Newbarn Farm Helping the Birds

Don't forget the birds during this cold spell!!

As the big freeze continues to keep South Devon in its grip with the gritters a regular sight and most of us with one ear glued to the radio for hope of a thaw, give a thought to our feathery friends. Plenty of us are wondering whether we have have enough food stocked in our cupboards and freezer. I for one made a dash to Sainsbury's yesterday to stock up on frozen food just in case!! I was shocked to see so many empty shelves but logic told me there and then I wasn't the only one especially when I saw there was only peas left in the frozen vegetable department!

So do spare a thought for our feathery friends who need our help to survive the cold snap. The combination of snow and frozen water makes it harder for them to find food and ensure they eat enough of it to build - and maintain - adequate fat supplies to store on the body and 'burn' for energy.

Here at Newbarn Farm, a great Devon Fishing Holiday location, though probably not so during this cold spell! We make sure that the bird feeders remain full and that there is plenty of free flowing water for the birds to flourish. The ground just becomes too hard for birds like thrushes and lapwings to probe, and natural food like berries, acorns and seeds are buried.

During cold spells like this current one, birds are more likely to come into our gardens to seek sanctuary and this is where you can help. By putting out food such as meal worms, fatballs, crushed peanuts, dried fruit and seeds and grains. For those who don't have any of this bird food to hand, leftovers such as grated cheese, porridge oats, soft fruit, pasta, COOKED rice and the insides of baked potatoes are just as good and provide much needed nourishment.

Water is also vital for both drinking and bathing and bird baths can be kept from freezing over by using small floating items like twigs or ping pong balls.

Remember, freezing weather is a potential death sentence for many birds but by feeding the birds in your garden you can help them survive the worst of the winter weather. Just a little water, food and shelter can turn your garden into a vital haven for birds in the freezing winter months.

Wrap up and stay warm without forgetting our feathery friends.

Here at Newbarn Farm we love seeing the wildlife in abundance during the summer months and so too do our guests staying in our 4 STAR luxury self-catering cottages with fishing. We have bird feeders positioned so that most can watch the birds feed as the sunrises whilst they are eating their leisurely breakfast!! Those same bird feeders are kept well stocked throughout the winter months too!