Birds use up a lot of energy just keeping warm in cold weather. Our feathered friends need high energy, high fat foods - fat balls and seed mixes you can buy containing sunflower seeds are ideal. Scraps from the kitchen such as raw fats, mild grated cheese and cooked potato provide much needed energy as do apples and dried fruits such as sultanas and raisins.

(A range of bird feed and feeders are available from our shops)

Read more about feeding garden birds

When it's frosty, birds can struggle to find drinking water so give them a helping hand by breaking the ice in their bird bath or a water vessel they like to visit. Birds also need to bathe to keep their feathers in good condition and keep them warm in winter.

Consider installing a nest box or two, even in January many species are already looking for somewhere to raise their young. Ideally attach the box to a wall, fence or tree 1-2m off the ground and if possible in a location where there's shrubs and creepers growing around it, providing cover for visiting birds. Different bird species require nest boxes with different sized holes - 28mm for blue tits and coal tits, 32mm for great tits, redstarts and sparrows, while robins, blackbirds and wrens require an open fronted box.

If you already have bird boxes, now's a good time to clean them out as this reduces the risk of diseases spreading to the next brood.

How to build a nestbox  Shop nest boxes

Now is a great time to plant shrubs and trees which will go on to provide cover and food for birds as they mature. Climbers such as ivy and honeysuckle are much loved by robins, wrens and blackbirds. For colour, you can't beat Pyracantha, a shrub with many supporting branches for nest building and then laden with fruits in the autumn birds will feast on.

Don’t forget to join this year’s Big Garden Birdwatch, which takes place between 26th and 28th January. It provides a snapshot of how the UK’s garden birds are faring, thanks to the 540,000 people who tool part last year. You just need to record how many different bird species and their numbers you see over an hour, at a time to suit you.

Register here to take part

You can also record your sightings year round through our online recording system, Nature Counts

Get started with Nature Counts