Give garden birds a helping hand this winter

The UK is currently experiencing a cold snap and although you may notice many animals vanishing from our gardens to hibernate, there’s plenty of winter garden birds that come out to play.
At this time of year it's so important to an eye on overwintering birds in your garden to make sure they stay well fed and sheltered in winter.

Helping hungry birds find a cosy shelter and giving them tasty treats to fill up on could save their lives when it’s frosty.
Maria Kincaid, head ornithologist at FeatherSnap, warns of the many risks to birds at this time year: “Winter and sudden changes in temperature pose significant threats to bird populations.

Freezing water sources, strong winds, and dwindling food supplies make this time of year especially difficult for them.”

While we're able to snuggle under an electric blanket and turn up the heating our feathered friends face many challenges. the good thing is there's lots of things we can to help. Here's Maria's top tips on looking after our feathered friends.

7 ways to help winter birds

1. Stop the freeze

Birds require plenty of water, particularly during a cold snap. As many of their natural water sources are likely to freeze over, it’s important that they are still able to drink and bathe. Installing multiple bird baths and keeping them filled with clean water is a simple yet effective way to help birds stay hydrated. You don’t need a fancy bird bath; everyday items like old oven dishes, metal bin lids, or shallow containers can work well as makeshift baths. If you’re concerned about them freezing over, place them in an area of your garden where sunlight hits. Or place a tennis ball in the bath to prevent it from freezing over. Regularly refilling and cleaning these baths is crucial to prevent bacteria build-up, which can be harmful to birds.

2. Give birds your leftovers

In winter, food may become scarce for birds in the UK. Many insects, which are the primary food source for common British birds such as robins, blue tits, and sparrows, become less active during colder months. Leftover festive food scraps, such as unsalted nuts, dried fruit, and cooked potatoes, can also be left out to lend a helping hand to birds this year. Just make sure that the food is free of salt, sugar, and other additives that could be harmful to them. Do scatter out-of-date fruit around the garden for the birds to enjoy –blackbirds, song thrushes, fieldfares, redwings and some smaller birds such as blackcaps will love it! Don’t give birds too much bread and avoid meats such as chicken and turkey as it’s very bad for them.

3. Make your own DIY fat balls

Fat balls give birds the energy they need to make it through winter. Create your own by melting lard and adding plenty of dried fruit, seeds and chopped nuts. Allow it to harden in the fridge in blocks, tie string around it and hang it from trees.
Use a high energy, no grow seed mix like this RHS mix.

4. Provide a natural shelter

Offering birds a sheltered area is one of the best ways to support them at this time of year. Shelter helps birds shield themselves from snow, strong winds, or rain, which can be particularly detrimental to smaller species. Species such as goldfinches, wrens, and robins have smaller feathers and less mass, making them less equipped to withstand harsher weather conditions. Dense garden hedging makes a great sheltered spot for birds. Shrubs such as hawthorn, holly, ivy, pyracantha, cotoneaster and rowan are all great options for not only providing thick cover for nesting and roosting but also lots of berries for food.

5. Brush up

If you don’t have dense garden bushes, you could create a brush pile in the corner of your garden. Any branches, leaves or twigs lying around will make the perfect shelter for birds. Ensure your pile is in a protected and quiet place and that there’s enough airspace for roosting so the birds will be cosy while
being shielded from the harsh weather. This not only gives birds a place to rest, but it also encourages the activity of invertebrates, which birds can then feed on.

6. Provide a place to nest

While birds won’t start breeding until mid-February, they like to plan ahead and will be on the hunt for potential breeding sites throughout winter.
If you're planning to put up your own nest box, follow these simple rules...

Try a simple and classic box like this...

7. Plan ahead
As spring approaches, consider creating a wildflower patch to help garden birds get fat for next winter. Choose an area of your garden to let the grass grow wild and as it grows, birds will have more insects to feed on. It also makes a great place to spread seed and other bird- friendly snacks.

Winter garden birds UK

From the common blue tit to more unique looking birds like the starling, there are so many fantastic birds that flock to the garden in the winter. If you're a bird enthusiast, here’s six you can look out for…

Blue Tit

These cute and colourful birds are easy to spot and one of the UK’s most popular garden visitors. They feed on insects and spiders and can be found nesting in tree holes. They’re also partial to a cosy bird box too.

Goldfinch

The ruby face and yellow stripes on a Goldfinch’s wings makes them particularly striking and easy to spot. You’ll no doubt see them pecking at your bird feeder during the winter and they’re fans of seeds and niger seeds.

House Sparrow

This noisey, common garden bird has sadly declined by 65 per cent in the past 25 years. While female house sparrows have just brown feathers, the males have a grey chest, black face and brown feathers on their wings. Their call is also very chirpy, so you’ll instantly know if you’ve got a few in your garden!

Starlings

From afar, Starlings look like they have jet black feathers with white dots all over their face and coats, but if you’re lucky enough to see one up close you'll notice their coat actually has green and purple running through it. Even though they’re residents to the UK, their numbers usually double as migrant starlings fly across from the Baltic States and Russia. If you manage to spot one in your garden, we recommend getting your camera out, as they really are a great bird for snapping a picture of.

Long-tailed tit

This chubby little bird is another member of the tit family and has a black and white long tail, with a pale pink chest. Originally, long-tailed tits were irregular garden visitors due to their shy nature and would just stick to hedges and woodland areas. Now, they’ve increased in numbers and will often visit garden bird feeders in large groups.

Wood pigeon

Wood pigeons are much larger than other garden birds, with a purpley grey tummy, grey wings, which also has some white feathers, as well as on their necks. If these feathered friends are regular visitors to your garden then make sure you put out plenty of seed in your feeders, as wood pigeons are greedy and will guzzle the lot in no time!

Maria Kincaid, is head ornithologist at FeatherSnap.

Claire Tapley is a digital editor for Yours.co.uk. She is a journalist with over 16 years' experience writing for women over 50. In her previous role she was deputy editor on Yours magazine for nine years, before moving over to Yours.co.uk.