If you love birds you’ll want to give them extra help to survive during this cold snap.
Many of our native birds will be struggling in this very cold weather; so too winter visitors such as Redwings and Fieldfares which come to the UK from northern European countries seeking warmer weather!
Lots of you, especially in the south, will have noticed the winter influx of Redwings and Fieldfares. These birds normally look for food in fields and hedgerows; however, when denied their natural diet by freezing conditions, they seek refuge in our gardens where the food we supply provides a lifeline between starvation and survival.
In these frozen conditions, it’s a struggle for many birds to find anything to eat. But you can help!
Here are 10 simple tips from our bird experts here at Naturetrek on more ways you can help birds get the food they need during the cold weather …
1. Fat: When birds are starving almost anything fatty is good. You can put fat balls/fatty foods on the ground for birds such as Thrushes and Starlings, or hang them up for the more agile species.
2. Fruit: Many birds like fresh fruit – take the skin off bananas and let birds peck at the flesh. Apples are very popular too and Fieldfares love them – stamp on them to break them up (or chop).
3. Dried fruit: Sultanas are excellent – scatter them on the ground or on a bird table. If you’ve got any fruit scones you can spare they will go down a treat, too.
4. Porridge oats (uncooked!): Put out raw porridge oats or grain-based cereals.
5. Move your garden pots: If you have garden pots simply move their position a bit – this exposes worms and grubs which is good for birds!
6. Take the top off your compost bin: Insects such as flies & other invertebrates will be snapped up by birds like Robins.
7. Rake: Run a rake over the grass in your garden – this will take the top layer of snow off and expose the grass, allowing birds to access the ground for grubs etc.
8. Leave old chicken carcasses out: Starlings in particular love picking at the remains!
9. Keep water clear: Birds need to drink too and they don’t seem to get the drinking water that they need from snow. If you have a bird bath or other way of providing drinking water for birds in your garden make sure it’s not frozen, that it’s clean, and top it up each day.
10. Bird-feeders: Last, but not least, make sure you keep the hanging nuts and seeds in your bird-feeders topped up, dry and clean.