Looking after the winter wildlife
I’m actually a huge fan of snow – I think it looks fantastic, especially when I don’t have to go out in it, and its huge fun to walk in (and throw snowballs). However, we have had rather a lot of it of late, and I think the birds are getting a little cheesed off.
Feeding the birds
Perhaps the simplest way of feeding the birds is to buy a bag of birdseed, but that can work out rather expensive. There are cheaper ways of doing it, which will also help you with your leftovers too.
What can you feed them?
- Cheese (grated or chopped into small pieces)
- Uncooked pastry
- Porridge oats
- Leftover cake (especially fruit cake, Christmas cake and mince pies)
- Jacket and roast potatoes
- Cold vegetables
- Cooked pasta and rice
- Millet
- Pinhead oatmeal
- Peanuts and other nuts (not salted or dry-roasted) – either chop them up or put them in a feeder so the adults don’t try to feed them whole to young birds)
- Unsalted snacks
- Fat from unsalted meat
- Dried fruit
- Over-ripe fruit (if you have a lot of fallen apples, pears and other fruit in the autumn, freeze them whole and then put them out over the winter)
There are a few ‘don’ts’, though – don’t feed them too much bread, as it’s low in nutrients and might fill them up, stopping them eating enough of the right food. Avoid soft fats like margarine and vegetable oils, as they can clot on feathers. Desiccated coconut can swell inside their stomachs (but coconut in the shell is fine), and cooked porridge might harden on their beaks.
Finally – don’t put out cooked meats, or too much food, because they might attract rats, and make sure the birds have access to plenty of (unfrozen) water.
Bird feeders
Bird feeders don’t have to be expensive – make one from a pine cone or a plastic drinks bottle, and hang up strings of unshelled monkey nuts.
Birds need fat to give them energy in cold weather, so rather than clogging up the drains with the fat from the grill pan and the Sunday roast, make a bird cake with birdseed or leftovers.
Looking longer term…
…when you plan your garden, put in some plants to provide winter food for birds, such as cotoneaster, teasels and holly. Grow some sunflowers too – the seed heads make great (and free) hanging bird feeders in the winter.
Think about some over-wintering homes for wildlife too – butterflies, solitary bees, lacewings and ladybirds, frogs and toads, hedgehogs (or just make sure there is a pile of twigs and leaves). Add a log pile and that will please frogs, toads, shrews, hedgehogs, ground beetles, centipedes and rove beetles.
And it will be spring soon, I promise – so build a bird box and you could be treated to the patter of tiny wings!
Suzanne Elvidge is a freelance writer and Surefish Ethical Living Editor. Many of the ideas for this article came from Surefish's Ethical Living pages. Read more…
