FOR many years, products that allow us to care for wild birds, including bird feeders, food and shelters, have been top-selling items in garden centres and other outlets, often only surpassed by Christmas sales and restaurant takings.
Even though winters are currently milder on average, most gardeners still cheerfully help their feathered friends through the colder months when their food is less plentiful, knowing they will be repaid next summer as the birds dine on aphids and other pests.
Types of food
The type of food birds need (or prefer) varies, with seeds being the most popular. Commercially available food ranges in size from peanuts and sunflower hearts down to minute nyjer seeds, and includes irregular items such as mealworms or fat balls. Some bird feeders will cope with all these different shapes and sizes, while others may be suitable for
