West Carlston Garden Centre, Campsie Road, Torrance, Glasgow G64 4EZ, Tel: 01360 620248
 

Do you like Birds?

I never cease to be amazed at the amount of Bird Food we sell each Year.
In these days of concern for the environment it is reassuring to see so many of you taking such an interest in wildlife.

There are so many types of Bird Food available nowadays that it can be a bit confusing for us humans (although the Birds don’t seem to have much of a problem deciding what they like!)

Bird Seed
is the staple food for Birds and provides a well balanced diet, most of the year.

Peanuts
are high in Protein and Fat and can give the Birds an extra boost in winter. Fat provides nearly 3 times as much energy as the same weight of seed. This is important during very cold spells, as Birds need that bit more energy just to keep warm. Do be careful using peanuts in the spring. Parents will try to feed whole peanuts to their young and fledglings can choke on a whole peanut. Better to crunch the peanuts before putting them out.

Sunflower Seed
has become very popular and again it has a high fat content. The Birds eat the heart of the seed leaving the seed case behind – this can leave a bit of a mess on the ground. Sunflower Hearts have the seed casing removed and don’t make such a mess.

Fat Balls
are just what they say they are – balls of fat, but with seed through it. They are popular as they combine the balanced diet of seed with fat for additional energy.
Why not try making your own Fat Balls? Take a tea cup, place a piece of string with a knot in it over the edge of the cup, pour some warm (not hot) fat from your cooker’s drip tray into the cup, add some Bird Seed, let it set, then pull it out and hang it up.

Bird feeders
are ideal for putting seed or peanuts into as they can be hung up out of reach of cats so the Birds can feed safely. However remember that some Birds are ground feeders and need the food to be placed on the ground.

You can get a lot of pleasure just watching the Birds thrive, knowing that you’ve helped.

Article provided by Ron from West Carlston Garden Centre in Torrance.
Try our website www.westcarlston.com
This week’s Competition: Name a ground feeding Bird
The sender of the first correct e-mail will receive a £10 Gift Voucher.
Ron can be contacted at info@westcarlston.com
Copywrite R. McInally


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