How to feed the birds in your garden in winter?

 Small birds in freedom, they live outdoors in our gardens in winter and we take pleasure in observing them. The freezing cold, the snow, the frost... Our little companions are weakening and no longer find as much food as in summer. Thus, it is essential to help them by offering a rich and appetizing diet. Over time, wild birds will get into the habit of coming to keep you company during the winter.

Why feed wild birds?

Nature offers in abundance all the food that a bird in freedom needs for its well-being and greed. Berries, juicy fruits, succulent seeds, insects, worms... But when the frost gets involved, it's a different story!

In winter, food is becoming increasingly scarce. Snow covers the treetops and the ground hardens. The days are getting shorter and the hours of hunting are decreasing. Energy is running out... Spent in full on an active but fruitless search for food. Under these conditions, it becomes to eat. Our friends then find themselves on a diet. Proteins and fats are also assimilated by the body to warm up in periods of extreme cold. If food is lacking, the body will not be able to maintain its temperature and the bird may freeze to death in the short term. 

It is found that the mortality rate of wild birds is higher in winter, because of the lack of feed. Small species will be more fragile. Man can then be the bearer of food and the savior of these little feathered beings.

When to start?

We must not start too early, or too late. It's a tight schedule. Depending on the region, it is necessary to start distribution at the first frosts, and install feeders in late October, or early November. In the northern regions, it will attack a little earlier, while in the south, where the sun is king and the temperatures milder, we will take more time. The distribution must be stopped in early spring and summer, gradually. At these times of the year, nature wakes up and our feathered friends become, for the most part, insectivores... Food becomes abundant again.

As soon as you start feeding them, you sign a kind of moral contract with them and you commit to helping them during periods of extreme cold. The wild bird knows that there is a beautiful feeder filled with food in your garden and will come to visit you regularly. If you stop abruptly, the distribution, the bird has traveled a long way and consumed a lot of energy and can die.

What food for wild birds?

Pet stores offer food specially designed for winter, which respects the nutritional needs of wild birds. In winter, it is essential to feed food that is higher in fat and protein to provide energy to the birds. At the same time, the body temperature essential to resist the cold is maintained. Food must be protected, and sheltered from bad weather and predators. The idea is to install a feeder, which must be cleaned regularly.

You can thus offer feeders all of these foods:

• Fat and fat balls. Preferably of vegetable origin, with high energy value. There is also vegetable fat bread mixed with fruits, berries, or even insects, which is very popular.
• Sunflower is an indispensable and nutritious seed.
• Grains and seeds are the main diets of birds. Pigeons, tits, sparrows... Species in wooded and agricultural areas love it. They are rich in vitamins and minerals.
• Cereals, such as corn, wheat, barley, oatmeal, millet, hempseed, sesame, ... In a mix, with seeds, very tasty.
• Dried and unsalted fruits (peanuts, hazelnuts...) as well as decomposed fruits (apple, pear, grapes) are used in delicacies and are rich in vitamins, iron, and calcium.

Warning: to be avoided!

To meet their nutritional needs, there are certain foods to remove from the kennels, for the well-being of their little feathered beings. We find :

• Animal fats. Birds are warm-blooded animals and it is not recommended to feed them with fats of animal origin.
• Milk is not part of their diet. It is very poorly digested and can be very toxic or even deadly, just like salty foods.
• Although some wild birds are insectivorous, the very resistant fly larvae, once ingested, can perforate the stomachs of our friends.
• Toxic flax seeds, as well as 'cheap' mixes with split peas, lentils, rice... Are to be removed from feeders.
• A lot of people think they're making fun of a little treat for domestic fowl, but it's not part of the natural diet of our outdoor friends.

The element not to forget this winter: is water!

Every living thing needs water to live. To be placed next to the feeders, always in the same place, water in winter is essential. In nature, water is easily found, but with winter and negative temperatures, it freezes! Our friends of nature find themselves helpless. To help them, you can make a drinker, not too deep with abundant water. If you live in an area with low temperatures, provide water that is a little warmer to avoid freezing. Free-ranging birds will be able to drink but also clean their plumage all winter.

Feeding birds only in winter

The birds are autonomous to feed and capture all the insects and larvae they appreciate in order to feed their brood during sunny days. But during the period of extreme cold, especially if it tends to last, it is possible to help them feed, but only during these winter months otherwise, they may get used to it and no longer hunt for their young in spring.

Where to install a bird feeder?

If you have made a birdhouse, you will be able to use it to deposit the food you intend for the birds. The nest box must be hung high and without branches or other support that could allow a cat to access it. You can also install them in several places in your garden if it is large enough, without forgetting to put one visible from your home which will be an ideal observation post and warm to observe the merry-go-round of greedy birds.

When stocking feeders, check their cleanliness because if they are very frequent, they can be soiled by droppings.

Prepare balls of fat with seeds for birds

The fat balls can be bought in the pet store department but you can also make them yourself. For this, get a mixture of their favorite seeds or prepare the mixture yourself, buying vegetable margarine or rapeseed fat. Mix the two by putting about 400 grams of seeds for 500 grams of fat. You will adjust according to consistency.

Divide the mixture into empty yogurt pots or silicone muffin tins. Cool and then harden in the refrigerator or outside if the cold is there. Unmold and use them for your bird boxes.