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Freeze Triggers Fresh Guidance on Safe Winter Bird Feeding

New guidance centers on hygiene-focused feeders to reduce contamination during the cold snap.

Overview

  • After days of frost and snow, experts report increased feeder visits and recommend sunflower seeds and fat‑seed mixes dispensed from enclosed silos.
  • Softbill species such as robins and blackbirds should get raisins, apples or oats at ground-level stations, while tits also take mealworms.
  • To limit disease, advisors urge silo-style feeders, routine hot-water cleaning, and prompt removal of damp leftovers, with sites placed out of reach of cats and away from glass.
  • Provide shallow drinking water and replace it daily in freezing conditions, and avoid fat balls in plastic nets that can injure birds.
  • Bread should not be offered, and feeding wild mammals like foxes, wild boar or deer is prohibited except for authorized managers; longer-term support comes from native plants and nesting sites.