feeding_wild_birds_in_winter
Differences
This shows you the differences between two versions of the page.
| Both sides previous revisionPrevious revision | |||
| feeding_wild_birds_in_winter [2025/11/09 15:10] – administrator | feeding_wild_birds_in_winter [2025/11/09 15:11] (current) – administrator | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Line 3: | Line 3: | ||
| ===== Seasonal Differences ===== | ===== Seasonal Differences ===== | ||
| - | During the summer months birds require high protein foods, especially during their moult. During cold winter weather birds will benefit from high-energy or high-fat foods, which will help them to maintain their fat reserves and to survive frosty nights. Autumn is the time to change the composition of bird foods offered and perhaps the arrangement of your feeders. It is relatively easy to plan for winter bird feeding. | + | {{ : |
| There are three main choices of food: large seeds, small seeds and suet. Large seeds include black-oil sunflower, striped sunflower, sunflower hearts, safflower, peanuts, shelled corn, ear corn and mixes that contain sunflower, safflower and peanuts. Small seeds include millet mixes, which contain mainly millet and a small percentage of sunflower seeds and other ingredients, | There are three main choices of food: large seeds, small seeds and suet. Large seeds include black-oil sunflower, striped sunflower, sunflower hearts, safflower, peanuts, shelled corn, ear corn and mixes that contain sunflower, safflower and peanuts. Small seeds include millet mixes, which contain mainly millet and a small percentage of sunflower seeds and other ingredients, | ||
| Line 25: | Line 25: | ||
| Birds need water to stay hydrated, keep well insulated and to properly preen all year round. Therefore it is essential to keep your bird bath clean and ice free. Move your birdbath to a safe sunny spot during the winter to take advantage of the warmth of the sun’s rays. When temperatures are dipping just below freezing, you can prevent ice formation on your birdbath through the use of a dripper, aerator or simply floating a small plastic ball in the pool. Dark-coloured bird baths will stay warmer than light-coloured ones. You may want to add a heated bird bath to your backyard or place a safe heating element in a regular bird bath to provide birds with liquid water. Never use chemicals or additives to prevent the water from freezing. These chemicals are toxic to birds and can be deadly. | Birds need water to stay hydrated, keep well insulated and to properly preen all year round. Therefore it is essential to keep your bird bath clean and ice free. Move your birdbath to a safe sunny spot during the winter to take advantage of the warmth of the sun’s rays. When temperatures are dipping just below freezing, you can prevent ice formation on your birdbath through the use of a dripper, aerator or simply floating a small plastic ball in the pool. Dark-coloured bird baths will stay warmer than light-coloured ones. You may want to add a heated bird bath to your backyard or place a safe heating element in a regular bird bath to provide birds with liquid water. Never use chemicals or additives to prevent the water from freezing. These chemicals are toxic to birds and can be deadly. | ||
| - | ===== Preparation | + | ===== Preparations |
| Old nests should be removed in autumn, from September onwards once the birds have stopped using the nest box. Unhatched eggs in the box can only be removed and disposed legally between September and January (August – January in Scotland). Use boiling water to kill any remaining parasites and let the box dry out thoroughly before replacing the lid. Insecticides and flea powders must not be used. Please leave nesting boxes and bird houses up all year round to provide sheltered winter roosting sites for birds and small mammals. | Old nests should be removed in autumn, from September onwards once the birds have stopped using the nest box. Unhatched eggs in the box can only be removed and disposed legally between September and January (August – January in Scotland). Use boiling water to kill any remaining parasites and let the box dry out thoroughly before replacing the lid. Insecticides and flea powders must not be used. Please leave nesting boxes and bird houses up all year round to provide sheltered winter roosting sites for birds and small mammals. | ||
feeding_wild_birds_in_winter.1762697413.txt.gz · Last modified: by administrator