With Swindon Ranger David Boase

SPRING is not quite in the air, but it’s definitely on the horizon, and the signs are there to be seen.

The snowdrops are now out in force, and the daffodils are just beginning to push through the grass verges, coiled springs of vibrant colour.

I even had the pleasure of meeting a very active hedgehog in my back garden a couple of evenings ago, no doubt having woken up to check the weather, and no doubt having now gone back into hibernation until things have warmed up a bit more.

Despite nature starting to slowly get its shoes on however, winter will indeed stay with us a little while longer. In fact it may come as a surprise that we are now entering the most difficult time of year for our native wildlife.

Look along the hedgerows and there’s not a nut or a berry to be found. Invertebrates are scarce too, and the ponds, puddles, lakes and streams that are so important to all life are now often frozen, leaving no water to drink for animals above.

Tough times indeed, especially for our small, energetic garden birds.

Being light enough to fly has its benefits, but it also means giving up certain luxuries, like the freedom to load up with carbs and build up your fat reserves for hard times ahead - That’s my excuse, anyway! So birds must feed almost constantly, just to stay alive. The margins are narrow.

Also, March will herald the beginning of the breeding season; a time when all precious energy will be spent attracting mates, defending territory, reproducing, building nests, laying eggs and raising chicks. The busiest time of the year for birds, and if they ever needed help, it would be right now.

So that’s where we can help. Just go and hang a feeder in the garden, give them peanuts, mealworms, sunflower hearts and Niger seed, add a fresh bowl of water and then simply wait.

If you feed them, they will come and you will be gifted with a unique view of the natural world, right on your doorstep.

Feeding the birds is an incredibly rewarding experience, an education for children of all ages and a chance to see an entirely wild animal up close.

What’s more, you will of course be providing a lifeline at a time when it is most needed, improving not only the health of the birds in your garden, but an entire ecosystem. Conservation begins at home.