"Birds need a good diet to look their best"

It is an old question, but it still gets asked: "When should I feed the birds bird food?" The answer is "always". "Even in spring?" Yes. "Surely not in summer?" Yes. Especially in summer. Summer is when there are most hungry mouths to feed. Youngsters who can barely fly, let alone be nimble enough to catch insects or to compete with the adults at the bird table or the bird feeder. What's more, many of those adults will be parents who would really welcome some easy eating after a hectic job of bringing up a family. Added to which, there will be some pairs who are rearing a second brood and are burning up energy having to find food both for their offspring and for themselves. All of which means, don't stop feeding in summer, feed more!

Bill Oddie