Winter feeding of the native bird species makes sense in the period from November to the end of February, as there is less food available for the animals in these months.
Many commercially available bird feed mixes are of poor quality and sometimes harmful to birds. The animals can also be on the commercial fat balls in the plastic net and are seriously injured.
Making the birdseed yourself is a good idea as it is not difficult and you have better control over the composition of the feed. When making your own birdseed, you can make sure it doesn’t contain wheat grains, seeds from invasive species, or allergenic ragweed.
To save energy, birds don’t care about each other as much in winter and even warm each other up. But the animals cannot survive the winter months without food. In order to survive the winter, birds need fatty food in the cold season.
At low temperatures, birds’ foraging becomes a little more challenging because many insects and fruits are no longer available. Those who can crack open the shells of beechnuts, hazelnuts, and other tree seeds.
Birds also use their beaks to find insects or other food under the snow or tree bark. Out of necessity, many birds will eat almost anything nutritious they can get their hands on.
Feeding the birds in winter should therefore be distinguished from supplementary feeding in summer since the animals have different energy and nutrient requirements depending on the season.
High-fat and coarse-grained food should only be fed to the birds in winter. With a good feed mixture of different ingredients, there is something for every bird and some literally pick their raisins.
Only ingredients that are neither salted nor seasoned in any other way may be used in the production of birdseed. Bread, fresh meat, dairy products, chocolate, sweets, avocados, fruit pits, fruit seeds, spoiled birdseed, waste, and food leftovers also do not belong in the birdseed.
Suitable birdseed for soft eaters would be e.g. dried fruit mixed with oatmeal, raisins, and mealworms. If you like, you can mix the whole thing with oil and beef tallow. Mixtures of different kernels and nuts as well as suet balls are suitable for all grain-eaters.
