Birds in Winter - Ways to help them survive
Jan 3rd, 2008 by Birdy Trish
I woke up to a winter’s scene. Snow had covered the ground and the garden pond was frozen, so I knew I’d best feed and water the birds straight away.
It’s noon and I’ve put bird food out for the garden birds 3 times this morning already.
- When I got up in the early morning gloom. Before I walked the dog
- About 9.30am when I saw the empty feeders and saw that the snow was still coming down.
- At 12 noon today I threw some mixed bird feed onto the bird tables.
I’ve filled up birdtables and bird feeders, scattered bread and cheese under the garden bush.
Birds in winter need feeding. Their food is scarce and the water frozen. I can tell by the way they all flock to the food I put out that all the birdfood is important to them.
- Birds need food first thing on a morning to give them enough energy to see them through the day.
I’ve got a small area of the garden where I put bird food on the ground.
- A bush gives the birds shelter and sometimes keeps the ground frost free
- A meshed bird feeder gives smaller birds space to eat
- A small piece of lawn is always kept clear of snow and I put bird food out on that.
Feeding birds can just be as simple a keeping an area free from snow and putting bird food at the base of a bush so they can eat sheltered from the snow.
The ground feeder is really good. I’ve been leaving the meshed door open so the thrushes and blackbirds can get in.
Here’s I photo I took early this morning showing those three things. This boring bit of garden jut outside out kitchen window has become a vibrant cafe for birds!
