A FESTIVE FEAST FIT FOR BIRDS

Christmas may look different for many of us this year, but your garden birds – like the robin on the front – will be just as hungry as ever.

During these dark and cold winter months, there’s less food available in the countryside so any food you put out in your garden or balcony will be very gratefully received. However here’s a guide from the RSPB on what you should leave for them and what you should avoid. Give the birds some of your Christmas meal leftovers – they’ll love some chopped unsalted bacon rind, dried fruit, old apples and pears and crumbled cheese.

Cooking fat from your Christmas turkey can stick their wings together, however, making it impossible for them to keep dry and warm, so keep that for yourself. Some other foods can also be dangerous for birds, including dried coconut, cooked porridge oats, and milk, so be sure to check on the RSPB website – rspb.org.uk – just in case. Sparrows, tits and finches will all visit feeders containing nuts, fat or seed mixtures.

The insect-eaters, the dunnocks, robins – such as the one pictured on page one – starlings, and wrens prefer mealworms. Suet-based products are particularly calorific so can be a big boost in getting birds through the colder nights.

Let’s not forget a drink – all they need is fresh water for drinking and bathing. This can be harder for birds to find in winter as ponds start to freeze, but you can keep your birdbath ice-free by floating a ping pong ball on the surface. Any wind will keep the ball moving and stop the water turning to ice.