By: Louise Fisher
Winter brings with it a host of difficulties for wildlife, birds in particular. Around 50 per cent of UK birds migrate south for the colder months, where the resident birds staying behind often experience a surprisingly hard time considering their refusal to migrate. Food is at a premium, since most plants are no longer producing either fruit or seeds. A few pests such as aphids and slugs remain, but most of the insects and invertebrates sustaining birds throughout the year have either burrowed underground for warmth or died altogether. Later in the season water sources freeze up entirely, reducing their ability to feed and clean themselves. The lack of foliage removes many possibilities for nesting and insulation, and all this combines to create a generally hostile and stressful environment.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to support your garden birds over the lean winter months, one of which is providing high-calorie meals to sustain them and insulate against the cold. Fatty suet is a reliable standby, and can be bought online or made into cakes at home to feed a wide variety of birds. To appeal to a wider variety of species consider shredding the cakes, allowing smaller birds easier access to the food.
Peanuts provide excellent nutrition, being rich in both fat and calories. They can be offered shelled if you want to limit feeding to larger birds, or shredded for wider appeal. Nyger seeds traditionally appeal to finches, though are incredibly oily and represent good nutrition to any winter birds frequenting your mesh feeder. Just remember that in the case of any shelled nuts and seeds to keep an eye out for shell debris left on the surface of your garden. This can interfere with plant growth in the new spring, and it's advisable to collect it back up to avoid any damage.
Giving birds somewhere to roost is highly helpful, though this is obviously limited to a small number of birds. Bird houses can be adjusted to appeal to specific species, depending on whether you want to aid any particularly attractive or vulnerable birds, and can be placed on walls and trees to support local breeding pairs. Remember to keep an eye on any species taking up residence in your garden, since they'll likely leave towards the beginning of spring. Clean out any nesting spots at this point to make room for birds seeking temporary spring housing and you'll be able to keep birds all year round.
Water sources are increasingly valuable once the ground freezes, so making these available represents a valuable contribution to the local wildlife. For homes with a pond feature, heat a saucepan of water and hold it over the ice until a large hole has been safely melted through. For any water features that have yet to freeze you can leave a tennis or ping pong ball in them to disrupt the onset of ice, and keep them capable of sustaining drinking and washing for weeks to come.
Louise Fisher tries to keep birds frequenting her garden all year round. Now a featured collaborator of Bonnington Plastics, a bird seed wholesale supplier, she hopes to spread advice even further.
Article Source: Winter Bird Care
