As we took into our well deserved Christmas dinners and indulge in another glass of wine (or three) its sometimes easy to forget that winter can be an extremely hard and trying time to the majority of our native wildlife. Whilst many of our species have strategies to cope with the conditions (our reptiles, amphibians and some mammals can hibernate or enter a state of torpor for example and many of our native plants lie dormant at this time of year) our birds stay active and fill the vast majority of the short daylight hours eating and looking for food to provide the energy to survive the long cold nights. The more effort finding food takes, the more energy is used and the less likely it is for small birds to survive.
Across the country million of households help their local birds by providing extra food in their gardens and back yards. Feeding your garden birds can be incredibly rewarding for both you and the birds. The birds receive extra food and energy and will stand a better chance of making it through periods of poor weather and we get to experience the joy of seeing some of our most beautiful and charismatic bird species close up.
So if you don’t feed your garden birds yet please consider doing so, as its one of the simplest and most effective ways of helping our beleaguered wildlife and is an incredibly rewarding experience. Here’s a few simple tips to get you started:
- Start simple. Feeding your garden birds can be addictive and like many of us you may end up with several feeders scattered about the place offering a mixture of food, but start off by feeding two or three different foods from hanging feeders. Here are some recommendations:
Choose metal feeders over plastic – they last longer and they aren’t plastic! Different options are available from most pet shops, DIY stores, garden centres or online.
Feed a good all round seed mix from one (a sustainably sourced, wildlife friendly brand is best – these are often endorsed by conservation charities like the RSPB or the Wildlife Trusts). You can also place some of the seed mix on the floor or on a makeshift bird table to attract ground feeding birds such as Blackbirds, Dunnocks and Robins. Feed peanuts from a second feeder to attract smaller birds such as Blue tits and Great tits and I would recommend feeding suet (fat balls) from a third feeder as these provide a great source of energy.
- Position. Positioning your feeders is very important. Small birds are very vulnerable to predators such as domestic cats and like to feed near cover. Hang you feeders from from a tree or large bush or a few feet away from a hedge if possible. Make sure you position them where you can see them for maximum enjoyment.
- Water. Our birds also need to drink and bathe on a regular basis so providing a regular supply of clean water is very important especially in winter when other water sources may be frozen or inaccessible. Don’t add anti-freeze or salt to the water as it will harm the birds, just break up any ice/or provide fresh when necessary.
Now your set up, sit back and enjoy!
