Your spring guide for wildlife

Blue tit on icy branches
Blue Tit

Spring has finally sprung with the dreary days of winter finally melting away, making way for spots of sunshine, flower buds and the beginning of breeding season.

A helping hand to wildlife can be so appreciated at the beginning of springtime, where many birds are readying for the breeding season by gathering nesting materials and gathering high quality food for their offspring.

Natural food is in good supply, but there are always things we can do to make our green spaces work better for wildlife. You can help by making careful and considered choices about gardening, providing water and limiting your disturbances to wildlife when nesting.

Food

SongBird Survival has made the difficult decision to stop recommending you feed garden birds year-round, due to emerging evidence that suggests this could have negative impacts on specialist bird species.

Feeders can cause more harm than good during the warmer months, as diseases can survive in these warm environments, and spread quickly where birds congregate.

However, the opportunity to provide food through natural sources is always welcome, and we strongly recommend planting for wildlife (see below for more detailed information).  For more ideas on what to plant in your garden, visit our garden for birds campaign pages.

gardens for birds

    Water

    We always recommend providing water year-round to birds and other wildlife. As the seasons change and rain becomes less frequent, fresh, and clean water can be harder to come by.

    By providing water in a bird bath or open container, you can ensure that birds and other animals have the opportunity for a drink.

    Make sure to clean your water source regularly, as bird baths can be the perfect spot for disease to spread if not regularly maintained.

    common redstart taking a bath
    Blackbird
    Shelter and nesting

    Springtime means only one thing, its breeding season!

    It is time to clean off your unused nest boxes and make them ship shape for this year’s house hunters. A thorough clean ensures there is no way for disease to spread between birds and there are no parasites left in old nesting materials. Make sure to clean nest boxes thoroughly and wash your hands after you are finished.  

    Remember if you ever see a baby bird on its own, to follow the instructions here:

    baby birds

    Another great thing you can do to help wildlife during the spring is provide nesting materials for birds to use.

    There are a few different options, which include:

    • Planting long grasses in your garden for birds to use in nests
    • Placing grass clippings, twigs and leaves in an old wire bird feeder or in a pile for birds to take after maintaining your garden.
    • Offering nesting wool (you can purchase this online or in some garden centres)
    • Creating a small tray of wet mud for house martins to take for their nests when the ground is dry
    Hedgerow shelter for wildlife
    house sparrow
    Gardening in the spring

    You may be keen to get your gardening gloves on as soon as the first dry and warm days of spring appear.

    But first take a second to assess your garden, do you have nesting birds already? Make sure you take note of where you think any nests may be before beginning gardening, to ensure you don’t disturb nests.

    Here are a few of our top tips for gardening for wildlife in the springtime:

    • March and April are great times to sow hardy annuals, wildflower meadows and herbs in your garden. Many of these are perfect for attracting bees, butterflies, and birds!
    • May is a good time to start planting tender annuals or your summer bedding plants. If the weather is looking good, you can also plant up your hanging baskets to add a pop of colour.
    • Try and minimise your lawn mowing. Volunteering for No Mow May is a great start, or even leaving only one small area uncut generates so much shelter and food for wildlife.
    • Weeds aren’t always the worst thing, many weeds provide great food for all sorts of wildlife. However, if you want to de-weed your garden, try and do so manually, and definitely don’t use any pesticides. Our research has found that gardens that use pesticides have fewer house sparrows.

    Click below for more gardening tips

    GARDENING FOR BIRDS
    Bullfinch eating red berries
    gardening
    Other wildlife

    Spring is a beautiful time for wildlife, and after a long and cold winter, providing for wildlife can be a great helping hand. The sound of the birdsong, the hum of bees on freshly bloomed flowers and the sight of butterflies flapping from plant to plant make us happy.

    Try these tips for a well-rounded garden:

    • Be careful when you let your pets out. So many different animals, including birds are breeding in spring. Its worth doing a quick reccy to check no chicks or other little beasties are on the floor before allowing your dogs or cats in the garden.
    • Keep an eye out for baby hedgehogs that may need help. Often baby hedgehogs (also called hoglets) may wander from the nest, but only intervene and seek professional help if they are:
      - In immediate danger.
      - Squeaking with eyes shut or huddled together with other hoglets in the open, without an adult nearby.
      - Next to a dead adult.
      - Less than 300g in weight (about the size of an apple) without an adult nearby.
      - Out during the day when it’s very cold.
      - Sick, injured or surrounded by flies.
    • Provide a bee or bug hotel for insects to make a home in your garden, helping pollinate flowers and as food for the birds.
    • If you have a garden pond, give it some attention and make sure it looks clean. You may need to add some new pond plants to help oxygenate and clean the water.
    Bug Hotel
    References

    Broughton, Richard, Shutt, Jack and Lees, Alexander (2021) Rethinking bird feeding: are we putting extra pressure on some struggling woodland birds? British Birds, 115 (1). pp. 2-6

    Hanmer, H. et al., (2022) Habitat-use influences severe disease-mediated population declines in two of the most common garden bird species in Great Britain. Scientific Reports, 12, 15055
    ‍
    Parry, W. and Broughton, R. (2019) Nesting behaviour and breeding success of Willow Tits Poecile montanus in north-west England. Ringing & Migration, 33(2), pp. 75-85
    ‍
    Plummer, K. et al., (2019) The composition of British bird communities is associated with long-term garden bird feeding. Nature Communications, 10, 2088
    ‍
    Šálek, M. et al., (2024) Urban refuges in winter: the role of habitat characteristics and supplementary feeding in shaping bird occupancy and abundance. Urban Ecosystems, 28(67)
    ‍
    Sauer, E. (2024) Citizen science observations shed light on how anthropogenic food sources influence wildlife disease. Journal of Animal Ecology, 93(12), pp. 1841-1844
    ‍
    Shutt, J. and Lees, A. (2021) Killing with kindness: Does widespread generalised provisioning of wildlife help or hinder biodiversity conservation efforts? Biological Conservation, 261, 109295
    ‍
    Siriwardena, G. (2010) Possible roles of habitat, competition and avian nest predation in the decline of the Willow Tit Parus montanus in Britain. Bird Study, 51(3), pp. 193-202
    ‍
    Tassin de Montaigu, C. and Goulson, D. (2023) Habitat quality, urbanisation & pesticides influence bird abundance and richness in gardens. Science of The Total Environment, 870
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    Teemer, S. et al., (2024) Colder temperatures augment viability of an indirectly transmitted songbird pathogen on bird feeders. Ecosphere, 15(12), 70139

    BACK TO seasonal adviceBACK TO How can I help Songbirds?

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