Leave leftovers for feathered friends

While enjoying your roast potatoes and Christmas pudding spare a thought for the birds in your back garden.

"With the ground frozen over and water covered in ice it is a difficult time for birds to feed and get water," says Lee Copplestone, site manager for the RSPB at Sandwell Valley.

"Normally young birds enjoy eating insects but over the winter they switch to seeds and berries such as holly, hawthorn and mountain ash, as well as mouldy apples.

"This is not appetising for us, but is great for blackbirds, red wings and field fares.

"However, a lot of our birds are originally woodland feeding and in England our gardens are generally too tidy with decking or concrete.

"This is not good for diversity of insects and means birds struggle even more to find food.

"It is important to put out food for birds to help them through the tough winter months."

Lee, aged 50, says people don't have to buy bird feed as they can use a lot of their Christmas leftovers.

"Mild cheddar cheese is great for birds, it is the boring one that is always left over on the cheese board," he says.

"Leftover porridge oats are good as are unsalted peanuts in, or out, of their shells. Birds also like the raisins that are left over from the Christmas pudding."

Lee says birds also enjoy old mince pies, Christmas pudding, apples, sunflower seeds, cakes, pastry, unsalted bacon rinds, suet, Yorkshire puddings, and sage and onion stuffing. "Cold cooked potatoes are particularly good for taking on a Boxing Day walk and feeding to swans and geese – it is much better than feeding them bread which is not close to their natural food," he says.

"One thing I would say to people is don't put out too much at the same time, just put a bit out first thing in the morning and then top it up. Otherwise it attracts unwelcome visitors such as rats.

"We have put some chicken wire over our bird table so the smaller birds have a fighting chance at getting some food.

"Birds have a fast metabolism so they have to eat almost constantly. It is the food and their feathers that help them get through the harsh winter nights." Birds also need a source of water for drinking and bathing but hard frosts can make this difficult.

"You can buy a bird bath or make your own but the inside of it should be rough – many commercial ones are too slippery," says Lee.

"Position the bath so birds have a clear view all around to make them feel safe from predators.

"Because the water in the bath can freeze, line it with a sheet of sturdy polythene so the ice can be removed easily the next day."

Lee says birds also need a place to roost and bird boxes are a good way of helping birds stay warm. It is good if people do have shrubs in their garden such as holly and ivy, otherwise they can buy roost pouches," he says.

"A lot of them perish overnight and that is why it is important to put up nest boxes at this time of year.

"It means there is a better chance they will live to fight another day."

And he says making your own food for birds is quick and easy.

"You can either put the raw ingredients on your bird table or bind them together to make a bird cake or suet ball," he says. "To do this put some shredded, dried suet in a bowl and add your favourite ingredients such as raisins, sunflower seeds, cheese and peanuts.

"Once you start stirring it the mixture binds together, if it doesn't you need to add some more suet.

"Start kneading it and as it warms up in your hands you can roll it up into a ball. The best thing to do is leave it to harden in the fridge and then you can put string through or just sit it on your bird table.

"Alternatively you can put the mixture into a plastic or paper cup, leave it in the fridge over night.

"Either put some string through the cup or empty it out, like a sandcastle, onto your bird table."