It’s cold out there, the ground is frozen, and the birds are hungry. January was feeling really bleak, despite the daylight hours increasing in small increments over the last few weeks. My low energy thwarted my attempts at doing a daily walk as part of a new self-care routine. Quite by accident, I found a less strenuous way of doing so, which doesn’t just benefit me.
I’ve always felt connected to nature, I’m not sure if it’s a neurodivergent thing… It’s definitely a special interest, but there’s an affinity there too. I’ve been very fortunate to have lots of little special moments with wildlife, usually just eye contact at close proximity. Lately, something has been happening that warms my heart.
Chirpy, our friendly Robin, has been a part of the family for years. We feed him and he follows us around—not just in the garden! He turns up in the garage and occasionally sneaks into the utility room. I’m convinced it’s not just cupboard love, as he sometimes ignores the food and just chirps away at us. Though for the most part, it is food! His friendliness tends to be seasonal, understandably he’s a little more distant when he’s trying to impress his wife and if he has chicks.
But Chirpy has taken things up a level; all on his own terms and completely unexpectedly. A short while ago—whether through impatience, hunger, or combination of them both—he started taking food from my hands before I had a chance to deposit it. Not long after that, he settled on my hand very briefly, and has done so once more, but for slightly longer. I’m humbled that he trusts me enough to quite literally (from his perspective) put his life in my hands. Our male blackbird, Splodge, isn’t quite as brave, but is more confident than Mrs Splodge, who keeps a very safe distance.
She does always see Chirpy and Splodge off once I step back, meaning she is top of the pecking order. Some of the other birds are growing more used to us too; wrens, blue tits, great tits, and, another favourite of mine, longtailed tits, all seem to be less and less bothered with our presence. It gives me a lovely, fuzzy feeling, and I also feel more centred, a little bit less stressed and anxious. Nature works wonders for wellness, just being amongst it has hugely therapeutic benefits. It’s becoming increasingly more important to look after it, it doesn’t take much but the return is exponential.
One of the kindest things you can do for birds is to make sure that they have a water source. Please check it daily, so that they don’t waste energy flying to your garden in order to quench their thirst only to discover there is nothing to drink. Obviously, in summer it will need to be topped up very frequently, but in winter it might be a good idea to put a small ball or similar floating item in the receptacle to keep it from completely icing over.
If you’d like to encourage more wild birds into your garden, you will be rewarded with pure joy as you watch their behaviour. Who knows, you might even befriend one or two of them.
We don’t feed the birds all year round, but make sure that they have plenty of food in the cold winter months when insects are less accessible. In the spring, natural food is abundant, and providing food like peanuts once chicks are hatching, although kind, can be dangerous. Baby birds can choke.
Another safety concern are fat balls in nets. In fact, any food in nets can cause injury. Many birds lose legs if they get their feet tangled and are unable to free them. They usually adapt, of course; a one legged blue tit used to visit our garden and seemed quite happy. But we obviously want to avoid causing unnecessary pain.
Remember, if you are using bird feeders, to clean them regularly. Sadly, greenfinch numbers plummeted in 2005 because of trichomonosis; the disease spreading at feeding stations. In search of some birdy accessories? Why not hop over to my store and check out my Wild About Nature section.