RSPB: Three ways to help birds beat the summer heat in your garden this year

The British summer is creeping ever closer, as the days quickly become hotter and longer. But it’s not just us humans who feel the heat - but our friendly garden birds as well.

By all accounts, summer 2024 is set to be a scorcher. The world has just passed its 12th consecutive month of record-breaking high temperatures, with the United Nations even calling out for G20 countries like the UK to show leadership on urgently cutting fossil fuel emissions. This is fresh off the back of the hottest year ever - but climate scientists are already warning one of the next few years could break that record.

Extreme temperatures can make things tough for wildlife, from the incredible animals residing in British nature reserves to our beloved garden birds. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds’ (RSPB) conservation programme director, Jo Gilbert, said summer heatwaves were a “stark reminder that climate change is already having an impact, not only on the way we live but on our wildlife too”.

RSPB staff and volunteers were already hard at work across the charity’s nature reserves, preparing for the summer months. But with hotter temperatures all the more likely in coming years, Ms Gilbert said they were also planning how they could adapt to better cope with the impacts of climate change. “From adapting to the decreasing availability of freshwater during heatwaves, to protecting our coastal reserves from sea level rise and maintaining a variety of habitats that are being lost elsewhere, climate change is having a real impact on people, landscapes and wildlife right here in the UK. That’s why we need urgent action from the governments of the UK to protect, restore and invest in solutions to fight the nature and climate emergency.”

NationalWorld also asked the RSPB for some tips on how gardeners can help their local birdlife this summer, in their own backyards. Here’s what the charity had to say:

Provide fresh water for drinking and bathing

Water can become scarce during the summer heat - particularly if the UK reaches heatwave conditions, the RSPB says. Giving wildlife a much-needed drink or bath is the perfect way to help them cool off.

Whether from a bird bath, pond or shallow dish, any water you put out is likely to be gratefully received. Regular bathing helps birds keep their skin hydrated and feathers free of dirt, bacteria, and parasites.

But fresh water won’t just help garden birds, but small mammals, amphibians and invertebrates too. The RSPB says that adding a few stones to the edge of your water source will ensure that butterflies and other flying visitors can perch while they drink, as well as allowing easy access for creatures such as hedgehogs, frogs and toads.

Create shady spots

This is a great example of how actually doing less work can help nature more. Garden birds love shady spots where they can take refuge on summer days to help them beat the heat, the RSPB says, and overgrown parts of your garden are perfect for this.

Birds favour hedges and dense shrubs, but even letting your lawn grow out a little longer can give butterflies and other insects somewhere to take shelter - which themselves are an important food source for birds. The charity says you can even take it one step further and allow leaf piles to build up or build a bug hotel, to allow amphibians and invertebrates to make use of these cooler, damp areas in the future.

Feed ‘little and often’

In the heat of summer, it is harder for birds like blackbirds to find worms and other insects living in the ground, the RSPB says, because it becomes so hard in hot and dry conditions. Instead of rushing to fill your feeder to the brim however, the best way to help is actually to put out food little and often.

This is because the warm weather can turn it rotten more quickly, and encourage mould growth - which could make birds sick. It’s also important to not let old food or dirty water build up, in order to reduce the spread of diseases like Trichomonosis through contaminated bird feeders and baths.

The RSPB advises giving your feeder a clean once a week with soapy water, and emptying and refilling your bird bath daily to maintain good bird feeder hygiene.

Amber Allott is NationalWorld’s environment and sustainability specialist, covering all things green - from climate to conservation. If you liked this article you can follow Amber on X (Twitter) here and sign up for the free daily NationalWorld Today newsletter here - with Amber bringing you the UK's most important, pressing, weird and wonderful environmental stories every Tuesday.