Popular bird will ‘keep visiting’ your garden if you leave broccoli | UK | News

Gardeners hoping to attract more wildlife could be in luck, as bird experts say one common leftover could encourage some feathered visitors to keep returning for more.

The topic recently sparked discussion on social media after one person from South West London asked how they could befriend the area’s famous parakeets.

Taking to Reddit, they said: “There happens to be a massive flock of wild ring-neck parakeets that live around me.

“They are super cute and I don’t really mind the noise. I want to do stuff like feed them treats or have them maybe perch on me or something, or just get a chance to see them a bit more up close.”

The bird lover admitted they had already tried standing in their garden holding fruit towards the sky, but had no luck attracting the colourful birds.

While parakeets can be wary of humans, experts say putting out suitable food is one of the best ways to encourage birds to visit your garden regularly.

According to experts, the birds love to munch on broccoli – a common leftover from households up and down the country.

A statement from Exotic Direct reads: “Vegetables need to be cut small or shredded for the smaller beaks of the parakeets.”

Birds may take some time to discover a new food source, but once they do, they are likely to return regularly.

The Woodland Trust recommends making sure food is placed somewhere safe where birds can easily spot any potential danger.

Other foods that can attract garden birds include suet balls and blocks, which are particularly useful during colder months when birds need extra calories.

Sunflower hearts, niger seeds and peanuts can also prove popular, although experts recommend only feeding some of these foods between November and April when birds need additional support and the risk of disease is lower.

The charity stresses that hygiene is equally important.

It advises people to only provide the amount of food birds can finish in a day and to clean feeders weekly to help prevent the spread of disease.

Gardeners can also create natural feeding opportunities by planting berry-rich species such as rowan, hawthorn, holly and guelder rose, alongside seed-producing plants like sunflowers and teasels.

Sharing their own tips, one Reddit user said:” Leave the fruit and maybe some nuts or sunflower seeds in a dish close to where you see them sitting and then go back inside.

“Once they have eaten from the dish a few times you can slowly start going out to watch them.”

Another user added: “They make take a couple of weeks to figure out that your garden is a reliable source of food, but once they do they will visit regularly!

“Then it’s a case of gradually desensitising – standing at the patio doors, then standing outside, then sitting near them.”