Garden wildlife in winter
Most of us spend more time indoors during the winter months but that doesn’t mean that we have to feel less connected to the natural world. There can be lots going on just outside your window! Gardens of any size can be a haven for wildlife and a source of enjoyment all year round.
Feeding the birds is probably the easiest way to attract wildlife into your garden or even to a windowsill. Bird seed, un-salted nuts and other tasty treats like suet, cheese and porridge oats are welcomed by a range of species, especially during prolonged cold spells. A supply of clean water is also important for birds to drink and bathe.
Top tip: remember to clean your bird table, feeders and water dish frequently because diseases spread through a build-up of bird droppings. Green finches and chaffinches are sadly especially vulnerable to the disease trichomonosis, which is fatal, which they pick up at garden feeding stations.
Even without supplying shop bought bird food, your garden will be an important refuge for birds and other wildlife, especially if you have some slightly wild tangled corners. Leaving seedheads on herbaceous plants through to spring will be beneficial to seed eaters like goldfinches. If you have space trees and hedges with nuts, fruit or berries look good and are a great food source for wildlife.
Top tip: a small rowan tree or a cotoneaster will produce loads of berries which the birds will love. You may even have the highlight of visiting waxwings!
Watching your garden visitors is fascinating and addictive with daily dramas to rival any soap opera! You will soon find out who is top robin and be entertained by the never-still coal tits and the chattering, argumentative house sparrows. Listen out for bird alarm calls which alert the whole garden to the presence of a potential threat. It may be a false alarm, but it could be a cat, a sparrowhawk of even a roosting owl.
Top tip: birds are super alert to any movement so approach your window slowly to avoid alarming everyone and emptying your bird table.
Your garden will attract other wildlife as well as birds. Squirrels, rabbits, foxes, badgers and deer are all common garden guests, although some are more welcome than others! Most are nocturnal visitors, so a snowy morning is a great time to have a look for animal tracks and have a go at some detective work.