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We read all 234 pages so you don't have to
Please Don't Stop Feeding Birds
The BBC headline got it wrong. The RSPB's own report tells a very different story — and it's one every garden bird lover needs to read.
Feed On. Just Feed Right.The RSPB tested 79 hanging feeders at gardens where sick birds had been observed.
Every. Single. One. Came. Back. Clean.
The risk the RSPB identified is in flat trays and bird baths — not in your hanging feeder. That risk is further reduced with weekly cleaning. The media didn't tell you that. We are and we're not alone, with veterinary groups starting to question the advice.
Tube feeders: zero infections found
In the RSPB's own study, zero out of 79 tests for Trichomonosis on hanging tube feeders came back positive. Bird tables and baths were the risk — not your feeder.
Greenfinch numbers are recovering
BTO data shows a 12% rise in the Greenfinch population index from its 2021 lowest point. Three years of RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch data echo the same cautious optimism.
Natural food for birds is disappearing
UK flying insects have fallen by up to 65% in 20 years. Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change are stripping away the food birds depend on. Your garden feeder is filling a gap that nature can no longer close alone.
Feeders are not the problem
We've pulled this data from the RSPB's own study — the same document used as the basis for their recent announcement. You can download a copy from the RSPB's own repository here.
The message isn't "stop feeding" — it's "stop using flat surfaces, and keep things clean". Tube feeders tested negative in every single sample.
Greenfinch numbers are in freefall
We've pulled out the below data from the RSPB's study which was used as a basis for their recent announcement.
"Back when the Big Garden Birdwatch started in 1979 Greenfinches were at number seven in the top ten birds seen. This year they were down to number 18." — RSPB, 2026
Comparing to 1979 is an unusual choice. The BTO's data — and the RSPB's own survey — both point to a more recent, and more encouraging, picture.
With Greenfinch numbers on the rise, their decision to focus on them is an interesting choice. Clearly feeding birds must be working for numbers to see such a significant increase in recent years.
BTO findings
According to data from the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Greenfinch population numbers are improving from their lowest point:
RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch findings
These figures are supported by the RSPB's own Big Garden Birdwatch, which shows a 2.3% increase in mean Greenfinch count between 2025 and 2026, and a rising share of gardens recording the species.
You can download this data for yourself here from he RSPB website here. Or directly download the zip file with all of the data here, also directly from the RPSB website.
Birds can find enough food without our help
They could — once. The natural food chain that UK garden birds have depended on for centuries is being systematically dismantled. Insects, seeds and berries that once sustained garden bird populations are all in significant decline.
The insect collapse
Insects are the foundation of the garden bird food chain. They're essential for chick-rearing, even for largely seed-eating species and the scale of their decline is alarming:
What's causing it?
Three interconnected pressures are removing natural food from the landscape:
Should you stop feeding birds in May?
Take a minute to look around your garden and local farmland. Plants are growing — but almost nothing is producing food yet. Add collapsing insect numbers, pesticide-soaked farmland, and the near-total absence of natural food sources in urban areas, and the picture becomes clear.
We've confirmed this to be true in gardens and farmland around us and we'd encourage you to do the same. See for yourself.
Please don't stop feeding birds between May and October. Birds and their young need your support more than ever.
Why supplementary feeding works
With natural food sources under sustained pressure, garden feeders are no longer a luxury — they're a critical part of the support network keeping urban bird populations viable. The evidence is clear:
The UK's 22 million gardens, collectively managed by people like you, represent one of the most significant wildlife habitats in the country. Used well — with clean feeders, quality food, and water — they can genuinely offset what the wider landscape is losing.
For more information on UK gardens and what the ymean for nature, see the RHS State of Gardening Report 2025.
Nine things the coverage missed
We read all 234 pages of RSPB Research Report No. 85. Here is what it actually says about supplementary feeding.
Your feeding is keeping birds alive
The RSPB's own study found that birds with access to supplementary food survive at a higher rate than those without it. That is the difference between life and starvation for millions of UK garden birds every year. The same study found a 15% increase in breeding success — more fledglings surviving to adulthood. Every feeder you maintain is directly saving lives.
