In your garden this onth...

You can trim your hedges now, if they’re a bit messy, but only do so if the birds have already eaten the berries, as these are an important food source in cold weather. With the coldest temperatures of the year usually occurring in January, you need to carefully monitor your bird baths and ponds. If they freeze over, break the ice and remove it, but you can prevent it icing over in the firstplace by floating a tennis ball in it. You’ve still got time to put up nestboxes ahead of the breeding season, although some species will already have been prospecting for likely nest sites. At this time of year, they could also provide valuable shelter for some

species, such as Wrens, during the worst weather. Do the RSPB’S Big Garden Birdwatch, 26-28 January. Online registration has already opened (see: rspb.org.uk/ get-involved/activities/

birdwatch/), and it will give you an idea of which species are regulars in your garden, and thus how you can help them throughout the year.