Did you know that many of the smaller bird species need to consume almost one third of their body weight in food every day? Feeding birds in your garden will not only help them survive throughout winter, but will also attract plenty of species to your garden.

When feeding birds, you should take into account how each species prefers to feed; some like to feed from a hanging feeder, some from a high bird table and others like to feed on the ground. Keep them all happy by varying where you put your food.

1. Tie hanging wire or twine to the stem of a pine cone.
2. Coat the pine cone with peanut butter.
3. Pour birdseed into a dish and roll the pine cone in the birdseed until it's completely covered.
4. Hang it up on a tree, and watch the birds as they feed.

If you’re more ambitious, melt 1lb of lard, add a cup of hot water, two cups of oatmeal, a cup of flour and four cups of wild seed. Let it set in a coconut shell or plastic container that you’ve put holes and string through. The birds will soon come flocking!

Robin	Robins are mainly insect feeders. They like to use open fronted bird boxes to feed from.	Ground peanuts and mealworms.
Blue tit	Blue tits are very agile, and can cling to any hanging feeder. They will also use a nest box on a tree or a fence to feed from.	Sunflower seeds and peanuts.
Blackbird	Blackbirds feed predominantly on soil invertebrates including earthworms, so a garden with flower beds and lawns will particularly attract them.	Fruit, raisins and kitchen scraps.
Great tit	Great tits are largely insect feeders, so most gardens will naturally have a population of great tits. In winter they feed in woodlands on insects and tree seeds, particularly beech nuts.	Sunflower seeds and peanuts.
Chaffinch	Chaffinches spend much of their time feeding on ground, often under seed feeders or bird tables. They feed on insects and small seeds and build mossy nests in shrubs and hedges.	Seeds and peanut pieces.

If you want to really enjoy the bird life in your garden and in your local area, invest in a pair of binoculars and a good identification guide. Get spotting!

To help you with your winter bird spotting, click here to visit the Woodland Trust's nature detective website. It is packed full of fun information and you can even download a winter bird spotting sheet, so you know which birds to look out for this winter.