Studies supporting stopping feeding
The RSPB found zero published studies supporting feeder removal as disease prevention. Their seasonal guidance is precautionary — not evidence-proven. There is no peer-reviewed science behind the 'stop feeding in summer' advice. Stopping feeding is not a solution — it is a risk, removing a lifeline at the moment birds need it most.
Disease spread where there was no feeding
When Trichomonosis struck Greenfinch populations it spread across Europe — including countries where summer garden feeding is minimal or entirely absent. This suggests that garden feeding did not cause the spread which would have spread regardless. In other words, stopping feeding is unlikely to have fully prevented it.
When chicks need feeders most
June is when newly fledged chicks first start to arrive at garden feeders — inexperienced, still dependent, and in a landscape with 60% fewer insects than 20 years ago. Removing food in May, as the RSPB recommends, cuts that lifeline at exactly the moment these birds need it most.
Birds have already selected their nest sites
Wild birds have already selected their nest sites based on nearby food sources — including your feeders. It's not hard to imagine what removing those food sources could do to the survival of nesting birds and their chicks. Please do not withdraw food during the period where birds have built their lives around it.
Tonnes — the number nobody is talking about
Gamebird feeders distribute 282,000 tonnes of food annually in unmanaged countryside settings — attracting pigeons and doves, the primary carriers of Trichomonosis, with zero hygiene oversight. All UK garden feeders combined is around 150,000 tonnes. Your clean, managed, hanging feeder is not the problem.
Commercial food vs natural sources
Dry commercial bird food and chlorinated tap water are less likely to harbour pathogens than natural damp food or water containing organic matter. Your feeder, stocked with fresh dry food and cleaned weekly, is often a safer food source for birds than foraging in the wild. Responsible garden feeding protects birds. It does not endanger them.
RSPB Research Report No. 85, April 2026, Trichomonas water study
Fewer insects — your garden is a lifeline
Flying insects down 65% in England. Half of UK hedgerows gone. Less than 7% of native woodland in favourable condition. For a fledgling leaving the nest right now, your garden is not a nice extra — it is the difference between survival and starvation. The food in your garden feeds birds that would otherwise go without.
Nine UK species growing because of supplementary feeding
Source: RSPB Research Report No. 85, Section W2 · Plummer et al. 2019 · BTO/JNCC/RSPB BBS data 1967–2022
European Goldfinch
Directly linked to sunflower hearts and nyjer seed provision
Eurasian Siskin
Strongly linked to sunflower hearts at garden feeders
Great Spotted Woodpecker
Linked to peanut provision at garden feeders
Eurasian Collared Dove
Expanded UK range alongside feeder growth
Common Wood Pigeon
Increased garden feeder use drives population growth
Great Tit
High feeder usage throughout — consistent beneficiary
Eurasian Blue Tit
Consistent feeder beneficiary across UK gardens
Eurasian Blackcap
Winter range expansion in UK driven by garden feeding
Bullfinch
Garden feeding drove recovery from near-pest status to amber conservation list
BTO/JNCC/RSPB Breeding Bird Survey data 1967–2022 · RSPB Research Report No. 85 · Plummer et al. 2019
Feed Right. Feed These.
What to put in your feeder this season, backed by the evidence.
Sunflower Hearts & Chips
The most energy-dense food available. Prevents starvation in adults and fledglings year-round. Zero debris — no husks to accumulate and harbour bacteria. Suitable for every UK garden bird species.
Premium Seed Blends
Feeds 15+ UK species and prevents starvation across the broadest range of garden birds. High-quality blends mean less waste, less ground spillage, and less risk of the damp conditions that disease loves.
Peanut Granules
Highest protein of any feeder food. Critical for fledgling survival and breeding adult condition. Use in mesh feeders year-round — the mesh forces birds to extract small pieces, reducing wastage and ground spillage.
Suet & Mealworms
Proven to increase fledgling survival by 55% in a UK study (source 1, source 2). The single most important summer food you can offer right now. Suet products can be left out for up to 7 days. Mealworms are the closest thing to the insects fledglings are designed to eat.