Many of our native birds are really quite small, and so will lose body heat very quickly in cold weather. During winter cold snaps, they need to eat almost constantly, in order to maintain their body weight and reach the spring in good condition, ready to breed.

In order to support as many species as possible through the harsh winter months, we need to put out a variety of different foods, to fulfil their varying dietary requirements – seeds of different sizes, small insects, such as mealworms, nuts (which are rich in both protein and carbohydrates), together with kitchen scraps, such as bacon rind, bits of raw pastry, breadcrumbs, etc, are all good. And fresh water is extremely important, especially during periods of sub-zero temperatures when environmental sources, such as ponds and puddles, may be frozen for several days. You may need to refresh it every day, if it becomes frozen.

Fat balls, which are great energy sources for garden birds, are available from most pet shops and garden centres. But, you can make your own! It’s cheap, easy and fun to do.

You will need:

• Empty yoghurt pots
• Garden twine or string
• Sticky tape
• A saucepan, kettle and bowl
• Lard or dripping
• Breadcrumbs
• Seeds (sunflower or niger)
• Stale breakfast cereal or mealworms

Step 1 - Gather all your ingredients.

Step 2 - Melt the lard in a saucepan on a gentle heat. Add all your ingredients and stir to get a good mixture.

Step 3 - Meanwhile, make a small hole in the bottom of each pot and thread a length of twine through each one. Stick the end down with a piece of sticky tape, making sure to also cover the hole you made (see picture). Place these pots, the right way up, in a container, such as a recycled ice-cream container, tupperware box, etc. This will catch any liquid fat that may seep through the bottom of the pots and save you from a mess to clear up later.

Step 4 - Add mixture to fill each pot almost to the top. Leave in a cool place (could be the fridge, or a cool garage, conservatory or greenhouse, at this time of year) to set.

To get your fat balls out of their pots, boil a kettle and pour a little hot water into a bowl. One at a time, place each pot into this for 30 seconds or so. The fat at the edges will melt again, enough for you to pull your fat ball out using its string.

Now, all you need to do is hang your fat ball in the garden, where you can see it from a window, and wait to see which birds will come to feed. Don’t be disheartened if you have no visitors for a couple of days, as birds are naturally suspicious of new things and will take a little while to get used to it.

You don’t need to use all the fat balls at once, as the others will keep in the fridge for ages. One production run should last you for several weeks.  And the birds in your garden will be very grateful.

Sue Huggett

Campaigns Volunteer