Our feathered friends need a little extra helping hand through the colder months. The leaves are now starting to fall and it's turning a little crisp outside, it would be a great time to start prepping your nest boxes so the smaller birds have somewhere to nest.

Birds naturally need to fatten up in the colder months to be able to survive the colder weather, it's important to know the right foods to offer and when. Ensure that the food is replenished regularly and feed twice a day, if possible. Keep water available and ensure that this doesn't freeze over.

Suet is perfect for this time of year as it's fatty, we have it is lots of different varieties, such as fat balls, blocks, bars & cakes, you can find them here. These will provide excellent nutrition and essential warmth.

Mealworms are also a great choice at this time of the year. This will also attract many beautiful birds to your garden including wrens, thrushes, dunnocks, and everyone's favourite, the robin.

Here is a simple checklist for keeping the visiting birds healthy and happy this autumn:

• 1. Place nest boxes in safe places away from any potential predators.
• 2. Avoid cleaning all fallen leaves away, some birds or other wildlife may want to make shelter from them.
• 3. Ensure water is available and cleaned daily to avoid freezing over.
• 4. Ensure a variety of food is left out. Try and include fattier foods such as suet and mealworms which are high in protein.