February in the Wildlife-friendly Garden

I know we love to talk about the weather, but what was all that about in January?! All those low pressure systems rolling in with such astonishing force and tipping out so much water on their way through? It's a winter we won’t forget in a hurry – and I know it has been far worse for many of you than for me down in soft Sussex.

Who knows - February might still decide to throw in a dose of proper winter, or we might get yet more Storms-with-Names to cope with. But, whatever it chucks at us, there is still plenty that can be done this month to help wildlife in gardens.

These are what I think of as February's four main tasks:

1)     Filled feeders. Birds have had it relatively easy this winter (wet and windy can still make looking for food quite a challenge, of course), but it is now that natural supplies begin to thin out.

2)     All things 'trees'. If you've yet to get around to the winter tree work you've been considering, this is a good month, whether it be planting bare-rooted trees, shrubs and hedges, or pruning.

3)     All prepared. It’s good to go into spring with everything in working order (and I don't mean just you!). February is perfect time to ensure you've got your seeds ordered, plant pots clean, tools greased and everything ready for when you put your gardening foot on the gas.

4)     And then Give Nature a Home. Literally! I’d love you to think about whether you’ve got room for another nestbox. Maybe you still haven’t got a Blue Tit box in your garden – the one with an inch (25mm) wide hole – or the old one is falling apart. But the big need these days is for nesting sites for House Sparrows and Starlings. Sparrows use the same size boxes as Blue Tit but they need a 32mm hole. Starlings need a box which is twice the volume, and with a whopping 45mm hole (below - I'm very proud of it having made it myself. Up close you can see it is amateurish, but in a small photo it looks quite decent!).

Have a look at our dedicated Giving Nature a Home pages for House Sparrows and Starling boxes to see if you feel up to making your own. Or you can buy one from the RSPB shop.

And here are the two ends of 'my' Starlings - with nestboxes you often only get to see half a bird at a time!