Best to feed birds year-round

MANY people stop feeding the wild birds in their garden during the breeding season. The theory is it’s possible that young birds could choke on large seeds or pieces of nut that their parents bring back to them from bird feeders.

It’s also believed winter is the time when the birds really need some extra food and they can manage for themselves in the rest of the year.

The modern theory is feeding the year round is better as it helps maintain larger and healthier populations of birds and that withdrawing food they have become dependent on in the spring can have a negative effect. This theory is based on research, mostly carried out in Britain and the US, but there is a question over its credibility because it’s largely funded by the bird food industry, which obviously has a vested interest in the results.