Birds on feeder - photo courtesy of Gillian Day
In your garden
Clean out and put up nest boxes. If you already have
nest boxes up in your garden, then it’s important
that they’re cleaned out for the breeding season
ahead. The reasons for the importance are that a)
most birds such as blue tits and great tits won’t use
a nest box if it has last year’s nest in it, and b) the
latter of those two tit species will often start to look
for a breeding territory as early as January – even
though eggs won’t normally be laid until April. If
you don’t already have one or two nest boxes up in
your garden, then now’s the time to do so!
Herefordshire
Wildlife Trust:
Looking after our wildlife this
Christmas
64
Keep feeding the birds! The further we get into winter,
the further natural supplies of food are depleted. In
addition, even a short spell of very cold and harsh
weather can prove fatal for small songbirds, as they
may struggle to find enough food even to keep warm
enough to get through the long nights. So, providing
the right type of foods in conjunction with the right
feeders can make a massive difference to songbird
survival rates. And of course, the more birds that
survive the winter then the more that can go onto
breed in the spring.
Many gardens have an influx of both the usual,
common bird species and ones that are winter
migrants to our shores – e.g. the brambling. For the
influx of the common species, this often takes place
because the birds are also migrating here from
northern mainland Europe (in particular Scandinavia),
with species including chaffinch, blackbird and even
the much-loved robin. Indeed, the robin you see
feeding on your patio in December might have
flown all the way from Russia to get there.
Bird feeders and Vine House Farm bird seed are
available
shop at 4, The Homend, Ledbury.
To advertise call 01684 833715
or from
email: our
[email protected]