The best bird tables for 2024
Want more birds to visit your garden? Here’s a pick of a bird tables to .
With over 620 species of bird flying around Britain, it's understandable we want to encourage more into our gardens, and a good quality bird table can be the first step to achieving this. Birds in the garden are delightful to watch but they're also a sure sign of a healthy garden and help to keep caterpillars, snails and aphids, which would otherwise damage our plants, in check. The colder months are when food is hardest to come by but birds will benefit the most from a bird table with a regular food supply. High-fat foods help birds maintain their fat reserves during the winter, whereas high-protein seeds such as black sunflower seeds are more beneficial for moulting birds during warmer summers.
The style and size of bird table you buy will depend on the birds you're hoping to attract. For example, blackbirds, wrens and robins prefer to feed on the ground so require a low standing bird table, just above ground level. Other designs may have low or adjustable roofs to deter bigger birds like wood pigeons but still allow smaller birds to visit. The RSPB recommend buying a bird table that's at least 3-4 square feet, as a table any smaller is likely to cause fighting between birds.
The material a bird feeder is made from should also be a consideration. Most bird tables are made from wood, which looks the most natural, but they can also be metal, plastic and polycarbonate. Metal poles are particularly good if you want to deter bird predators because cats and squirrels find them difficult to climb. For more help, read more tips on deterring cats from your garden.
Unless it's a ground feeding table, a bird table should be between 4-6 feet off the ground and many have a cross-shaped base to reduce the chance of it falling over. Make sure to place your bird table somewhere quiet and sheltered, away from wind and out of direct sunlight. If possible, it should be close to a lookout point, such as a small bush, so that the birds have somewhere nearby to escape to if they're disturbed. To secure a mounted bird table to the ground, simply peg down the cross-shaped base or drive the stake base into the ground by at least a foot to ensure it's secure.
For help watching birds, check out our guides to the best wildlife cameras and bird box cameras, or be inspired by our guide to wildlife gifts. For more ways to encourage wildlife in your garden, take a look at our selection of the best hedgehog houses and bat boxes.
The best bird tables in 2024
Adjus-table Bird Table
Available from RSBP (£125)
The RSPB Adjus-table Bird Table ensures that only smaller birds can fit into this feeding station. The table slides up and down the central pole to allow for three different roof heights. This enables you to deter larger birds such as wood pigeons if you so wish, and the roof is removable for easy cleaning.
Price: £125
Buy Adjus-table bird table at RSPB
Country Barn Bird Table
Available from RSPB (£115)
Made from FSC certified wood, this bird table has a wide 35cm tray to allow plenty of room for birds to feed and rest if needed. A recycled plastic tray is removable for easy cleaning and the base is wide to support the impressive country barn design.
Price: £115
Buy Country Barn Bird Table at RSPB
Open Bird Table
Available from RSPB (£55)
The Open Bird Table is a simple design made from FSC certified timber in the UK. The table has a removable tray on top for easy cleaning and is supported by a solid wood post with additional supports beneath the feeding platform for extra stability.
Price: £55
Buy Open Bird Table at RSPB
Hove Wall Mounted Bird Table
Available from Amazon (£33.99)
Designed to be mounted onto a wall or fence, this bird table has been treated with anti-bacterial coating to help prevent diseases spreading between birds. The felt roof and food tray have been constructed to allow water run-off and it's hand-built in the UK.
Price: £33.99
Buy Hove Wall Mounted Bird Table at Amazon
Fineway Nordic Bird Table Feeder
Available from Amazon (£29.99)
The contemporary design of the Fineway Nordic Bird Table Feeder comes fitted with a three-pronged stabiliser that will pierce the ground and should prevent it from falling over in adverse weather. It's made from pre-treated wood and galvanised metal for additional weatherproofing.
Price: £29.99
Buy Fineway Nordic Bird Table Feeder at Amazon
Ground feeding table & food offer
Available from RSPB (£31.50)
For birds like blackbirds, thrushes and wrens that prefer feeding at ground level try this simple wooden ground feeder from the RSPB. It has four sections for different bird foods, and each one has drainage to prevent the feed getting soggy. This table also comes with suet pellet feed and 900g of no-grow ground mix, so you can start feeding your feathered friends as soon as it arrives.
Price: £31.50
Buy the RSPB Ground feeding table & food offer from the RSPB
This Product Guide was last updated in April 2024 and we apologise if anything has changed in price or availability.
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