Gardeners are being urged to leave dog food on bird tables this March in a bid to help a classic British bird find food.

Blackbirds, a member of the thrush family, are one of the most common birds seen in British gardens all year round. In winter, blackbirds stay in the UK rather than migrate, and so need to keep finding food in order to sustain themselves in chilly winter months. Now the warmer spring weather is finally arriving, blackbirds are returning to our gardens in even greater numbers than before as breeding season nears.

And hungry blackbirds are adept hunters, swooping in for worms, snails and various insects to keep themselves fed, and because they’re so good at tackling garden pests, many gardeners try to encourage blackbirds to visit their garden, which in turn gives plants a boost when snails and caterpillars are being gobbled up by blackbirds. 

The Woodland Trust says gardeners should leave dog food out on bird tables, or scattered on the ground, as a substitute for mealworms. 

While most of us probably don’t have a good supply of mealworms at home, pet owners will have dog food readily on hand and if not, a cheap tin of dog food next time you’re shopping can be saved for your garden, and will be cheaper than buying specialist bird foods.

But blackbirds need the food to be put out on a flat feeder or on the ground as they are too big to feed from hanging feeders.

The Woodland Trust says: “Blackbirds are too large to access most hanging bird feeders. To attract them to your garden, it's best to put out food on a bird table or scatter it on the ground.”

Just be sure to keep your bird table cleaned regularly if it’s flat. This is because the RSPB has recently pulled bird tables from sale over fears they could be spreading diseases, especially over winter.

It urged gardeners to make sure tables are cleaned with hot soapy water regularly to avoid the risks while the charity conducts research on how flat feeders could be affecting bird populations.