to think that people are unaware how desperate things are for birds?

[PhaseolusLunatus]

The RSPB are saying that food and water we provide can be the difference between life and death for garden birds at the moment.

Advice here about what you may already have in the house that could help.

They also need water to drink, and, just as importantly, bathe and perform 'feather maintenance.'

There is also a thread about this in chat, but I don't imagine anyone minds a bit more bumping of this topic.

Thanks to you and your DH for pointing it out, roisin

NOt sure what to do as out garden is quite featureless at this time of year, we haven't got a bird table, and next doors shit machine cat is always in our garden looking for somewhere to crap, so putting food down might be risky for the poor birds. Maybe I could hang a couple of makeshift feeders from the washing line?

Someone on the other thread is using their washing line, too, JATGB. My mum is using an old clothes airer with a tray on the top

I just put out the rest of my Christmas cake for the birds and they are yumming it up (I took the icing off first!)

I throw the food onto the shed roof, next door's shed roof and onto our picnic table. The snow means it doesn't roll off like usual.

Domesticextremist, might they have been greenfinches? Quite small (sparrow sort of size), yellow/ green, especially a bright flash when they're in flight. They love hanging off nut/ seed feeders.

The birds seem to be ignoring my offerings. Or maybe they are all already dead.

I'd guess at greenfinches too.

Finches like Nyjer seeds (as well as the other seeds you can get)

I don't get any finches at all coming to my garden for some reason

We've always got lots of greenfinches and chaffinches, but that's it. I think I saw a bullfinch in Devon once, about 20 years ago

Guimauve - yes probably although I would say they were more of a medium size with a swallow sort of tail - am always getting my hopes up - we are supposed to have lots of wild exotic birds near here (SW London/ Surrey) but I've never seen any tsk.

Have put lots of grated cheese out etc but its gone and started snowing properly again grr.

Have just looked at the pics of green finches and they were much brighter than that with much longer tails. [gets hopes up again]

have just dashed outside and cleared off 8inches of snow off our summer tabel

have now placed bowl of water and bread and some fruit on it

poor little things

In direct response to this thread I have today been out and bought:

• a coconut filled with fat and seeds
• a net thing full of seeds

(both of which now hang from the rotary washing line)

• suet, raisins, peel, sultanas, grated apple, nuts and bread

(which are on 4 large foil plates so don't sink in the snow)

..... and they also have a big dish of water (which hasn't frozen yet).

ALL I've seen is one pigeon, who ate some of the bread !

Now ...... admittedly, I do have cats, but they're all upstairs asleep and have been most of the day, and at least the stuff hanging from the washing line should be safe.

Perhaps my garden was written off as a no-go zone ages ago by the local bird population ??

Ha ha - no catsmother I don't think it's a nongo zone. Birds are just cautious - they don't go to a new food source immediatly - they'll take a while

Do you think that there is any point in putting food out on my roof terrace?

Don't really see many birds apart from the odd pigeon.

Ive made a 'cake' with some vegetable suet, bluberries, grapes, bananas.
Hope they like it!

Went in to Windsor today and fed the ducks, geese and swans and were dive bombed by about 5 million seagulls and pigeons

Just been to supermarket and noticed with happy surprise that they had a display wth bird feeders and food AND it was virtually sold out

feed the birds, tuppence a bag!!

oh we did thAT ages AGO SIXFOOT, with a singalong link and everythng.

Okay, was never one to keep up with the times.

I was er going for the retro verrsion...?

I'll sing along again retro style with you, SixtyFoot I'll never tire of Mary Poppins

We put loads out today- I'm hoping that once one or two birds spot it word will get around.

Ok, been to shops, bought some big fat balls (oo-er) a sack of wild bird food and a plastic feeder. Have hung a couple on the line, and put a big tray out filled with crumbled breadsticks, buttered bread, crackers, sultanas, half a block of cheese which had been sitting there a while, some old weetabix and chopped banana.

I did put some warm water out too but it froze solid after an hour or so, I'll re-do it in the morning.

My fat balls are frozen solid-they would break their beaks! I tried the glycerine in the water but it still froze.

All I could see in active convos was "My fat balls are frozen"