BRITS have been told to remove seed and nut feeders for birds from their gardens over the summer due to fears about the spread of diseases.
There’s growing concerns about the UK’s population of greenfinches and starlings due to trichomonosis.
Seed bird feeders shouldn’t be used between May and October, the RSPB saysCredit: Getty
But it’s safe to use alternatives like fat balls all year roundCredit: Getty
Trichomonosis is a parasitic fatal and contagious that can spread more easily when birds are huddled together around feeders in the warmer months.
As a result, households are being warned to take down bird feeders between the months of May and October to reduce the spread.
The charity is urging people to use small amounts of mealworms, fat balls or suet instead.
These alternatives don’t tend to attract clusters of finches.
New guidance issued by the charity advises people to “feed safely and feed seasonally”.
“Feeding birds is something millions of us love and value, but the science shows us that birds such as greenfinches have been affected by the spread of disease at feeders,” RSPB boss Beccy Speight said.
“By making small changes together, we can ensure garden feeding continues to be a positive force for nature.
“We’re not asking people to stop feeding, just to feed in a way that protects birds’ long-term health.”
Other recommendations include cleaning or moving feeders weekly, changing water daily and retiring flat-surfaced feeders after research found a higher risk of disease spread on flat surfaces, including bird tables.
And you can still go back to using seed and nut feeders over the winter, when trichomonosis is less easily spread.
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The Big Garden Birdwatch citizen science programme – which has more than 650,000 volunteers – reported a drop in starlings, with the number of average counts per garden hitting record lows for the second year running.
The RSPB said the species has seen an 85.1 per cent decline since the scheme began in 1979.
Meanwhile, greenfinches actually saw the average count jump slightly by 2.3 per cent this year – however the numbers are still two-thirds lower than in 1979.
Experts say the songbirds are among the species at risk from diseases that can spread at bird feeders.
The latest Big Garden Birdwatch findings reveal that the house sparrow remains the most spotted bird, followed by the blue tit in second place, the starling in third, woodpigeon in fourth and blackbird in fifth.
Starlings jumped from fourth to third place for the most commonly spotted species in 2026, but this was largely because fewer woodpigeons were reported compared to last year.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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