August Tips

In this section you will find a month by month guide to caring for the birds in your garden. Each page tells you what birds you might see in your garden that month, how to look after them, what to feed and more.

Be sure to return at the start of each month for interesting, informative and topical advice about your garden visitors.

August's Bird Care Tips

You will probably see the same number of birds in your garden as in July but may witness a rapid turnover in the number of species. The birds will depart for their natural habitats in search of food but will return to gardens if natural supplies become scarce or hard to find.

Meanwhile, summer visitors prepare to migrate, while resident species are entering the last leg of the breeding season, racing to raise their final brood of young before autumn reduces the supply of natural foods. If you have House Sparrows visiting your garden it is important to maintain supplies of live foods this month as the youngsters need a high protein diet to complete the post-juvenile moult (when they replace their nestling feathers with adult ones). It is also possible that some of the House Sparrows will still be feeding late broods of chicks, for which live foods are vital.

If you are going away on holiday do remember to ask a friend or neighbour to keep the bird feeders and baths topped up in your absence.

Feeding
Continue to provide a regular supply of nutritious food. It is important not to stop feeding as birds may go elsewhere in search of food and fail to return to your garden later in the year.

Click here to see our wide range foods.

Hygiene & Safety
You should clean your feeders and tables on a regular basis to help prevent the spread of disease, but during spells of warm weather be sure to pay even more attention than usual to hygiene and cleanliness.

August is a good month to give your feeding station a thorough 'service'. Click here for information on our handy hygiene pack, and other cleaning products.

If you, or your neighbours, own a cat , be especially vigilant at this time of year, as young birds or moulting adults are more vulnerable than usual. Our Catwatch cat deterrent may be of interest.

Water
Continue to keep your birdbath well-filled and clean, especially during long, dry spells.

Garden ponds may begin to dry out or become clogged with algae, so keep an eye on water levels and top up or clean out your pond if necessary.

The Weather

August generally sees the hottest day of the year with temperatures occasionally reaching 35°C (95°F) in sheltered parts of southern or central England. The four warmest days on record all occurred in August. If such hot weather causes a prolonged drought, as in 1976 and 1990, birds continue to suffer from shortages of natural food and water, so be sure to provide a regular supply.

August can also bring heavy rain and thunderstorms. Garden birds are less affected by rain than many other species, but if periods of wet weather are prolonged young birds may suffer from getting wet, or from a lack of suitable food.

Birds to look out for...
House Martins, Sand Martins and Swallows gather together on telephone wires in preparation for migration. The adult Swallows are often joined by juvenile birds, whose tail-feathers have not quite grown ready for the long journey ahead.

You may also see the last Swifts, one of the earliest summer visitors to depart on the long journey south to Africa. In most areas they will have gone by the middle of the month.