Midsummer and the Birds — How the Summer Impacts Garden Birds

As we approach the longest day of the year, it’s worth taking a pause to think not only about the light and warmth that midsummer brings, but also the effect it has on the birds in our gardens. 

Although the sun might be at its peak, and the days feel seemingly endless, it’s a period of change and preparation for our garden visitors, in ways that may not be immediately obvious.

From a scientific point of view, the summer solstice marks the point at which day length starts to decrease, though only very gradually at first. What follows is subtle, but for birds it’s an important cue. Spring and early summer have provided ideal conditions for raising young, abundant food, mild weather, and long daylight hours for foraging. But now, the instinctive preparation begins for the next phase.

So while we humans might be thinking about deckchairs and barbecues, birds are, as ever, a few steps ahead, beginning to adapt their behaviours in response to these longer days gradually getting shorter again.

One of the common misconceptions is that birds don’t need our help with food during midsummer, but that’s only partly true.

Most garden birds are still feeding chicks well into June and even July and although insects and caterpillars are abundant during this time, that’s only half the story. Adult birds need energy too, and particularly after several exhausting broods, so supplementary feeding still plays a valuable role.

Mealworms, for instance, can be especially helpful, mimicking the natural invertebrates birds seek out. Energy-rich foods such as suet pellets or sunflower hearts can provide much-needed fuel for adults post-breeding, when they begin to moult. Because just as you thought things were winding down, birds have yet another taxing task to get through.

Most garden birds undergo a full feather moult after the breeding season. It’s energetically demanding, and during this time, many birds will keep a lower profile while they grow their new plumage

This is one reason why your garden might feel quieter. It’s not that birds have disappeared, but rather that they’re conserving energy, often keeping to thicker cover, and doing less singing as a result.

Something that surprises a lot of people: autumn migration begins far earlier than we typically think. The first signs of autumn migration actually begin in late June and early July, with some of our earliest summer visitors, such as Cuckoos and Swifts, already starting to head south.

While we’re still in the thick of what we call ‘summer’, certain bird species are already enroute to Africa. Swifts, those iconic sickle-winged screamers of summer evenings, are among the first to leave. Their time with us is short, a mere two to three months, and by early August, they’ll be largely gone.

At Vine House Farm, we’ve long championed the idea that gardens, however small, play an ongoing role in supporting wildlife, and this is especially true at times like midsummer, when the needs of birds subtly shift.

Providing a consistent source of water becomes vital. “Birds need to bathe more during the moult, as feathers must be kept in top condition while new ones grow in,” says Lucy. “And with the warm weather, natural water sources may dry up, so a clean bird bath, refreshed daily, can make a real difference.”

It’s also a good time to resist the urge to deadhead everything or cut hedges back too drastically. Late broods are still being raised, and dense cover remains critical for birds like Blackbird and Robins who will produce young until August , who seek out tangled undergrowth and thickets to keep their young safe.

There may be a sense of stillness to our gardens, long shadows, warm air, and fewer birdsong-filled mornings, don’t be fooled into thinking that nothing is happening. In truth, this is a period of quiet transition. Breeding is slowing, moulting is beginning, and, for some species, migration is already underway. There is also a change in the available food source. The first seeds are ripening, meaning that the adult birds that feed on these seeds and fruit, will be dispersing into nearby countryside. Depending on the species, many birds are looking after their broods so are no longer looking for a mate – making a drastic reduction in bird song.

The best thing we can do as gardeners and wildlife enthusiasts is to simply stay aware, keep feeding, keep watering, and resist the urge to ‘tidy up’ too much. Because even as the sun reaches its peak, nature is already preparing for the turn.