By Ann, gardener and garden designer at Ann's Garden Heaven
There's nothing quite like watching a robin hop across a frosty lawn while you're warm indoors with a cup of tea. But for garden birds, winter is a real struggle. Days are short, insects have vanished, and a small bird like a blue tit can lose around 10% of its body weight on a single cold night just keeping warm.
A well-stocked feeder can genuinely help them survive – and it brings your winter garden to life. Here's how to do it properly.
Step 1: Choose the right food
In winter, birds need high-energy, high-fat foods. These are the ones I put out:
- Sunflower hearts – the best all-rounder. No husks, so no mess, and loved by finches, tits and sparrows.
- Fat balls and suet blocks – pure energy for cold mornings. Always remove plastic nets first; birds' feet can get caught.
- Nyjer seed – tiny black seeds that goldfinches adore. Use a special nyjer feeder with small holes.
- Peanuts – only in a mesh feeder, never loose in spring (whole nuts can choke chicks). Buy from a reputable supplier to avoid harmful moulds.
- Mealworms – dried or live. Robins and blackbirds go wild for them.
- Kitchen scraps – grated mild cheese, soft fruit like apples and pears cut in half, and cooked rice are all welcome.
Never feed birds
- Salted or dry-roasted peanuts
- Bread in large amounts (fills them up without nourishment)
- Cooking fat from roasting tins – it smears feathers and can carry bacteria
- Milk – birds can't digest it
- Desiccated coconut, which swells in their stomachs
Step 2: Use different feeders for different birds
- Hanging seed feeders – for tits, finches and sparrows.
- Mesh feeders – for peanuts and fat.
- Bird tables – for robins, blackbirds, thrushes and dunnocks, which prefer to feed off a flat surface.
- Ground trays – for shy ground feeders. Place near cover, but not where cats can hide.
Step 3: Put feeders in the right place
- About 2m from a hedge or shrub – close enough for birds to dart to safety, far enough that cats can't ambush them.
- Visible from your window – so you can enjoy them!
- Away from windows by at least 1m (or right up close) to prevent collisions.
- Sheltered from strong wind and out of reach of squirrels if you can – or use a squirrel-proof feeder.
Step 4: Don't forget water
In freezing weather, finding water is often harder than finding food. Birds need it to drink and to bathe – clean feathers insulate far better.
- Use a shallow bird bath or dish, 2–5cm deep, with sloping sides.
- Break the ice every morning, or float a small ball on the surface to slow freezing.
- Never add salt or antifreeze.
Step 5: Keep everything clean
Dirty feeders spread diseases such as trichomonosis, which has badly hit greenfinch numbers in the UK.
- Clean feeders and bird tables every week or two with hot soapy water or a mild disinfectant, then rinse and dry.
- Move feeders around the garden from time to time so droppings don't build up underneath.
- Only put out as much food as birds will eat in a day or two.
- Wear gloves and wash your hands afterwards.
Step 6: Be consistent
Once you start feeding, birds come to rely on you – especially in a cold snap. Try to top up feeders at the same time every day, early in the morning when they're hungriest after a long night. If you're going away, ask a neighbour to keep things going.
Bonus: plan for spring
Winter is the perfect time to put up a nest box. Birds start house-hunting in late winter, so having one up by February gives them time to find it. Face it between north and east, away from strong sun and prevailing wind, and at least 2m off the ground.
Shop this guide
- Bird & Wildlife – feeders, bird tables, nest boxes and baths
Feeding the birds is one of the simplest, most rewarding things you can do in the garden this winter. Before long you'll know your regulars by name – and they'll be waiting for you every morning.
– Ann
Photos from Wikimedia Commons, shared under Creative Commons and similar free licences. Follow each link for the photographer and licence.
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