The new UK advice is to pause seeds and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October. You can still offer small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet, provided the food stays fresh. Use a hanging feeder rather than a bird table, clean and move it weekly, and change bird bath water every day.
Quick answer: if your feeder still contains a summer seed mix, empty it, clean it and wait until November before offering seeds or peanuts again. The aim is to reduce birds gathering around shared food during the part of the year when disease risk is higher.
What changed in 2026?
The RSPB and the British Trust for Ornithology introduced a more seasonal approach to feeding garden birds. Their current advice asks people to pause seeds and peanuts from May through October, then resume the wider range of foods from November to April.
This is guidance, not a legal rule, and it is based on the evidence available now. The organisations say it may be refined as further research emerges. The practical reason for acting is that shared feeding sites bring birds together and contaminated food can help finch trichomonosis spread.
Cleaning still matters, but it does not remove every risk once food itself has been contaminated. That is why the new routine changes the food, feeder shape and feeding location as well as the washing schedule.
What can you feed from May to October?
The current RSPB advice allows small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet during summer and autumn. Offer only what is being eaten and keep it dry. The BTO also notes that some fat products are less suitable in hot weather, so check their condition and remove anything that is soft, stale or spoiled.
Pause these until November:
- seeds and seed mixes
- peanuts
- food on bird tables, trays or other flat surfaces
You do not need to replace every paused food with another product. Natural food is more plentiful at this time of year, and a garden with insects, berries and seed bearing plants gives birds places to forage without concentrating them around one feeding point.
Make the feeding point safer
Use this as a weekly routine rather than relying on a quick top up.
- Choose a hanging feeder. The RSPB advises against bird tables, window feeders and other flat surfaces because contaminated food can collect where several birds feed.
- Offer a small amount. Mealworms scattered on the ground should be eaten or cleared by dusk. Do not keep adding fresh food on top of leftovers.
- Clean the feeder every week. Remove old food and droppings from underneath as well as washing the feeder itself.
- Move it to a new spot. A different position each week reduces the build up of debris below one permanent feeding station.
- Keep food dry. Damp or spoiled food should be removed, and the feeder should not sit directly beneath a regular roosting place.
The full RSPB seasonal feeding guidance explains why these steps work together. The BTO questions and answers are also useful if the change feels counterintuitive after years of feeding the same mix all year.
What should you do with a bird bath?
Fresh water is valuable, particularly in warm weather, but a neglected bath can become another shared point. Only put water out if you can replace it every day. Clean the bowl or bath weekly, rinse it and let it dry before refilling.
If your garden already has a shallow edged wildlife pond, the BTO says there is generally no need for extra water unless the pond dries out. The RSPB has additional advice for homes where the tap supply is chloraminated, so check the latest water guidance if that applies in your area.
Going away changes the plan. Do not leave a bird bath full for several days without arranging for somebody to refresh it. Add the feeder and water to your home holiday checklist alongside the plants, food and appliances.
Help birds without putting more food out
A slightly less tidy garden can be useful. Leave some seed heads standing, allow leaves to collect in a quiet corner, and choose plants that produce berries, seeds or shelter. The RHS guide to garden birds lists suitable plants and repeats the new seasonal feeding advice.
Do not make a large shopping list. Start with what is already growing. A sunflower head left to ripen, an established ivy or a patch where insects can shelter may be more useful than another feeder. If dry weather has affected the rest of the garden, deal with the plants that genuinely need water and use our guide to looking after a brown summer lawn before reaching for the sprinkler.
Today, remove any seed or peanuts that are still out, wash the feeder and choose a new hanging position. Refill the bird bath only if you can change the water tomorrow. Those small changes bring an old garden habit into line with the latest advice while leaving birds free to find more of their food naturally.
