During the winter months birds can have trouble finding enough food to keep themselves fed and warm. To maximise the number of winter birds visiting the garden, have a number of different types of feeding stations available and keep water sources clean and free from ice and debris. It is also important to keep the feeding stations clean to minimise the risk of transferring disease.
High energy food are essential to keep the birds’ fat levels up and help them keep warm. Like humans, birds need a balanced diet so don’t just give them bread as it won’t provide all them with the protein and fat the require. They also like:
- Unsalted bacon fat – cut into small pieces.
- Mild Cheese
- Suet
- Cold Baked Potato, roast or mash.
- Dried and fresh fruit, this can include wind falls from fruit trees.
I bought a feeder and fat balls today from my agricultural store for less than £5 but your own fat mix can be made at home from melted lard onto a mixture of seeds, dried fruit, oatmeal and cheese. Use a 1:3 mix of lard to other ingredients. Pour the mixture into a mould and allow to set.
We feed suet, peanuts in the shell, and sunflower seeds. Your approach sounds very frugal.
I had the suet balls which have all gone but not sure if they were eaten or just disintegrated with the bad weather. I keep putting the seeds out too but there seems to be so few birds about. Thanks for your comment.