Bird Watch: how to help feathered friends this winter

Read on to find out how birds survive in winter, what their diet entails and how we can help.

Survival skills

Birds need to be on their A-game in winter when food is hard to find. Some species like blue tits, goldcrests and chaffinches flock together to improve their chances of locating food and huddle together to help keep warm during the cold nights. You might also spy huge flocks of birds in the winter (like a dazzling murmuration of starlings for example) which can help to spot and scare off predators before it’s too late. Safety in numbers…

Eat like a bird

Finding food is the biggest challenge for wild birds in winter when the days are short and the nights are cold. Small birds like blue tits and goldcrests try to feed continually in daylight hours, consuming as much as 30% of their body weight, so they have the energy to survive until the morning. Hard, icy grounds and hibernating insects make it even trickier.

This is where we can all help. Creating a well-stocked feeding station can be a lifesaver. Fat balls and mesh peanut feeders are great. Many high-energy kitchen scraps also make perfect snacks: fat from unsalted meats, cold roast potatoes, peanuts, suet, cut-up fruit and vegetables, hard bits of cheese, stale cake and broken biscuits. A veritable feast.

Box clever

Before you splash out on a snazzy bird box or feeder, do your research. Experts say 3-4 square feet is an ideal size and, while most are made from wood, more modern designs are made from metal or plastic which can be easier to keep clean. Check there are no sharp edges or moving joints and consider an adjustable table so you can slide the feeding platform up and down so the different roof heights will cater for smaller or larger birds. Clean feeders regularly and move to a new area every month to avoid droppings accumulating underneath.

Feather your nest

Not all birds head south in the icy snap of winter and the UK is home to several migrant species during colder months. Winter visitors come in search of food and more forgiving weather conditions before returning to their summer homes. Fieldfares (a large member of the thrush family) leave Scandinavia and Russia in their thousands to spend the winter in the comparatively mild UK. Look out for redwings from Iceland that arrive in October in Scotland and Ireland. The beautiful waxwing (slightly smaller than a starling) travels from Scandinavia to the UK to feast on their favourite rowan berries.