Talkback: Feeding garden birds in winter

That's some image, Pippa - birds in home-knitted socks! But I do agree we need to take care of the birds. They are the gardener's best friends. My garlic will be sown in pots, which i will do at the kitchen table, covered with plastic. Needs must in this weather. I do hope this bitter weather will mean a wonderful spring like we had last year.

I've just put some food out for birds,on old plates.They seem nervous of them, even the pigeons are skirting round the plates, which are dark red, cream with a blue rim, white with orange and green patterns and blue with red/orange patterns. Are the colours putting them off?

hi,, ive been increasing the amount of food i put out for the birds,yesterday i brought some little suet nibbles for the bird [wild fruit flavour] and do you know my birds will not eat them ....'why'... the only thing eating them are our little grey friends...[squirrels].

Hi I've just topped up my bird feeders today but i've only had two little blue tits come.how do i entice a variety of birds?

I have two ways to help birds in Winter: 1, Buy some packs of cheap lard, (27p at my local supermarket)leave it to soften & mix it with a high-energy seed & dried mixed fruit if I have it. Press this into plastic pots & leave it to set. Each day I tap out one or two onto the bird table or ground - cleared of snow. The lard is great as wild birds need to eat 1/2 their body weight in food every day to survive. Understandable, with overnight sub-zero temp's. I'm suprised they don't freeze solid. 2, Replenish bird baths & plastic plant pot sourcers with lukewarm water twice a day. Home-made birdcake works-out at a fraction of the price of even the cheapest equivelant from shops.

No snow in my part of Cornwall so far (Padstow) but have been feeding my birds regularly. I have in the garden a combination of hanging feeders with seed for smaller birds, suet pellets for the others (blackbirds, starlings, jackdaws). If I run out of suet pellets I buy the supermarket 'value' packs of sultanas, currants or mixed dried fruit - birds love it and its only 30p or so per pack. I dont have the problem with squirrels but aggressive seagulls keep away (my neighbour feeds them!).

I too have been doing my bit and am topping up my feeders and table 3 times a day to cope with the demand. I got in from work at 3pm today and went straight out with a supply of crushed fat balls, (the reason I crush them is to stop the larger birds such as seagulls flying off with them) and fresh peanuts. When I came back in after a few minutes I noticed a great tit, sat in the snow hardly moving, I monitored it for a few minutes before heading out to see if he was ok, he stayed still until I got to him and he then with great effort flew to the lower branch of a tree in our garden. Wanting to help him I went over with a generous helping of nuts and threw them onto the ground near him. He never went to them, I cameback in and continued to watch him, he struggled back to the bird table and has been courageously attempting to eat but I fear he is not a well little bird. He eventually hopped off to the ground where he remained immobile, the night has drawn in and I have lost sight of him. As a wildlife enthusiast and animal lover it pained me to see this little fella in so much discomfort and anguish and not being able to help him more than to give him food. I would urge everybody to spare a thought for nature and wildlife during this long cold spell and throw out any scraps no matter how small. It is down to human kindness that any of these small birds will survive this.

I too worry about the birds in this weather. I have been religiously puuting all sorts of bird food out and am delighted to say I have seen a thrush, blackbirds, doves, robin, wren, wagtail, blue tit, starlings and of course the inevitable sparrow in the garden... Iam hoping that they use some of the nesting boxes for warmth as I have had to have many of my established conifers chopped down as they were getting too big for my garden.

Its so important to feed a variety of food to our local birds, but have noticed that I dont really get the variety that my sister does. She doesnt stop feeding them all year around, and she gets them on the feeders 24/7 365 days a year. My resolution this year is not to stop filling the feeders come easter, then hopefully ill see my flock of greenfinches in the summer as well as stripping the sunflowers in the winter.

I provide water, lard, porridge oats and dried fruit; Niger seeds, crushed peanuts, cooked potato, chips, sausages, (but watch out for the rats) As you say we hope to keep our little bird community going. But who looks after the poor barn owls?

hello im new i have incresing amonts of bird food in my garden i buy lots of bird food for example peanuts mealworms in a tub and lots of seed i also get this suff like fruit all mashed together and wont you believe it i get a load of garden visitors i get starlings house sparrows blackbirds wood pigeons collared doves jackdaws even crows they mostly go for the fat balls i put out after at least one whole day thay have vanished i also get blue and great tits with the robin he is much much more bolder than the rest of the tit family i would also like to attract woodpeckers to my garden i see them around but what food would they like on hanging feeder or on the ground maybe a bird feeder i also did some digging at the bottom of the garden this week after that when seed fell on the mud the birds could easily see it and collect within a few days i love to watch them i once saw a owl when i was out and about i think it was a barn owl and also who likes webcams of lots of birds who watches springwatch they have tuns of webcams i watch the buzzard the barn owl and other intresting wildlife please report to me as soon as possible i am serously a garden bird fan bye bye

'Cover branches of holly berries with netting to keep birds away' I have just read the above in your list of jobs to do! Here's an idea, why don't we let the birds eat the berries to help them survive this freezing weather.