Gardeners urged to leave one food item out for robins in August

Gardeners are being urged to leave one type of food out for robins this summer in a bid to help these classic British favourites during the warmer weather.

While robins need help all year round because they do not migrate south for winter like other birds, feeding robins is equally important in summer as it is in winter, according to garden food experts.

While in the colder weather robins need fat balls, suet and other high fat food items in order to keep their energy up in winter, these kinds of foods tend to melt and go off in the high summer heat, making them a poor choice to feed birds as it could even end up making them ill if robins eat rancid suet.

Instead, according to bird food site Ark Wildlife, you should focus on sunflower seeds for robins, as well as berries and fruits.

It says: "In many ways a robin's diet is the same all year round. In the summer, however, they may be less focused on the kinds of foods that will keep them warm during the colder weather - so berries and other fruits as well as sunflower seeds for birds and other seeds are often on the menu.

"Leaving fat balls out in warmer weather can cause them to go bad more quickly, so it's important to keep a close eye on what you put out during the summer.

"In addition, your garden is likely to be at its busiest during the warmer months - so making sure the robins and their food are protected from other creatures is especially important."

You can also leave out mealworms, dried fruit like raisins, mild grated cheeses and shredded or crushed peanuts.

To protect food for robins, try using cages or mesh around feeders which have gaps wide enough to allow robins inside, but not wide enough to allow pigeons or squirrels to slip inside and take food.

Heading into autumn, mealworms are a better choice. This is because once the weather starts to cool and the nights draw in, robins need to start planning for a cold winter in the UK in which they won't be migrating south like many other birds to.

Ark Wildlife adds: "As the colder months approach, you should turn your focus when feeding robins to the kinds of foods they'll need during the winter.

"The sooner they can start stocking up on fats and mealworms, the better, so at this time of year you should get a good supply in and make sure there is food in your garden every day - a robin's health can change drastically from one day to the next."