Winter

December is normally the start of winter with unsettled weather and often the first true cold snap of they year. The availability of natural food on hedgerows and countryside are now beginning to become scarce. This in turn brings birds into your garden and the feeding season has begun. Birds will then start to look around for food on offer so if you’re have plenty of food in the feeders you’re sure attract some interest. Once they are used to feeding in one place they will return for more!

 Feeding

Winter is certainly upon us now with all this cold and wet weather. Wild Birds need all the energy they can get.They need all the calories they can get!

In severe weather we recommend you feed twice daily.birds require high energy foods like our very berry peanut cake during cold weather as they need to maintain their body reserves to survive the sharp frosty nights. Suet is a quick source of energy and a great replacement to other foods which are hard to find.

Try feeding high energy peanut cakes in the colder weather and watch the birds flock to your garden table. They can either be fed from a special suet feeder or left on top of the bird table.

We also have some special triple value cakes which are ideal for your birds at this time of year.

These high calorie fat products or other high energy foods such as High Energy Winter Mix, Huskfree – No Waste, Sunflower Hearts or Peanuts come highly recommended.

Food and water

By offering both food and water for wild birds in your garden can make a real difference. To create a haven for birds, your garden should offer as many feeding opportunities as possible. Peanuts are always a firm favourite with tits and finches. Sunflower Hearts and our own Huskfree- no waste will attract even more species We recommend you supplement the bird food seed with suet and fat based foods together with live mealworms, an ideal snack for visitors like the Spotted Woodpecker and Song Thrush. Our Rustic bird bath will provide an attractive water feature in your garden but remember to break the ice ( when it comes) so birds can have access to water.

Feeders

We always recommend that you use high quality feeder with well designed port holes like the Droll Yankee design ( see feeders). Always site among and close to trees and shrubs which will encourage birds to use them more readily. Please remember to position your bird bath at least two metres from cover to avoid attack from predators such as cats and if squirrels are causing you a problem please see our selection of Squirrel resistant feeders.

Create a Wildlfe Haven

This is also a great time of year to consider putting up a new nest box for the next breeding season. Birds require adequate food and water but we can help some of them further by providing a suitable nest site. More than 60m species are known to use nest boxes and the hole size is known to determine which species decides to nest there.

We recommend that you leave cleaning of the nest box until the end of the breeding season (October).

We carry a wide of specialist nest boxes that should be mounted at a height of between 1.5m and 5.5metres. Remember to avoid strong sunlight and prevailing winds - ideally it should face between North and South East.

Nestbox

We able to offer a range of nestboxes for a variety of birds. From Wrens to a Treecreeper, from a House martin colony to Swifts, our staff are able to help you.

Hygiene

Clean bird tables and feeders on a regular basis to reduce the risk of disease. Birds are vunerable to Salmonella and e-coli which can be transmitted from bird to bird.
If you feed ground birds such as Blackbirds and Thrushes, it is advisable to change the feeding area on a regular basis to reduce disease.
The table scraper is an ideal tool to help keep your bird table clean and hygienic. Ark-klens, a disinfectant solution, is an ideal way of clean feeders and water baths.
Both items are available from our online shop