Christmas is a time for feasting and fattening up, not least for the birds. In winter, they need high-energy food to keep themselves warm and with insects and natural food sources in short supply, laying on a festive spread for your feathered friends is a great idea.
Birds will happily polish off leftover cake or crumbs of biscuit and mince pie, as well as other kitchen leftovers like mild grated cheese, cold potatoes, apples and pastry scraps. But, as with any dinner guest, it’s important to adhere to their dietary requirements.
Cooking fat from festive roasts should never be left out for garden birds as the greasy mixture can damage their feathers, interfering with their waterproofing and insulation.
Fat from roasting tins can quickly go rancid if left in a warm kitchen before being put outside. This forms the ideal breeding ground for salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria and, just like people, this can be fatal to birds.
If you’d like to make your garden birds their own Christmas treat, try mixing bird seed, nuts and raisins together with lard, squashing it in and around a pinecone and hanging with string from a tree. Make sure you also provide daily fresh water for your garden birds in a birdbath, pond or even a recycled, shallow container with a stone inside so that they can perch - birds need this not only to drink, but to bathe too.
Birds quickly get used to a regular food supply, so by starting to feed your garden birds now, you should encourage regular visits all year round – just in time for our Big Garden Birdwatch Survey which runs from 28 – 30 January, 2017. Register to take part now and receive your free Birdwatch pack at www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch