Overview

• The RSPCA advises households to scatter cooked pasta, rice, potatoes and cheese on bird tables to nourish adult birds and fledglings during the peak of the August fledging season.
• Guidance warns that raw pasta is hard for birds to digest and can expand internally, leading to bloating, discomfort or potential harm.
• Peanuts must be unsalted, free of aflatoxin and either chopped or supplied via fine-mesh feeders to prevent choking and contamination.
• The RSPB has temporarily withdrawn flat bird tables while investigating disease risks and now urges nightly removal of leftovers and regular feeder and nesting-box cleaning.
• This low-cost feeding campaign is presented as a way for gardeners to bolster bird populations facing habitat loss, insect declines and climate change pressures.