A bird table looks like a satisfying afternoon project. You could cut a wooden platform, fit a roof and watch garden birds visit. But the RSPB’s current advice changes the plan: it advises not to use flat-surface feeders, including bird tables. Sick birds can leave contaminated food on the platform, and cleaning the table daily cannot prevent another bird from eating it in between cleans.
If your aim is to help birds, build a support for a suitable hanging feeder instead. You still get a useful DIY project and a good view from the window, while avoiding the flat feeding surface. You can also improve your garden with plants that provide natural food and cover.
Why has bird-table advice changed?
Trichomonosis is a disease that has badly affected UK finches. It can spread when birds share contaminated food. Flat tables let birds sit and regurgitate food onto a surface that other birds use. The RSPB says this risk persists even if you clean the table every day.
The RSPB also advises a seasonal pause in offering seed and peanuts from 1 May to 31 October, when trichomonosis risk is higher. Its feeding questions and answers explain the reasons. Before putting out food, check the latest guidance: bird-health advice can change as evidence develops.
If you already own a bird table, you do not need to demolish it. Retire it as a feeder. It could hold a plant pot or serve as a garden ornament, provided it is stable and cannot trap wildlife.
Build a simple hanging-feeder support
This project is a sturdy post with an overhanging arm and a hook. It holds a purpose-made feeder so food is enclosed rather than spread on a tray. Choose a feeder that can be dismantled and cleaned, with drainage and no sharp edges.
Materials: one suitable outdoor post, one short outdoor timber arm, exterior-grade screws or bolts suitable for the timber, a purpose-made feeder hook and an appropriate ground fixing. Dimensions depend on your chosen feeder, ground condition and the post manufacturer’s fixing method. A large, heavy feeder needs a stronger support than a small one.
- Choose the site. Put it where you can see it and reach it for cleaning without a ladder. Keep it away from dense cover where a cat could hide. Check for buried services before digging or driving a ground anchor.
- Set the post securely. Follow the ground fixing manufacturer’s instructions. Make sure it is plumb and cannot rock when the feeder is full or in strong wind.
- Attach the arm and hook. Pre-drill as needed and use fixings intended for outdoor timber. Keep sharp screw points covered. Hang the feeder clear of the post so birds can approach without scraping against timber.
- Test it empty, then loaded. Pull gently from several directions. If the post shifts, reinforce or relocate it before use.
- Make cleaning easy. You should be able to lift the feeder down without stretching over water, steps or an unstable surface.
A timber roof or decorative platform below the feeder would create the flat surface that the current advice warns against. Leave it out.
How to feed more safely
The RSPB recommends cleaning feeders at least weekly, removing old or dropped food and moving feeding points regularly. Offer modest amounts so food does not sit and spoil. Clean water containers and refill them with fresh water daily. Wash your hands after handling feeders and use separate cleaning tools from those used for human food.
If you see sick birds or several dead birds, stop feeding, clean the equipment and follow current advice from a wildlife health organisation. The British Trust for Ornithology explains the seasonal approach and disease risk.
A feeder is only one way to help. Plants that provide seeds, berries, insects and shelter can support birds without concentrating them around shared food. A garden with varied planting is a worthwhile project even if you never hang a feeder.
What about the familiar bird-table cutting list?
Older plans often give exact dimensions for a wooden tray and roof. Those measurements are not the main problem: a beautifully built, cleanable table still has the flat surface identified in the RSPB evidence review. That is why this article does not give a cutting list for a feeding table. The useful project now is a secure, accessible support for a feeder that suits current bird-health guidance.