ACTION PLAN
NIGEL COLBORN’S ESSENTIAL JOBS FOR YOUR GARDEN THIS WEEK
COLD weather will cause hardship for garden birds. The smallest will need a lot more dietary energy to help them to keep warm. If you have bird tables or feeding stations, keep topping up supplies as demand will be greater because more birds visit during cold snaps.
Boost calorie intakes by including fat and hulled sunflower kernels, rather than whole seeds. Blue tits and great tits are especially fond of balls of fat or highenergy sprinkles, available from rspb.org.uk.
Look out for nuthatches, great spotted woodpeckers, marsh tits and even overwintering blackcaps on or near your feeding stations. Watch out for waxwings, too.
These beautiful starlingsized birds migrate from Scandinavia some winters and travel in flocks. They are easily recognised by the sealing waxstyle red marks on their wings and handsome crests.