It’s October and the weather is already getting drastically
cooler. The leaves are changing colour and falling to the ground and the birds
are looking for food and nests to keep warm.
We should always be doing our best to look after our
environment and wildlife but with the incoming cold spell, it’s even more
important to help provide food and shelter, especially for birds.
We've put together 3 really easy and things that you
can do to help the birds out this winter;
1.
Put feed out for them. Seeds, nuts, suet, fruit
and insects provide high energy and protein that can help them keep healthy and
can be inexpensive. A good idea is to put the food in a bird feeder and
preferably up high out of the reach of any cats or other predators.
Did you grow sunflowers this year? Don’t throw
out the heads! Birds will love picking the seeds out of the dried up flower!
2.
Keep a supply of fresh water available, birds like to bathe regularly to look after their feathers and in the cold conditions their natural sources could freeze over leading to dehydration. A shallow bowl or tray is ideal, as garden birds are only small!
3.
Offer shelter or nesting material . Any natural fibres including wool, cotton and jute can be left for birds to pick up and use to make their nests safe and warm. You could even gather up the loose pet fur that accumulates around the house and offer that to the birds. However if you are going to use pet fur, only use it if your pet has not been treated with flea treatment as this stays in the fur and can harm the birds. If you are offering wool or natural fibres in the form of string, be sure to cut it into lengths no longer that 4 inches to avoid them getting caught up and making it easier for the smaller birds to carry.
One of the ways we’ve started to
care more for the local birds is by using our suet feeders to hang insect
filled suet and natural jute in our garden.
