Put out food all year, writes Kate Holmquist
To feed or not to feed? Whether 'tis nobler to let the blue tits, dunnocks, chaffinches and robins fend for themselves in your garden, or to give them a free meal, is a question that bird lovers have hotly debated.
The past months' cold weather has brought us more unusual birds, such as siskins and redpolls, as they settle into our gardens in search of food and shelter. We've seen more winter birds from Scandinavia perching in our gardens than ever before, and, according to Birdwatch Ireland, this is a sign that food is scarce.
But will you damage the delicate ecosystem of which birds are a part by feeding them? Scientists at Queen's University Belfast and the University of Exeter joined forces to answer this question. They conducted a classic controlled trial, giving some birds extra food while leaving others to forage. As a way of measuring the impact on the birds of feeding versus not feeding, the researchers then observed the birds nesting.
Birds that were given extra food laid eggs earlier, and more of their chicks survived. Birds that were not fed laid the same number of eggs but laid them later, and fewer survived. According to the scientists, this is the first time that bird-feeding has been scientifically shown to be of benefit to breeding.
While spring may be in the air - depending on which time of day you test the temperature - it's still winter for birds. Most songbirds breed in April, so it's worth feeding them now, even if you haven't got into the habit already.
In fact, feeding birds that land in your garden year-round is a good idea, according to Dr Dan Chamberlain of the British Trust for Ornithology, who participated in the project. Birdwatch Ireland recommends apples, bacon rinds, cheese, suet, raisins, moistened bread, melon seeds, stale cake, cooked potato, cooked oatmeal and leftover bits of uncooked pastry. Never give them dry bread, and make sure they have a constant supply of fresh water.