The RSPB Feed The Birds Day is an annual event highlighting the importance of feeding wild birds in your garden. Last year's winter was one of the harshest we've had for many years and many birds relied on food provided in gardens to survive the cold weather.
The RSPB is asking people to think about the different ways they can help birds and wildlife in their gardens. Feed The Birds Day marks the clocks going back and the winter nights drawing in, and is the ideal time to ensure your feeders are full and your bird tables are clean.
There are a number of things you can do to prepare for Feed The Birds Day. If you don't have a bird table then now is the ideal time to get one to give the birds time to get used to it before the winter sets in. There are many different styles of bird table to suit all types and sizes of garden. And if you live in a flat or only have a small garden you can even get bird tables that attach to your window.
If you do have a bird table then carry out some routine maintenance on it. Check that no screws or joints are loose which birds could hurt themselves on. Give it a thorough clean and cover with a coating of wood protector - make sure this is non-toxic to birds.
Bird feeders are another great way of feeding birds. They take up a lot less room than a bird table and if you have a number of different bird feeders you can attract different species of birds to your garden. Bird feeders are usually filled with seeds or nuts but you can also buy or make fat balls and fat cakes or you could even make your own bird feeder.
Birds will eat a variety of food such as kitchen scraps like bread and stale cake, nuts, porridge oats, rice, mashed potato, grated cheese, unsalted bacon, sultanas and fruit. You can also buy special ready made bird food mixes made from seeds and grain, some of which are designed with specific species of birds in mind.
Don't forget to put out water for birds too. It is particularly important in the winter as their natural sources of water could be frozen over. You can either buy a bird bath or use an upturned dustbin lid or large bowl. If the water in your bird bath freezes over don't use antifreeze to thaw it as it is very harmful to birds.
Feed The Birds Day 2009 takes place on 24th October and the RSPB will be running a number of events across the country to help you find out more about the birds in your garden.
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