Nature on our doorsteps: Looking after the birds in winter
Rosaleen Dwyer is the County Heritage Officer at South Dublin County Council – every week she gives us an insight into nature on our doorsteps and the beautiful biodiversity of its plants and wildlife.
Many people like to help the birds in winter by putting food out for them.
When deciding what food to leave out, however, it is best to choose a variety of food types to suit different bird species. Also, choose foods that contain a lot of calories and protein such as nuts, seeds, and fat balls.
Peanuts appear to be the birds’ favourite. Hanging a peanut feeder in the garden will attract a range of Finches, Tits, and in some places maybe even Siskins and Redpolls.
These little birds are very agile and can hang upside down on a crowded feeder if they need to find space to feed.
Birds like Blackbirds and Robins tend not to dangle from bird feeders.
Instead, they delight in feeding underneath the feeders, picking up the debris that falls from the feeders above when other birds are squabbling and eating.
Bread is not the best food for birds in the park
The second favourite food type appears to be sunflower seeds, especially sunflower hearts which have had their hard black seedcoat removed industrially.
Finches can remove these seedcoats themselves, but householders tend not to like the mess this leaves behind on the ground.
Shop-bought or homemade fat balls are also great bird-attractors.
To avoid attracting less welcome visitors like rodents, attach a base like a plastic plate or a flowerpot drip tray to the bottom of the feeder to catch scattered seeds and bits of nut.
Feeders should be hung where predators like cats cannot get at them.
If in trees, hang feeders on the light, thin branches where cats cannot easily creep to without being seen by the birds.
If hanging feeders on a pole, place the pole about one metre from a bush or hedge so that the birds can scatter to safety when they need to.
Feeding the birds can make all the difference to their survival in winter, while it also brings us great delight to watch their antics.
