Feeding birds during winter: extra food and water

Sprinkle bird food from the morning spread throughout the day. If you only give extra food in the evening, it will remain overnight and you will soon have problems with mice that join you at the party table.

Check – especially in wet weather – that the food does not start to mold or become a dirty mess. Clean up the feeding area regularly.

Provide multiple feeding stations so that smaller bird species also have the opportunity to eat.

Water is vital and can freeze during the harsh winter months. Break the ice or replace frozen water bowls with fresh ones several times a day. Birds use water not only to drink, but also to clean their feathers.

Do not feed birds food that contains salt.

Do not limit the bird's meal to fat balls, but provide enough variety.

Fat balls or fat balls

The most obvious way to give birds extra food is through fat balls. They contain a lot of calories that quickly provide birds with energy. Make sure that the fat balls are free of salt, because that is bad for birds. If you hang fat balls: choose the version without a net, because that disappears too easily in nature or bird legs get tangled in it. There are handy silos for sale in which you can hang multiple loose fat balls.

Tip: You can make your own fat balls by mixing unsalted animal fat or coconut oil with seeds and nuts. This gives birds a high-calorie meal and is also a fun activity to do with children.

Peanut butter or peanut garlands

Unroasted, unsalted peanuts are an excellent source of protein for birds, especially great tits and woodpeckers. You can place whole peanuts in a special peanut feeder so that the birds can peck them into small pieces.

Seed mixes

Seeds are a great source of energy. You can buy special seed mixes for garden birds, which often contain sunflower seeds, oats and other nutritious seeds. Sunflower seeds, especially the black ones, are a favourite with many species of birds such as chickadees, finches and robins.

Fruit

Fruits such as apples, pears or raisins are a treat for birds such as blackbirds and thrushes all year round. You can simply place pieces of fruit on the ground, hang them on strings in a tree or place them in a feeder. When it is freezing, it is better to give the fruit whole than in small pieces.

Dried mealworms

Mealworms are an excellent source of protein for insectivorous birds such as robins and wrens. You can mix them into a seed mix or offer them on the bird feeder.

Customised planting and faded flowers

Let the flower heads of faded sunflowers dry and use the seeds as extra food for the birds in the winter. You can also plant specific plants or shrubs in your garden in which birds themselves can find extra food, for example rose species that form hips.

It is important to offer food regularly : birds quickly learn the fixed places where food can be found. So try to remain consistent, especially during periods of severe frost or snow, when birds have more difficulty finding food.

Spread the food out over the day so that most of it is gone by evening. Otherwise it becomes too much fun for pests.

Make sure to keep the feeding table or feeding bowls clean to prevent the spread of diseases.

Providing several feeding places in the garden will give all birds – big and small – the space to eat without crowding each other.

A covered bird feeder protects the food from rain or snow.

An open feeding board is a bit more accessible for birds. Choose (or make) one with raised edges so that the food doesn't fall off.

You can offer peanut butter in small houses where such a jar fits well.

There are various food tubes on the market in which you can put seed mixes or fat balls.

Try to place your feeders high enough so that your birds are safe from cats. Place them near a tree, bush or hedge so that small birds can easily find shelter.

Some birds, such as sparrows, finches, robins and wrens like to eat their food on the ground. See if you can offer the food in a snow-free place, for example under a bush.

Birdbaths

A simple bird bath can do wonders, but make sure the water doesn't freeze during the colder days. You can use a bird bath heater or offer fresh water every morning if you see the water freezing.

Snow and ice

Birds can use some melting ice or snow as a water source, but that is not always enough. So try to refill the water regularly.

Additions

There are all sorts of stories going around about how to keep water for birds from freezing. Don't add salt, because that's bad for birds. Sugar is also a no go, because that just becomes a sticky mess when they wash themselves with it.

Nesting boxes

In the fall and winter, birds often use nest boxes as a sleeping place. Make sure that the nest boxes are clean and possibly insulated, so that they provide warmth. You can also choose a nest box with a smaller entrance to give smaller birds extra protection against larger predators.

Dense shrubs and hedges

Birds find shelter in dense shrubs such as holly, ivy and conifers. These plants not only provide a place to rest, but sometimes also food in the form of berries.

Twigs and leaves

Leave a pile of twigs and leaves in a corner of your garden. These natural elements provide hiding places for birds, but also for insects that can be an important food source for birds.

Hedgehogs

Leave a pile of leaves or a hedgehog house in your garden so that hedgehogs have a place to hibernate. Hedgehogs often depend on such shelters for their hibernation. In October, before they go to bed, hedgehogs also look for extra food to build up a layer of fat. You can give them cat food or special food for hedgehogs that you can find in the garden centre.

Squirrels

Provide a separate feeding area for squirrels with nuts, seeds and fruit. This will prevent them from stealing the birds' food.

Insects

Insects also need to survive the winter. They need hiding places to hibernate. Hang up insect hotels and leave some wood or leaves to give bees and ladybirds a safe place.

Amphibians

With a small pond or water feature you can help a lot of amphibians, such as frogs and salamanders, to hibernate. Incidentally, toads do not hibernate in water, but crawl into hollow spaces under the ground for their hibernation. A roof tile, compost heap or woodpile will do just fine.