Birds

How to help birds in colder weather!

Put out bird feeders with winter bird seed mixes and regularly top up food and water. Clean feeders to avoid disease spread.
Provide a variety of foods for different species. Hang feeders from trees or on stands. Make homemade fat balls to provide birds with extra energy.
Leave autumn berries on trees and hedgerows for birds to forage on. Plant winter-fruiting trees like hawthorn and holly.
Put up nesting boxes to provide roosting sites for small birds. Ensure boxes are draught-proof and cleaned out ready for winter residents.
Provide fresh water daily in bird baths, changing regularly to avoid ice. Consider a heated bird bath.
Leave areas of garden with leaf litter, logs, and scrubby vegetation where birds can shelter from poor weather and predators.
Avoid cutting back herbaceous plants and hedges until late winter so birds can access seeds.
Keep cats indoors, especially at dawn and dusk when birds are feeding and vulnerable to predation.
Join the RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch in January to help monitor bird populations!