Oliver Pemberton
Why a bird table earns its place in any garden
There is something deeply satisfying about glancing up from a mug of tea to see a robin perched on the edge of a bird table, eyeing the sunflower hearts you put out that morning. For anyone living in the British countryside, whether you keep a few hens and a vegetable patch or simply have a modest garden with a hedge at the bottom, a well-made bird table is one of the best investments of an afternoon you can make. It brings the wildlife close, it costs very little, and it can be built from offcuts you probably already have in the shed.
The trick is not to overcomplicate it. A plain, sturdy table with a decent roof will attract far more birds than an elaborate design that is difficult to clean. Robins, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, chaffinches, goldfinches, greenfinches, dunnocks and house sparrows will all use a simple flat surface, and the occasional great spotted woodpecker may drop in if you are lucky.
Start with untreated timber
The most important choice is the timber itself. Use untreated wood. Pressure-treated, tanalised or stained timber can leach chemicals harmful to small birds, particularly when food sits on the surface and becomes damp. Untreated timber also weathers to a lovely silvery grey that suits a rural garden.
Good options include:
- Oak or sweet chestnut — naturally durable and will outlast most other choices.
- Larch or cedar — rot-resistant, lighter, and pleasant to work with.
- Scots pine or redwood — cheap and easy to source, but the table top may need replacing every few years.
- Reclaimed timber — fine, provided it has never been treated, painted or used for chemicals.
Avoid chipboard, MDF and any sheet material that will swell and crumble after a wet winter. You will need roughly two metres of 20mm board for the top and roof, plus a length of 50mm x 50mm for the post, or a round stake if you prefer.
Building the table and its sloping roof
Keep the proportions generous but not vast. A table top of about 30cm by 40cm gives several birds room to feed without crowding, and a post of 1.2 to 1.5 metres suits most gardens. Fix a low rim of 20 to 30mm timber around three sides of the top to stop food blowing off in the wind, and drill a few small drainage holes so rainwater cannot pool.
The roof matters more than many people realise. It should slope gently, ideally from back to front, so rain runs off and does not drip onto the food. Give it an overhang of at least 5cm on every side, and make it steep enough that birds cannot perch on top — this prevents them fouling the roof and keeps droppings away from the feeding surface. A simple single-pitch roof screwed to a short upright at the back does the job nicely.
Fix everything with galvanised or stainless steel screws. Give the finished table a light sanding to remove splinters, and do not be tempted to varnish or paint it.
Where to put it
Position is a balance between the birds' safety and your own enjoyment. Aim for two to three metres from a hedge or tree so visitors have somewhere to retreat if a sparrowhawk appears, but not so close that a cat can lie in wait. Keep the table clear of low fences, wheelie bins and anything else a cat might use as a launching pad.
Height matters too. Around 1.2 to 1.5 metres keeps the table out of reach of most cats while remaining easy for you to clean. Set it on open ground rather than in a border, so spilt food is easy to sweep up and rats are less inclined to linger. If you can, place it where you can see it from a kitchen or sitting room window — the whole point is to enjoy it.
Feeding well and feeding safely
Variety brings a range of species. A good basic larder includes:
- Sunflower hearts — the best all-round food; no husks, so no mess, and loved by tits, finches and robins.
- Nyjer seed — ideal for goldfinches and siskins in a fine feeder.
- Peanuts — always from a mesh feeder, never whole on a table, as whole nuts can choke nestlings.
- Suet balls or blocks — invaluable in cold weather for energy.
- Mealworms — dried or live, a favourite of robins and wrens.
Avoid bread, which fills birds without nourishing them and goes mouldy quickly. Never put out salted food, cooked fats or milk. Always provide a shallow dish of clean water, breaking the ice on frosty mornings.
Cleaning — the weekly job that keeps birds well
Dirty feeders and tables are the main way disease spreads between garden birds, and in recent years trichomonosis has done real damage to greenfinch and chaffinch numbers. The answer is simple routine.
Every week, scrape off old food and scrub the table top, rim and any perches with hot soapy water. Rinse with clean water and let it dry before refilling. Once a month, use a bird-safe disinfectant and rinse again. Wash your hands afterwards. If you notice a bird looking fluffed up, lethargic or struggling to swallow, take the table out of action for a fortnight and clean it thoroughly — this breaks the cycle of infection and protects other visitors.
Do this much, and a plain table of untreated timber with a sensible roof will repay you every morning of the year.
