It is at this cold and often wet time of year that our wildlife needs our help. Just by taking a little action for wildlife you could be saving their lives and enriching yours. Make this a fun, family event and try to involve everyone... Children could spread the word at school and maybe make into a project. Gran and Grandad could make 'fat balls' for the birds and Mum and Dad can hang them out - the 'fat balls' that is and not Gran and Grandad!
For an ethical supplier of everything 'wildlife' and everything 'bird' please visit www.birdcareuk.com - mention West Yorkshire Animals In Need when you place your order and 10% of your order value will be donated to us to help with local wildlife. Their website is packed full of useful information to help birds all the year round - check it out!
Here are just a few ideas to get you on the right road...
BIRDLIFE...
Now is the perfect time to hang out 'pouches' to protect the birds from the cold as they rest overnight. The optimum direction to place them is with the entrance facing North East to South as this protects them from the oncoming weather.
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Birds need to take a bath first thing in the morning and once it starts to become dusk in the late afternoon. This is crucial as it enables the bird to fluff up all its feathers which traps in the heat and keeps it warm. It's just like us layering our clothes to trap in the heat.
An upturned dustbin lid with a couple of stones in the middle for the bird to perch on is perfect for a bird bath but please make sure it's cat proof. To give the birds an additional treat why not use warm water - they will love it. A scientific quirk here...never use boiling or very hot water as it freezes quicker than either tepid or cold water! It's wonderful to watch as the birds take a communal bath splish splashing everywhere...who needs a television!
When the bird bath water is frozen please thaw it out as soon as you can as the birds will now see you as a regular service station and rely upon you not only for bathing water but also for drinking water.
One way of keeping the water at a nice temperature for the birds, and to stop it from freezing, is to pop a lighted tea light into a terracotta or ceramic plantpot and place the upturned dustbin lid onto that for the night. Please ensure you place this in a cat proof area.
An easy peasy thing to do is to empty out the water at night and refill early in the morning.
Do not use anti-freeze, de-icer or salt as you will poison anything that drinks from it. Simply use warm water.
Ensure any bird table is cat proof like this...
Birds need to eat high energy food in this cold weather to build up their fat levels in order to retain heat so start to make 'fat balls' or 'fat pads' for them. Smaller birds such as Sparrows; Finches and Tits love these!
Easy peasy to make just...
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slowly melt some solidified fat in a pan - dripping is good;
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you will require some containers that wont warp with the heat of the fat - cups and basins are good. A useful tip, learned from years of experience trying to get the set fat mix out of the cup, is to first line the container with greaseproof paper leaving a descent overlap to pull the mix out in one solid lump;
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add sunflower seeds (black ones have the most nutrition), peanuts and any other seeds you may have into your lined container until just over half full;
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Pour the melted fat into your container and stir well.
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drop a length of string, knotted at both ends, into the mix with one end hanging out that is long enough to tie the 'fat ball' up somewhere in your garden or yard;
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allow to set;
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once set, pull out the fat mix and remove the greaseproof paper;
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ready to go...just find somewhere safe in the garden to hang them from and watch with glee as the birds have a feast!
Should you purchase 'fat balls' please remove the net mesh from the balls as birds regularly become entangled in it and often die. Simply place the balls in a feeder for the birds to enjoy in safety.
You can purchase 'fat balls' and 'fat pads' from www.birdcareuk.com at a very reasonable price and they are an ethical company who genuinely do care about wildlife. Please mention West Yorkshire Animals In Need when you place an order online with Bird Care UK and 10% of your order value will be donated to our charity to help wildlife in the local area. It's a win, win situation!
Bird feeders filled with a mixture of seeds, which include black sunflower seeds, are perfect for the smaller birds.
Robins; Wrens and Dunnocks, however, prefer to eat grated dripping that has been thrown beneath bushes for them. Frozen dripping is far easier to grate so pop it in the freezer overnight.
Larger birds, such as Collared Doves; Jays and Blackbirds, love to eat peanuts from an elevated flat surface. Just use a tray, see the picture above, and hang it on a pergola or something similar.
FOOD TO FEED GARDEN BIRDS
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Raisins; sultanas and currants;
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animal fat;
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cooked, unsalted rice;
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mild Cheddar cheese - grated;
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dry porridge oats;
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cold, plain potaotoes - not chips;
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apples and pears, chopped;
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pastry, cooked and uncooked;
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peanuts for birds.
FOOD NOT TO FEED GARDEN BIRDS
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Cheap peanuts - may contain killer toxins;
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dessicated coconut;
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spicy foods;
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salty foods;
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salted nuts, snacks, crisps and bacon;
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margarine and vegetable oils;
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mouldy foods;
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chocolate.
Please check everyday that the birds have enough food as the supply of worms, berries, bugs and fruit are in very short supply at this time of the year. And, don't just stick to one feeder - put a few around your garden. Again ensure they are placed well out of the reach of cats!
A good tip if you have a cat that brings you 'pressies' is to pop two bells on the collar and not just the usual one. Cats soon learn to stalk and pounce without their bell ringing out a warning - two bells they can't control!
Metal dustbin lids on a six foot post will effectively prevent cats catching birds...
And, it's not only the birds in your garden that need help this winter - the birdlife who live on rivers, streams, canals and lakes also suffer in the cold weather.
Ask your local supermarket or bread shop for any out of date bread and go feed the ducks! It's great fun for all the family and the birds do get to know and expect you. And, as you can see some will even eat from your hand! Try and do this as often as you can - once a day is perfect. 
HEDGEHOGS...*
Please check for hibernating hedgehogs before you light a garden fire or fork over the compost heap as they are perfect places for to retire for their long winter sleep.
Try not to tidy up your garden too much as you may disturb any hibernating hogs and they are difficult to see amongst the twigs, leaves and stones.
Now is definitely not the time to move any sheds or outbuildings as these wonderful little creatures could be living beneath them - wait until the spring months.
Check any sheds and outbuildings for hedgies and other animals such as cats that may be trapped inside. As we to use them less frequently in the winter months the animals locked inside would die without water and food.
Although hedgehogs do hibernate through the cold winter months they do emerge occasionally for food so please carry on putting out food and water for them. To a hedgehog its weight is crucial for if it drops below 600gms. then it will probably not survive hibernation.
Check this website for further information on helping the hedgehog. The British Hedgehog Preservation Society has a useful website www.britishhedgehogs.org.uk and they also have a list of carers in your area and you can contact them by telephone on 01584 890801 or e mail info@britishhedgehogs.org.uk
PONDLIFE...
Please do have a pond as it attracts wildlife into your garden - but ensure you have a graduated edge to enable any animals that accidentally fall in escape safely.
Our pond, frozen over in the cold spell!
The life in your pond requires oxygen and to optimise the level simply maximise the area exposed to the air. To do this ensure that, once you have thawed out an area on the pond, you remove just enough water so that the water in the pond is not in contact with the ice covering the pond. This way the whole of the pond's surface area is exposed to the air. In freezing weather you should really check your ponds every day for ice because toxic gases can build up in a frozen pond which could kill fish as well as newts and frogs which may be hibernating at the bottom. Please don't allow dogs onto any frozen water as many dogs have perished by falling through thin ice. 
CONTAINERS...
Leave any containers - buckets, pots and tubtruggs etc. - upturned to avoid them filling up with water as small animals can so easily drown in them. Small cats/kittens and dogs/puppies, hedgehogs and small mammals such as mice, voles and frogs are all in danger from this.
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