Keep birds visiting your garden throughout the winter

The peculiar weather of 2012 has certainly affected many people's plans, and much the same could be said of the rest of the animal kingdom - as any seasoned buyer of the seeds for sale at Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) should know. Birds, for instance, always find the winter tough, but this year's looks to be even worse for them as crops have disappointed and they have struggled to find the berry and nut crops on which they depend.  

Rarely have birds' natural food sources looked as scarce as they do right now, and although the exact causes of this are not entirely obvious, it is the unusually wet spring that has been blamed by many for the current berry shortage. From sweet chestnuts, acorns and sloes to brambles, hawthorn and pyracantha, there are so many vital crops that are proving deficient, which makes it all the more important for the customers of cheap seeds to help birds out at this time of year. 

The good news is that it's not too difficult to find foods that have the fat and energy that birds so badly require right now. You might want to leave out some peanuts or sunflower hearts, or why not buy some porridge oats, pastry or mild cheese for your feathered friends when you next go shopping? It's also possible to make your own fat cakes with lard and suet. Birds also need to clean their wings periodically, which makes it a good idea to keep the bird bath topped up, perhaps placing a tennis ball in the water to prevent it freezing over - but avoid adding any salt or sugar. 

Those that buy seeds online and that would like to help birds through the winter should be wary that birds themselves have predators - specifically cats. You may therefore want to put a bell on the collar of your own cat so that birds can hear them approaching, although you should also ensure that it can be easily detached in case it snags on anything. You may also have the cats of neighbours entering the garden, which is why you may also wish to provide birds with an effective shelter in the form of a prickly hawthorn or bramble bush.

Such bushes are, of course, also a great source of those aforementioned berries. It's advisable to have a wide range of berries in your garden if you want it to be welcoming to birds, and we have a great selection of relevant mail order seeds right here at Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk). By spreading seeds throughout the garden, birds even help with propagation. However, you might not want to restrict the berries in your garden to those that birds like - at least, if you still want to have some colour left by Christmas! 

Editor’s Note: Seeds By Post (http://www.seedsbypost.co.uk) is represented by the search engine advertising and digital marketing specialists Jumping Spider Media. Please direct all press queries to Louise Byrne. Email: louise@jumpingspidermedia.co.uk or call: +44 (0)20 3070 1959 / +34 952 783 637.