Supplemental Bird Feeding

Over the last half century, changes in land-use and management on agricultural landscapes have reduced the amount of seeds and grains available to farmland birds. This reduction in food availability has contributed to the decline in some granivorous birds including yellowhammer, grey partridge, tree sparrow, corn bunting, linnet and skylark. During winter and early spring, a period that has now become known as the ‘hungry gap’, insufficient availability of seeds and grain can reduce bird-survival and also result in birds entering the breeding season in poor condition.

To improve the availability of seeds and grains on modern farms, farmers have been encouraged to leave over-winter stubbles and create food plots on their land using specially created wild bird seed mixtures. These mixtures are designed to provide a variety of seed types to benefit a range of farmland birds. However, despite the provision of these food plots, the seeds and grains they provide can run out by mid-winter, especially if the weather has been cold.  To overcome this problem, farmers are now able apply for grants to provide supplemental feeding for farmland birds under the Countryside Stewardship scheme.  Under options EF23 and HF24, farmers can provide supplemental feed to farmland birds from December by spreading alongside over-winter food plots and stubbles. Feed hoppers can also be used to provide feed, although not exclusively.

As highlighted in a Defra report produced by British Trust of Ornithology (BTO), most hoppers currently used by farmers to provide supplemental feed for farmland birds have been adapted from old game bird feeders and may not necessarily provide adequate access to small passerines. To overcome this issue, we designed the PERDIX Farmland Feeder  and accessories to allow a range of farmland birds to feed while at the same time reducing access to vermin (e.g. rats) and other unwanted visitors (e.g. deer, crows and pigeons). Our Farmland Feeder comes with various mounting options to suit different feeding locations. If you have any questions on our Farmland Bird Feeder  please get in touch.