Autumn and the perks that go with it

So today felt very autumnal. Fog to start the day off which gradually burnt off during the day ending in wall to wall sunshine. Admittedly that sounds like most days we have here in Britain but the big give away was the colour of nature. The trees are starting to turn into all the glorious reds, oranges and yellows. Only the odd leaf here and there but autumn is definitely among us.

One of the things I love about autumn is feeding the garden birds. At the moment, there are plenty of berries and fruits out there for them to peck on but it is always a wise idea to set up your feeders now so they become a familiar sight during the harsher months when the birds will need them most.

So why am I writing this? Well I fed the birds, simple.

A few years ago when Chris Packham first joined the Autumnwatch team, he created a video about feeding birds. All the useful hints and tips which I think you should definitely read about.

POINT 1

Wash your bird feeders regularly. The RSPB recommends soaking them in hot water once a week. This will prevent and diseases from forming and also spreading. I used boiling water and washing up liquid and rinsed well afterwards.

POINT 2

Don't feed them cereal based seed. I've noticed this in my own garden, they seem to fling the wheat out of the feeder and as a result, it starts to grow in odd places... And as Packham said 'you wouldn't feed you kids junk food, so don't feed it to the birds'.

POINT 3

Keep your feeders and water topped up. During the Winter months, your feeders will become a familiar sight and the birds will depend on these familiar feeding stations.

POINT 4

Refresh the food each time you clean the feeder. Not all feeders are waterproof. When the seed is wet or damp and there is no air circulation, they will begin to rot and no one wants sick birds in their garden!

POINT 5

Position your feeders away from walls, fences and trees. Yes they are handy places but it makes it all too easy for cats...

5 simple points you need to remember. It is so simple to maintain a well stocked feeding station and by following those 5 points, bird carried diseases can be reduced significantly ensuring the survival of our most loved species.

So Moment-eers, love your garden birds and they will certainly love you back!