We are keen for everyone to help get our beautiful wild birds through the winter. They struggle to find enough feed in freezing weather and we are urging everyone to take action!
Just a few handfuls of food per day could make the difference between life or death for tiny creatures which often weigh less than half an ounce (12g).
It’s the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch on 24-25 January and you can sign up for it here: https://www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch/
Here’s some tips that will reap rewards for all:
- Scatter food at ground level or use a ground-feeding tray for collared doves, blackbirds, dunnocks and wrens
- Provide a good variety of grains, seed and nuts for birds such as tits, blackcaps, house sparrows, bullfinches, goldfinches, greenfinches, starlings, robins and siskins. The best mixes contain plenty of flaked maize, sunflower seeds and peanut granules
- Small seeds such as millet and nyjer attract finches, sparrows, dunnocks, reed buntings and collared doves
- Flaked maize is enjoyed by blackbirds; peanuts and sunflower seeds are loved by tits and greenfinches
- Pinhead oatmeal is great for many birds but larger, hard grains such as wheat and barley are only really suitable for pigeons, doves and pheasants which feed on the ground
- Whole peanuts are wonderful food for tits, greenfinches, house sparrows, nuthatches, woodpeckers, and siskins
- Many birds love food bars, fat balls and bird cake and live food such as mealworms is relished by many
Just a few warnings:
- Avoid cooking fat and fat from coked fowl such as chicken and turkey as the consistency tends to coat bird’s feathers
- Don’t feed salt or food with a high salt content
- Ditch the dairy – avoid giving birds products containing milk because birds’ guts are not able to digest it
February 14 – St Valentine’s Day – is traditionally the time for birds to find a mate.
So they will need a home ready for nesting! Put up your bird boxes now, or clean out and renovate your old boxes.
You will find a good selection to purchase here: www.perfectplants.co.uk.
