The TV presenter loves watching birds feed in winter and offers a handful of tips for looking after them in the garden, including something you must never feed them
Garden expert Monty Don said watching birds feed during winter is just as rewarding as going on a safari.
The Gardeners’ World presenter explained in one of his recent blog posts how once the cold months set it, birds will “greedily feed off any seeds and berries in the garden”. He goes on to note that supplementing this natural supply both helps them and provides a fascinating chance to share and observe their world.”
“In fact I would say that one of the things I most enjoy about winter is watching the birds feed at the table outside our kitchen window. It may not have the glamour of going on safari or a trip to the Galapagos – but it is just as rewarding and right on every gardener’s doorstep,” he adds.
Monty advises using food that has as many calories as possible, citing seeds, nuts and fat as the best choices. He goes on: “Left-over pastry, bread and rice always get eaten fast and fruit is good, especially for blackbirds and thrushes. Grated cheese is popular as well as cooked (but not raw) potatoes.” While he warns people to not feed birds anything salty, including crisps or bacon. “Avoid anything salty such as crisps, salted peanuts or bacon. I buy dried mealworms too which robins, tits and wrens gobble up greedily.
“If in doubt sunflower seeds and fat-balls – preferably hanging so tits can land on them without being bullied away by more aggressive birds – are invariably popular,” he explains. A key point he makes for further protecting food left for smaller birds is to use an old log for feeding them.
Monty says: “Another way of making sure that all the food does not get gobbled up by pigeons and starlings is to find an old log with lots of cracks and crevices and pour seed over it. The smaller birds will extract every last bit from the fissures that bigger ones cannot reach.”
He also urges people to be as consistent as they can with supplying food for birds as they, “use up precious energy in coming to your bird table which is then wasted if it is bare.” Lastly, Monty advises bird lovers to, “always be sure that there is a fresh supply of water for them to drink, especially in freezing weather.”
