Looking after the birds in your garden

In recent years the RSPB have found that Greenfinches have been in serious decline of 63% in the UK. One of the reasons for this decline is due to a severe outbreak of a disease called trichomoniasis, which can be spread by contaminated food and water. By cleaning our bird feeders and bird baths we can help bring greenfinches back into our gardens as well as keeping other birds, fit, healthy and disease free.

 

Things you will need:
Rubber Gloves
Bottle brush
Sponge
A bucket of warm soapy water
An animal safe disinfectant spray

 

Cleaning your bird feeders:
STEP ONE – Put on gloves and empty your existing bird feeders of food, Do not reuse the old food, or put it in food waste containers.

STEP TWO – Take your feeders apart so that they are easier to clean, using a bottle brush and warm soapy water clean the bird feeders, removing old food residue.

STEP THREE – Rinse thoroughly with cold water and leave them to dry completely outside.

STEP FOUR – Spray with an animal safe disinfectant following the instructions, rinse again and let your bird feeder dry completely before restocking.

 

For any more information on how you can help keep the birds in your garden healthy you can visit the RSPB website - https://www.rspb.org.uk/whats-happening/news/keep-your-garden-birds-healthy#frequently-asked-questions

 

Credit to the RSPB for the information detailed in this blog post.