It appears that most of us (okay, okay, I know, not you lucky people in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, I am just trying not to think about you...) will be getting some snow over the next few days.
Please don't forget to feed the birds. Bird food seed mixes, peanuts (not salted) and fat balls, along with leftovers like grated cheese, uncooked porridge oats, soft fruits, cooked rice and pasta are all ideal and will help the garden birds to survive the winter.
Cooked rice, brown or white (without salt added) is beneficial and readily accepted by all species during severe winter weather.Any breakfast cereal is acceptable birdfood, although you need to be careful only to put out small quantities at a time. It is best offered dry, with a supply of drinking water nearby, since it quickly turns into pulp once wet. Fat balls and other fat-based food bars are excellent winter food. If they are sold in nylon mesh bags, always remove the bag before putting the fat ball out – the soft mesh can trap and injure birds.
Water is also vital for both drinking and bathing and bird baths can be kept from freezing over using small floating items like twigs or ping pong balls.
Birds use a huge amount of energy maintaining body heat and the smaller species need to eat their own body weight in food each day to enable them to survive the night. Suet is excellent high energy food, as are peanuts.
I love to watch the birds in the garden and when away in the van, in my opinion, they are certainly worth the effort.
Lorraine x
Please don't forget to feed the birds. Bird food seed mixes, peanuts (not salted) and fat balls, along with leftovers like grated cheese, uncooked porridge oats, soft fruits, cooked rice and pasta are all ideal and will help the garden birds to survive the winter.
Cooked rice, brown or white (without salt added) is beneficial and readily accepted by all species during severe winter weather.Any breakfast cereal is acceptable birdfood, although you need to be careful only to put out small quantities at a time. It is best offered dry, with a supply of drinking water nearby, since it quickly turns into pulp once wet. Fat balls and other fat-based food bars are excellent winter food. If they are sold in nylon mesh bags, always remove the bag before putting the fat ball out – the soft mesh can trap and injure birds.
Water is also vital for both drinking and bathing and bird baths can be kept from freezing over using small floating items like twigs or ping pong balls.
Birds use a huge amount of energy maintaining body heat and the smaller species need to eat their own body weight in food each day to enable them to survive the night. Suet is excellent high energy food, as are peanuts.
I love to watch the birds in the garden and when away in the van, in my opinion, they are certainly worth the effort.
Lorraine x
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