If you love attracting birds and wildlife to your garden, you probably spent time topping up your bird bath over the summer, making sure flocking robins, starlings, blackbirds and sparrows had somewhere to drink and cool off in the heatwaves.
But at this time of year, when the Met Office is issuing rain warnings and it feels like the downpours never stop, you might be forgiven for thinking you don’t need to bother topping up your bird bath.
But according to wildlife experts, even in autumn and winter you should be using your birdbath and making sure there’s a supply of fresh, clean drinking water out for birds if you’re still leaving food out.
Now that October is here and the colder weather isn’t far behind, gardeners are being urged to take action to keep their bird bath topped up and also make sure it can’t freeze over as temperatures plummet.
Awesome Wildlife UK says: “If you’re providing food, it’s essential that you provide a reliable source of fresh water too. Birds will use this for drinking and bathing, even in the cooler months. This can be placed in a shallow dish, bird bath, or saucer.
“When it gets really cold, add an ‘icebreaker’ (something that floats like a ping pong ball), as this will help to stop the water from freezing.”
Along with your bird bath, you’ll still want to leave out food for birds too. But at this time of year, you should focus on high energy foods that birds will rely on to get through the colder conditions.
Awesome Wildlife adds: “As the weather changes, so does the diet of many birds. Insect numbers fall, so many birds eat seeds, berries, and rely on vital food from garden feeders to get all of the energy they need.
“During the colder months, birds benefit from energy rich food, such as sunflower seeds, peanuts, mealworms, and suet in our garden bird feeders. Feeding birds these types of foods helps them build up their fat reserves, allowing them to survive the cold winter months. You can also opt for bird feed mixes that are made for certain seasons.”