Vital reason you should leave apples in your garden

Ellis Cochrane
·2-min read
a young hungry starling sitting on an empty apple skin calling for its parent
Vital reason to leave apples in your gardenTrudie Davidson - Getty Images

Gardens across the UK have been visited by less birds this year, with native populations on the decline as a result of habitat loss, rising temperatures and food shortages. Yet each and every one of us has the ability to make a big difference if we all work together to welcome them into our gardens – and an easy way to get started is to leave out bruised apples and pears.

Aside from seeds or dedicated bird food, the RSPB is urging people to leave out a variety of provisions for birds. 'When buying bird food, try to get a good mix of seed, peanuts, suet and mealworms,' the RSPB explain. 'Fruit, especially bruised apples and pears, will be popular with thrushes and blackbirds, while household scraps like pastry, cooked rice and breadcrumbs should only be offered in small amounts occasionally.'

One of the easiest ways to entice birds into your garden while keeping them safe from predators, such as cats and squirrels, is to install a bird table or feeder of some kind. If you already have one which hasn’t been refilled in a while, keeping it clean and tidy is key.

reason to leave apple in garden
Rene Hilgers/500px/Getty Images

The RSPB recommend brushing debris off every time you put out fresh food and scrubbing the table weekly with a mild disinfectant solution. You can also move the table from time to time to stop droppings building up underneath, they explain. Doing this will stop our feathered friends from becoming unwell.

bird drinking from water table
Andi Edwards/Getty Images

It’s also imperative to provide some fresh drinking water for birds. Something as simple as adding water to an upturned dustbin lid or plant saucer can save you from having to go out and buy a water bath, bowl or feeder. But any water container that you do use 'should be rinsed out daily, especially during the warmer months, and allowed to dry out before fresh water is added', the experts explain.

Just last year, the Natural History Museum confirmed that in just five years – between 2015 and 2020 – almost half of all bird species (48 per cent) had declined, with woodland bird species being the most affected. UK bird populations have been steadily decreasing over the past 50 years, with turtle dove, capercaillie, tree sparrow and grey partridge now much less common than they were a few decades ago.

In response to these findings, Beccy Speight, RSPB's chief executive, said: 'The numbers speak for themselves when it comes to the startling declines of some of our once common birds. They no longer have the abundance across the UK that they used to have. We've lost 38 million birds from our skies in the last 50 years.'

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