Please pass the charcuterie board, but make it bird-friendly!
If you’re a TikTok user, or an avid gardener, you may well have seen this new phenomenon of the trending ‘chirp-cuterie’ boards. Not only is it charming and ‘cute’ as the name would suggest, it’s actually extremely beneficial for our bird populations - providing them diverse food sources on the same ‘picky bits’ plate!
Think charcuterie board, but the bird version! We’re swapping out the cheese for sunflower hearts, the crackers for black-striped seeds, and the vino for water… With the diverse range of food sources on a ‘chirp-cuterie’ board, not only can you have fun and get creative while constructing your marvellous creation, but the range of birds follows suit.
‘Chirpcuterie’ has over 50 million related posts on TikTok, so safe to say - it’s viral. It’s valid, though, that we would want our feathered friends to enjoy the bird equivalent to a summer ‘picky bits’ dinner. Like a charcuterie board, a chirp-cuterie board is packed with all the good stuff for birds like berries and seeds, let’s take a look at some of the beautiful boards we’ve been seeing pop up on our ‘For You Page’.
‘The Chirp Corner’ well and truly caught our eye, and over 11 million others’ - with 11.1 million views! As fellow avid bird watchers, it was a no-brainer immediate like and save. This creator showcases the multiple birds that visit to feast on their ‘Chirp-cuterie’ board, and admittedly, if I was a bird, I’d be straight there, too. Fresh orange, mixed nuts, don’t mind if we do.
@thechirpcorner Dinner time at Le Chirp-cuterie #birds #birbs #backyardbirds #birdfeeder #birdnerd #birdcam #nature #relaxing #asmr #birdwatching #squirrel #bluejays #baltimoreorioles #orioles #foryourcat #fyp ♬ growth - Gede Yudis
Chirp-cuterie is a truly heartwarming trend. It’s perfect for summer while parent birds are breeding, molting, and require extra hydration; you’ll be providing a consistent food and energy source, and hydration, all on one board! It’s a great way to take care of birds’ wellbeing, and also having fun with the process. It’s one to get the kids involved in, it’s a great way to learn about wildlife and your garden, and you can certainly reap the benefits when your chirp-cuterie is a popular hit amongst your feathered friends! It’s very appealing to birds if you provide visible, vibrant contents, a diverse range of food sources, and hydration - they’ll love you right back.
However, every rose has its thorn, so it’s important to be wary of any potential harm chirp-cuterie boards could bring to birds. With some awareness and a little TLC, you can be mindful and proactive to the potential dangers of chirp-cuterie boards - like the spread of infection - and work with best practices to avoid any harm!
Benefits of ‘chirp-cuterie’ boards
To attract a diverse range of bird species, it’s sort of a like-for-like rule with their food source. Providing various food sources, like the diverse components on a chirp-cuterie board is your best bet to attract a variety of birds. Like humans would a charcuterie board, you can add all birds’ favourite things to a board, like mealworms, sunflower hearts, and holly leaves - the good stuff.
As birds are breeding and molting their feathers in summer, it’s a critical time to top them up with food - as they’re exerting lots of energy doing nature’s work! You can lure birds in with bright colours on a chirp-cuterie board, they’re quite hard to miss for birds when they’re packed with all those appealing colours like cotoneaster and holly.
They’re a great way to meet their core needs in one place. You can add a hydration source to your board by putting water in a shallow bowl or birdbath - so they can graze, drink their water, and bathe - what a dream!
How to build the perfect chirp-cuterie board
-
You first need a platter that is non-porous, like coated wood. You should place it at ground level or near to ground level so the birds can easily access the board.
-
For the contents of the board, this is where we can get creative! It’s something you can have fun with, a great activity with children, friends, family. Nuts and seeds are stereotypically great for birds; you can opt for unsalted peanuts, sunflower hearts, and black-striped seeds for your board to give birds energy and healthy fats - they’re firm favourites amongst birds.
-
Now for a bit of colour and some different textures, add soft, easy-to-eat fruit like apples, pears and colourful, vibrant berries! Berries are not only visual for birds and stand out, but also provide natural sugars, vitamins and minerals essential for their health. Native botanical plants and flowers are both aesthetically pleasing and beneficial, too. So, have fun with it! Add holly sprigs, elderberries, and honeysuckle to lure a variety of bird species and mimic natural forage.
-
Swap out the vino on the charcuterie board with a bird-friendly water bowl. Clean water in a shallow bowl or bird bath will undoubtedly attract a few feathered friends; not only are you providing a hydration source, but also somewhere to bathe. You can tick all their boxes with a chirp-cuterie board done right.
How to build a board safely
There are some potential dangers to be aware of when you’re creating your chirp-cuterie board. While they’re fun and largely very beneficial and harmless, it’s important to be aware of the potential dangers on our bird populations. Trichomonosis spreads by contaminated shared food and water amongst birds, but there are ways to keep your chirp-cuterie board clear of this nasty bug.
It’s crucial to be able to spot the signs and identify trichomonosis. These signs are puffed up birds that are bigger than normal, fluffed up feathers, or beak discharge. If you spot a bird that appears to be infected with trichomonosis, you should take away your chirp-cuterie board immediately, and pause it for at least a couple of weeks. You can try to avoid the spread of infection and preserve the health of birds.
You should also clean your board on a daily basis. You want to keep the components of your feast fresh to avoid contamination. You should ‘deep clean’ your chirp-cuterie board once a week with disinfectant, ensuring to rinse it thoroughly, then allowing it to air dry before re-making your marvellous creation. Rotating your chirp-cuterie board periodically will reduce and prevent germs and bacteria building up on the ground.
