Winter is finally here, most of the leaves have fallen off the trees and the Grey Squirrels are hunting for the last scraps of food that they can store away. The birds we see in our gardens might change too, as we begin to welcome visitors such as the Greater Spotted Woodpecker, Jay, Starling, Blackbird and even one of my favourites, the Robin. They all have to eat and you can do your bit by helping them.
But which bird food is best to put out for them? Well, I personally have a suet fat ball holder which attracts Starlings and Long Tailed Tits, which usually arrive in flocks.
Long Tailed Tits are pink, black and white and have long tails like their name suggests. I also put out bird nuts which attract Blue Tits, Great Tits, Coal Tits and the occasional Woodpecker.
Finally, I have two Sunflower heart feeders which attract Goldfinches, Greenfinches and Chaffinches. This type of feeder seems very popular with Finches, and I have had up to 6 on the feeders at one time! They truly are very pretty birds and lovely to see.
The other thing that you could do is throw old bits of scone or cake into your garden, which might attract birds like Blackbirds and Song Thrushes. You could also use scraps like bacon rind and bits of bread for the Magpies and Crows. One of the most important things to do during this time of year is to put water out for them. If you have a bird bath, put a golf ball in the water as this will prevent it from freezing over and will allow the birds to drink throughout the winter period.
If you have Fruit Trees you might have birds in your gardens that you may have never seen before like Redwings and Fieldfares. They do tend to ground-feed but if this Winter is harsh then they will forage in your gardens. Fruit from the trees is one of their favourite meals.
It has been a good year for Wildlife here at Jordans Mill, I have seen animals and insects that I have never seen before! In the Meadow I have spotted a Six Burnet Moth, lots of unusual Dragonflies and Damselflies, and we now have a permanent visitor, the Little Egret. Hopefully the Kingfishers will return in the next few months on a more regular basis because they are beautiful and well worth watching.
If you have taken any good Wildlife pictures this year at Jordans Mill, then please send them to us and we will upload them to a Gallery page so that we can share them with all of our visitors.