Garden birding, made simple
Know the birds in your garden
Clear, properly sourced guides to identifying UK garden birds, feeding them safely, and solving the problems that come with it — written for people who like watching what turns up outside the kitchen window.
Updated for the RSPB’s 2026 feeding guidance
What bird did you just see?
Start with the most obvious thing — colour or size — then narrow it down by bill shape and behaviour. Colour alone is never quite enough.
Garden bird guides
Full profiles for the species people ask about most — what they eat, how they feed, and how to bring them in.
Robin
Britain’s favourite
Territorial all year, sings through winter, and males and females look identical. Mealworms are the way in.
Blue Tit
2nd most recorded
Easy to attract with sunflower hearts. If you want them nesting, the box needs a 25mm hole.
Blackbird
Ground feeder
Won’t touch a hanging feeder. Windfall apples and mealworms on the ground work far better.
Goldfinch
On the rise
Nyjer and sunflower hearts bring them in. Leaving teasel standing over winter works even better.
Something not right in the garden?
The questions we get asked most — answered with current RSPB and BTO guidance rather than folklore.
Feeding garden birds properly
The RSPB revised its feeding advice in April 2026 and several long-held habits changed. These guides reflect where things actually stand now.
When to feed
The month-by-month calendar, why the pause covers summer rather than winter, and where informed people disagree.
What to feed
Sunflower hearts, suet, nyjer and mealworms compared — plus what to never put out.
Choosing a feeder
Tube, mesh and suet compared, and why flat surfaces are now discouraged.
Keeping it clean
Weekly now, not monthly. The method, and why the guidance tightened.
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A random pick from across the whole site — refreshes every visit.
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Food is only part of it. Water, cover, planting and nest sites often matter more — and the calendar decides most of it.
Nest boxes
When to put one up, which direction it should face, and the hole size for each species.
Water & bird baths
Depth, siting, daily changes, and how to stop it freezing without harming anything.
Plants for birds
Berries, seed heads and cover. Why insects matter more than berries.
The nesting calendar
Month by month, species by species — including when you can legally cut a hedge.
Buying guides
Research-based recommendations that explain why something suits a particular garden. We say clearly when we haven’t tested something ourselves.
Bird feeders
What to look for, what to avoid, and which types are no longer recommended.
Bird food
High-energy foods that genuinely help — and how to spot a padded seed mix.
Binoculars
What 8×42 means, why 10x usually isn’t better, and what’s worth spending on.
Gifts
What to buy someone who feeds the birds, by budget — and what to avoid.
Affiliate disclosure: some links on this site go to Amazon. If you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. It never affects which products we recommend. Read the full disclosure.
How this site is written
Sourced properly
Bird facts come from the RSPB, BTO, Woodland Trust and Wildlife Trusts — cited so you can check them yourself.
Kept current
Feeding guidance changed substantially in 2026. Pages are dated and updated when the advice moves, rather than left sitting.
Honest about testing
Where we haven’t used a product ourselves, we say so plainly instead of implying otherwise.