic. Feel better.
🐦 Beginner’s Guide to Feeding Garden Birds
(How to Choose the Right Food, Feeders & Start Your Garden Singing)
Feeding garden birds isn’t just about helping wildlife — it’s about helping yourself.
Watching a robin hop across the table or a blackbird dig through the leaves is proven to lift your mood, lower stress, and bring your garden back to life.
Start feeding birds and, before long, you’ll find yourself planting native hedges, tucking in honeysuckle and spindle for berries, and maybe even digging a pond to welcome frogs, dragonflies and thirsty visitors.
It’s a slippery slope — but the good kind. Once you go Wiggly, you don’t go back.
Step 1: Why Bird Feeding Matters
Birds are brilliant garden allies.
They eat pests, pollinate plants, and bring sound and movement to every corner of your space. They’re also indicators of a healthy ecosystem — if you’ve got birds, you’ve got balance.
Regular feeding supports their survival, especially in winter, and gives you a front-row seat to wildlife in action. It’s mindfulness, composting and conservation all rolled into one small act.
Step 2: Meet Your Garden Birds (and Their Beaks)
Hard-billed birds — like finches, tits and sparrows — are seed specialists. They crack open husks and love mixed seed, suet and nuts.
Soft-billed birds — like robins, wrens and blackbirds — prefer softer food like mealworms, fruit and oats.
The first rule of feeding? Match the mix to the mouth.
Step 3: Pick the Right Bird Food
All our bird feeds are mixed, bagged and packed fresh here on our Herefordshire farm, using responsibly sourced ingredients to support British farming and wild birds.
If You’re Brand New to Bird Feeding
Start with Wiggly Seasonal Mix — a no-husk blend for less mess and no sprouting.
It’s carefully balanced for the season and designed to attract the widest possible range of garden birds.
Wiggly Tip: Wiggly Seasonal Mix = happy birds, happy humans, and no weeding under the feeder.
If You Want to Feed British & Local
Farmer Phil’s British Mix is a great start — it’s made with British-grown seeds wherever possible, including red wheat from our own fields and black sunflowers from Phil’s mate Michael in Cambridgeshire.
Buying British keeps food miles low, supports regenerative farms, and feeds your garden birds the good stuff — no filler, no waste, no nonsense.
Wiggly Tip: As the weather turns colder, add a few British Suet Balls in a suet feeder — they’re full of fat, energy and goodness to keep birds warm through winter.
If You’re Feeding Robins, Blackbirds or Wrens
For soft-billed species, go for Softbill Mix — a gentle blend of mealworms, suet, raisins and oats that’s easy to eat and bursting with protein.
Best served on a bird table or open feeder dish (like our I Love Robins feeder).
Softbills don’t like hanging upside-down to eat — they like to stand, hop, and flick their food about a bit.
Wiggly Tip: Scatter a little under a hedge too — wrens love a bit of privacy dining.
Step 4: Choose Your First Feeders
You don’t need a dozen gadgets — start with one or two good-quality feeders.
Seed Feeders: Great for small birds like tits and finches. Pick one with good drainage and a simple design that’s easy to clean.
Bird Tables: Ideal for mixed visitors and for keeping food dry and raised.
Open Dishes: Perfect for robins and wrens.
Suet Feeders: Essential for cold weather — pair with British Suet Balls to give birds the high-energy boost they need to stay warm and survive frosty nights.
View our range of feeders here: https://www.wigglywigglers.co.uk/collections/birdfeeders
Wiggly Tip: Hang feeders at different heights — variety attracts variety!
Step 5: Keep It Fresh and Welcoming
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Feed little and often — birds prefer fresh food.
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Clean feeders weekly with warm water and a brush.
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Store seed in a cool, dry, sealed container — damp attracts moths and mites.
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Add water — a shallow dish or bird bath makes a huge difference for drinking and bathing.
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See what they like — every garden has its own visitors.
Wiggly Tip: Reliable feeding builds trust — stop for a while, and your robin will take his tea elsewhere.
Step 6: Once You’re Hooked (and You Will Be)
You’ll start experimenting — and that’s where the fun begins.
Add live mealworms for a protein-packed treat, try Flutter Butter for blue tits and robins, or upgrade to a Birdy Box Subscription for a monthly surprise of British blends and suet goodies.
And once you’re really into it, you’ll start growing for the birds too — planting native hedges, adding honeysuckle, spindle and hawthorn, and maybe even digging that pond.
It’s a natural progression:
Feed the birds → Watch the garden come alive → Wonder why you ever thought plastic garden ornaments were enough.
Ready to Get Started?
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Read More Wiggly Tips on feeding, composting and wildlife gardening
From our Herefordshire farm to your garden — feed the birds, grow the joy, and bring your space back to life the Wiggly way.
