How to Attract Your Favourite Garden Birds

If you look at a garden bird feeder, you aren’t just looking at hungry animals; you are looking at a cast of characters with very different dining habits. Some are “clinging” experts, while others wouldn’t be caught dead off the ground.

At Soar Mill Seeds, we’ve spent decades watching these birds across our Devon farm. If you want to invite a specific “guest” to your garden, you need to know their favourite table and their favourite dish.

1. The Acrobat: The Blue Tit

Small, vibrant, and incredibly agile, Blue Tits are the gymnasts of the garden. They have evolved to hunt insects on the undersides of leaves, which makes them perfect for hanging feeders.

• The Favourite Table: Hanging tube feeders or suet cages.

• The Menu: High-energy suet pellets or sunflower hearts.

• Pro Tip: They love to “grab and go,” taking a single seed to a nearby branch to crack it open in safety.

2. The Ground-Dweller: The Robin

The UK’s favourite bird is actually quite shy about using hanging feeders. In the wild, Robins are foragers that follow gardeners (or wild boar!) to pick up turned-over soil.

• The Favourite Table: Ground feeders, bird tables, or even a flat fence post.

• The Menu: Mealworms are their absolute weakness.

• Pro Tip: If you want a Robin to trust you, try putting mealworms in the same spot at the same time every morning. They are creatures of habit.

3. The Socialite: The Goldfinch

If you see one Goldfinch, you will likely see six. These colourful birds travel in “charms” and are famous for their thin, pointed beaks designed to extract tiny seeds from thistles.

• The Favourite Table: Specialised Niger seed feeders with tiny ports.

• The Menu: Niger seed or high-quality fine husked seeds.

• Pro Tip: Goldfinches are attracted to the colour yellow. Adding a yellow ribbon to your feeder or planting sunflowers can act as a “landing light” for them.

4. The Shy Specialist: The Bullfinch

Often spotted in pairs, Bullfinches are more cautious than their cousins. They prefer to stay near the cover of a hedge or a thick bush.

• The Favourite Table: A quiet bird table positioned close to a hedgerow.

• The Menu: Fruit-rich mixes or Black Sunflower seeds.

• Pro Tip: If your feeders are too far out in the open, the Bullfinch will likely stay in the shadows. Move a feeder closer to your shrubs to encourage them out.

Why the “Soar Mill” Mix Matters

We don’t believe in “one size fits all” birdseed. Most supermarket bags are padded out with large grains like wheat or dried corn. While pigeons and pheasants love these, our smaller garden friends usually just kick them onto the floor.

Our mixes are tailored to the birds we grow for, ensuring that your “guest list” gets exactly what birds eat, through every season and without the waste.