Feeding Wild Birds in Extreme August Heat: How to Keep Your Bird Table Safe and Welcoming
August can bring some of the hottest days of the year, and while we can retreat indoors, find some shade or reach for a cold drink, wild birds have to work much harder to cope with extreme heat.
A bird table or feeding station can provide valuable support during hot, dry weather, but summer feeding needs a little extra care. Food can spoil more quickly, water can disappear surprisingly fast, and feeding areas need to be kept clean.
Here are some simple ways to help the wild birds visiting your garden during an August heatwave.
Fresh Water Comes First
During extreme heat, fresh, clean water is one of the most useful things you can provide.
Birds need water for drinking as well as bathing, which helps them keep their feathers in good condition. Natural puddles and other shallow water sources can quickly dry up during prolonged hot weather.
Place a shallow bird bath or sturdy dish close to your feeding station and refill it regularly. On particularly hot days, check it more than once if you can.
Keep the water shallow enough for small birds to use comfortably, and consider adding a clean stone that provides an easy place to perch.
Positioning the water in some shade can also help it stay cooler and reduce evaporation.
Keep Your Bird Table in the Shade
If possible, position your bird table or feeding station somewhere that receives shade during the hottest part of the day.
Food left in direct August sunshine can deteriorate more quickly, particularly soft or fatty foods. A shaded feeding area can also give visiting birds somewhere a little more comfortable to stop.
Nearby shrubs, trees and hedges are useful because they provide birds with natural shelter and somewhere to retreat after feeding.
Put Out Smaller Amounts of Food
It can be tempting to fill your bird table in the morning and leave plenty of food available all day. During extreme heat, however, little and often is usually a better approach.
Offer smaller quantities and top them up when necessary. This reduces the amount of food sitting outside in the heat and makes it easier to notice anything that has become damp, stale or contaminated.
Suitable foods can include:
Sunflower hearts and seeds
Quality wild bird seed mixes
Peanuts offered safely in a suitable mesh feeder
Mealworms
Small amounts of suitable fruit
Avoid allowing uneaten food to build up underneath the feeding station.
Be Careful With Fat-Based Foods
High-energy foods are popular during colder months, but some fat-based bird foods can soften or become unsuitable when temperatures rise significantly.
If suet balls, blocks or other fatty foods become very soft, greasy or rancid-smelling in the heat, remove them. During exceptionally hot periods, seeds and other appropriate dry foods may be easier to manage safely.
Clean the Feeding Station Regularly
Warm weather can encourage bacteria and mould to develop, particularly where food, droppings and moisture collect.
Remove old food and waste regularly and keep your bird table, feeders and water containers clean. Allow cleaned equipment to dry before putting fresh food back out.
If you notice sick or dead birds around your feeding area, stop feeding temporarily and follow current advice from an appropriate wildlife or veterinary authority.
Good hygiene isn't just about making the feeding station look tidy—it can help reduce the risk of disease spreading between visiting birds.
Don't Forget the Ground Below
The area underneath a feeding station deserves just as much attention as the table itself.
Seeds, husks and dropped food can accumulate quickly. In hot weather, this material can become contaminated or attract unwanted visitors.
Sweep or clear the area regularly, particularly if lots of birds use your feeding station.
Create a Cooler Garden for Wildlife
A feeding station is only one part of a bird-friendly garden.
Trees, shrubs, hedges and other vegetation provide valuable shade and shelter. Even allowing some areas of the garden to remain less manicured can support insects and create additional places for wildlife to find food and protection.
If you have space, placing water and feeding areas near natural cover—but not where predators can easily hide and ambush feeding birds—can make the garden more welcoming.
Watch Your Garden During the Hottest Hours
One of the pleasures of maintaining a bird table is simply watching who arrives.
During very hot August weather, you may notice birds behaving differently. Some may visit water frequently, while activity around the feeding station can become quieter during the hottest part of the afternoon before increasing again later in the day.
Species such as robins, blackbirds, blue tits, great tits, sparrows, starlings and finches may all make use of garden feeding and watering areas.
Providing food is helpful, but during a heatwave that simple dish of fresh water may become the busiest part of your feeding station.
A Little Extra Care Goes a Long Way
Feeding wild birds in August doesn't have to be complicated. The key is to adapt your routine to the weather.
Provide plenty of fresh water, offer smaller quantities of fresh food, create shade where possible and keep your bird table and feeders clean.
Your feeding station may look like a small feature in the garden, but during periods of extreme heat, a well-maintained place to drink, feed and rest can provide useful support for the wild birds living alongside us.
And, of course, it gives us the wonderful opportunity to sit back in the shade and enjoy watching our feathered garden visitors throughout the summer.
Find the Perfect Bird Table for Your Garden
Want to make your garden even more welcoming for wild birds? See our selection of bird table feeding stations and find the perfect place for your garden visitors to feed, rest and return to throughout the seasons.
A well-positioned bird table feeding station makes it easier to offer fresh food while creating a wonderful focal point for watching the birds that visit your garden.