Green Page – December
Caring for garden birds in Winter
As the winter days get colder and darker it becomes harder for our birds to survive. They spend most of the day foraging for food and then focus on conserving heat overnight. Small birds can lose 10% of their body weight in a single night. However, there are ways we can do our bit to help them.
Photo credit: The woodland Trust
Provide Food
Providing supplementary food can be a major boost for birds in Winter.
Wild bird seed is a good general mix to start with. There are also other foods high in protein and energy that can benefit birds in Winter. These include fruits – apples, pears etc., grains/seeds like nyjer, millet and sunflower seeds. Fresh, unsalted peanuts in a peanut feeder are another good option. Mealworms are also a good protein source. Finally, suet or fat balls can be bought or made and are a great calories boost.
Ideally feeders should be placed high up and not too far from cover so the birds have somewhere to hide but in the open enough so the feeder cannot be stalked by cats.
Keeping food topped up throughout the winter will greatly benefit visiting birds and being able to watch your feeders can be a great source of enjoyment. Making fat balls can also be a fun family activity.
Here are some recipes to make your own suet or fat balls:
Make Your Own Bird Treats - RSPCA - rspca.org.uk
How To Make Fat Balls for Birds | BBC Gardeners World Magazine
How to Make Homemade Fat Balls for Birds
It is also very important to keep feeders and bird baths clean. Ideally, a weekly clean with a mild detergent like washing up liquid or specialised bird feeder cleaner is the best way to reduce the risk of spreading disease through contact with feeders.
Provide Water
Often overlooked, water can be one of the hardest things for birds to find in Winter, especially if cold temperatures cause ponds, puddles and other water sources to freeze over. We can help by putting out bird baths and/or shallow dishes of water. In the winter, it is also important to check water levels regularly and keep them topped up.
If frozen over, break the ice and refill with lukewarm water so it doesn’t refreeze as easily. However, if you have a pond, breaking the ice can have a negative impact on any wildlife living in the pond. In this case it is best to use a saucepan, cup or pot full of boiling water. Leave it on the surface so it melts the ice underneath it to create a hole and access to the water. It also lets animals in and out of the pond.
Photo credit: RSPB
Provide Shelter
Another way to help is to provide shelter. Staying warm, especially overnight, can be challenging – especially for smaller birds. Shelter provides somewhere warm and dry to roost.
Some examples of shelter include dense, hedges and shrubs - including holly and yew. The berries of these plants can also provide a food source. Deciduous trees (even without leaves) can provide shelter, these include hawthorn and honeysuckle. Evergreen plants like pines are also good as the pines/leaves give extra protection. Even climbing plants like ivy can provide shelter.
Another type of shelter you can provide is putting up nest boxes or roosting boxes. You can also build your own nestboxes:
How to Build a nestbox: DIY nestbox Plans
How to build a bird box | The Wildlife Trusts
By providing some shelter, food and water in this way, we can make it easier for our birds to survive through the winter months.