Food can be scarce for garden birds in winter and they will really appreciate your help. Leave out grated cheese, pastry, stale cake, moist breadcrumbs, seeds, sultanas, biscuits, cooked rice and bacon rind. They will also need plenty of fresh water for bathing and drinking – keep it fresh and ice-free. To reduce the risk of disease, bird tables, feeders and bird baths should be cleaned weekly. Hedgehogs will be seeking suitable areas to hibernate between November and March – so keep aside a safe area in your garden with heaps of leaves, brambles and long grass. If you are having a bonfire please check it thoroughly before lighting to ensure no animals are sheltering inside.

For additional information visit Dublin SPCA.