Trying to lose weight this winter? Try sleeping outdoors…

Our gardens play host to a daily battle of life and death at this time of year. Warm blooded creatures burn more calories to survive if body heat drops below a certain level – a real danger for the smallest birds. Take the UK’s tit species for example – it’s imperative that they use every precious daylight hour to feed voraciously, so much so that 9 out of every 10 minutes during the day are spent taking on fuel. Any interruption to this frantic feeding could prove fatal during the long cold nights. Providing warm, dry roosting sites and keeping our bird tables well stocked is a terrific help in their survival mission.