{"id":36448,"date":"2024-01-26T19:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-26T18:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/?p=36448"},"modified":"2026-01-09T16:12:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T15:12:02","slug":"winter-diy-making-fat-balls-for-birds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thegreenlist.nl\/en\/winterse-diy-vetbollen-voor-vogels-maken\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter DIY: making fat balls for birds"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Birds can use an extra treat in winter and you, perhaps, a meaningful activity to get through the dark and wet days. In either case, this DIY is perfect: making fat balls for birds. We explain how to do it!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Help the birds in the garden with your DIY fat balls<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A garden full of birds, nothing is as cosy as a flock of twittering birds in your garden. Not only is it cosy, but birds are hugely important for the balance of nature. For instance, birds are important for keeping the number of insects in check. In fact, birds eat 400-500 million tonnes of insects a year! Insects are an important source of protein-rich food for birds. As such, insects and insect-eaters should be in balance with each other. Also, birds are important for pollination of about 5% of plants worldwide. Moreover, birds ensure the distribution of seeds from berries that they eat through their poop. So birds are essential for the survival of various ecosystems. All the more reason to take good care of birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Making your own fat balls; a fun and useful craft activity.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is how to help birds in the garden<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

You can help birds by making sure there is plenty of food and water, but birds can also appreciate places to hide and places to breed. Each bird needs something different, which is why variety in planting is also important. In addition, you may feed birds supplementary food throughout the year, said the Bird Conservancy<\/a>. In autumn they are looking for food to build up their reserves for the winter, in winter some extra energy is important to stay warm, and in spring they need the strength to lay eggs and raise their young. Each phase requires different nutrients. For example, against the cold, birds need more fat, in spring and summer they need more protein and calcium. You don't need to worry that you are giving the birds too much food or that they are now getting too lazy to look for themselves. Birds are sensible eaters and will always look for a varied menu. We can sometimes learn from that! Want to know more? We previously wrote an article how to help birds in the garden<\/a> and how to help garden animals in winter<\/a> (spoiler: do little).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Supplementary feeding birds? Think about this!<\/h3>\n\n\n\n