Birds are happy about food not only in the garden, but also on the balcony. But what should you pay attention to when spreading bird seed on the balcony? And how can this be done without dirt? You can find all the important tips below.
It doesn't always take a large garden to bring a little piece of nature into your home. Even on a balcony you can surround yourself with plants, sow vegetables and even attract small pollinators and other animal visitors. And garden birds can also become balcony birds if you offer them a safe environment and a species-appropriate feeding place. Find out what you need to know about feeding birds on the balcony, how to avoid unnecessary mess and what time of year it is best to feed them in our info article here.
Feeding the birds on the balcony: you should pay attention to this
Feeding songbirds on the balcony is also permitted by law in rented apartments and is therefore a welcome support for wild birds in urban areas, which have to fight over the few food grounds in cities and settlements. However, in order to be considerate of your neighbors and the landlord, when installing a feeding station you should ensure that no unnecessary dirt is created or that it is even blown onto neighboring balconies.
However, feeding street pigeons is often prohibited, since the birds can be found in large numbers in cities and can produce a lot of rubbish. To keep street pigeons away, you can, for example, set up special feeders that only have small openings for songbirds, or offer hanging feed cakes and suet balls that the pigeons cannot cling to. For the safety of the songbirds, you should also make sure that your cat or the neighbor's cat does not have access to the balcony where you have placed bird seed.
How to feed the birds on the balcony without mess
Anyone who notices that a small mountain of rubbish is accumulating under the bird feeder on the balcony should first examine the quality of their bird seed. Because with inferior products are commoncontain stuffing materials such as grain husks or grain husks, which are then discarded by the birds.
The same problem arises with unhulled seeds, which the birds often have to break open first and then spread the husks around the feeding station. Of course, you can also place a collecting tray under the feeding station, but since leftover food can mix with bird droppings there, it should be cleaned regularly. Because if the birds use the leftovers, infectious diseases and parasites could spread through the droppings.
Feeding the birds on the balcony: Even in summer?
Even though bird feeding has long been considered a winter activity, in recent years a number of voices among scientists and conservationists have advocated year-round bird feeding. Because in our increasingly urban and monotonous landscape, natural food sources for wild birds are increasingly being lost and food shortages can occur even in the summer months.
However, since birds have different food requirements in summer than in winter and young birds in particular can have problems with conventional litter, a special summer or year-round food should be used from spring onwards. Our Plantura all-season feed, for example, contains only high-quality, peeled seeds and lots of protein-rich and beak-friendly ingredients for nutrient-rich, year-round bird feeding - whether in the garden or on the balcony.
You can find out more about the special requirements of year-round feeding and everything else you need to know about "feeding birds properly" in our special article.