Autumn is in full swing and October can bring the first really chilly weather. Our gardens might start to look a bit colourless as flowering plants die off, but trees will be at their most spectacular and berries add colour to the hedgerows.
Your garden birds will never fail to brighten up a dull autumn day and their plumage is particularly bright and clean at this time of year. The RSPB's Feed the Birds Day is on 25 October and if you have yet to start feeding this autumn or have never
fed the birds before, put this date in your diary.
So what will you need to keep your birds healthy throughout winter? Sunflower seeds, peanuts and fat balls are good and if you put a variety of foods in different feeders and on a bird table you will attract more species.
Tits, finches, sparrows and woodpeckers all love peanuts and at the moment I'm enjoying watching nuthatches on my bird table and feeders. Our leftovers are also welcome. Avoid bread, as it has little nutritional value for birds; porridge oats, bacon rind, cheese and chopped fruit are better.
Finally, don't forget water for drinking and washing – either a bird bath or even an upturned dustbin lid on the ground will be perfect.
Autumn may feel like a time when much of our wildlife is either leaving for warmer shores or preparing for hibernation, but we also have many visitors at this time of year. One of the most spectacular autumn events is when our resident starlings are joined by migrant birds coming from further north. If you're lucky you will see them swirling in huge flocks at dusk, filling the sky with amazing shapes and patterns before settling to roost. It's a sight and a sound you will never forget.
So dig out your winter woollies, get out and enjoy our wildlife this month, and I'll see you on Autumnwatch, which begins the last week of October.
• For more information on Feed the Birds Day visit www.rspb.org.uk/hfw
• For the latest news on Scotland's wildlife go to
www.visitscotland.com/wildlife For accommodation details go to
www.visitscotland.comThe full article contains 370 words and appears in The Scotsman newspaper.
