6 Top Tips To Help You Care For Wild Birds This Autumn

Autumn is one of the best times to observe many forms of wildlife.  At this time of year, it’s common to see the Brambling, Redwing, Waxwing, Fieldfare, Coal Tit, Nuthatch, Siskin, Spotted Woodpecker, Jay and more as they start to bulk up before Winter.  It’s important for them to find plentiful food sources at this time of year, in fact their very survival through the cold winter months can depend on it.

To help our feathered friends endure the harsher weather it’s a good idea to keep some well stocked feeders out.  If you love watching the birds in your garden (which we’re willing to bet you do if you’re reading this!), then this has two benefits:

1. The birds are kept happy and well fed
2. You get to see them visiting your feeders. Your garden might even become their favourite port of call!

Starvation is the biggest threat our garden birds face so providing them with regular, reliable food sources can be the key to helping support their survival.

Here’s how you can keep the birds coming back to your garden this Winter:

1. Use High Energy/Fat products

In the colder months garden birds need a lot more energy.  You can support them with high energy feeds such as; suet balls, suet pellets or suet cakes.  Dried mealworms are also well sought after.  If you want to go a step further, then our Hi Energy Autumn and Winter mix, Premium Gold mix and our Premium High Energy Robin and Insect No Grow mix are all fantastic choices.

2. Add more feeders to your garden

As natural sources of food become depleted, competition can heat up for the available food sources.  To make the food as available as possible to as many different birds as possible, try adding more feeders to your garden and keep them topped up.  If you’re short on space, window feeders or adding a dining station are great ways of bringing the birds to different parts of your garden.

3. Maintain a clean, accessible supply of water

Water is vital to birds and can be delivered by water drinkers or bird baths.  In the colder days of winter, they could ice up, so consider adding a special bird-safe de-icer to the water such as the fantastic one from ecoPond [https://www.gardenwildlifedirect.co.uk/accessories/bird-baths/ecopond-ice-free-for-bird-baths.html].

4. Site nest boxes early

Did you know it’s a known fact that there is simply not enough nesting holes and natural roosting spots for our birds to shelter and survive over winter and to nest in during spring?  That makes this  the perfect time of year for hanging new nest boxes or relocating old ones that have been empty for a while.

If you have a nest box in your garden that has been unoccupied for a year or more, chances are it’s not in an ideal location.  If that sounds like one you have in your garden, it’s time to relocate it.

The main things to remember when locating a nest box are:

• Face away from strong northerly or easterly winds
• Face away from direct sunlight
• Secured around 6’ up the tree to reduce ‘swaying’ and finally,
• Away from smothering vegetation that will make it tricky to nip in and out of the nest box.

If all located suitably, they’ll all be occupied by next spring and you’ll really be making a difference to the success of many of the UK’s favourite breeds of birds.

We’d love to hear your stories!

5. Don’t forget the other wildlife in your garden

Your garden is full of wildlife from bugs to hedgehogs.  You might not see them, but they’re there.  You can help them out further by leaving small piles of logs or leaves.  Putting them under or next to a bush is a great way to encourage them in.  If you catch them at the right time, you might be lucky enough to see the birds foraging around your newly created bug havens.

It’s also worth mentioning not to disturb piles of leaves and check any bonfire sites carefully before lighting them.  Hedgehogs love these environments!

6. Relax and enjoy the birds in your garden

Ok, so this isn’t really a step, but we feel it’s important after all that hard work!  We always find that there’s no better feeling than sitting at a window and watching the antics of our feathered friends.  If you have a camera handy while you’re sat there, take a few photos.  There might just be another photo quiz coming soon with some big prizes…

Remember you don’t need a garden to enjoy watching the birds. If you have a patio area, a dining station with a patio stand would work well, or window feeders bring the birds up close.