On a balmy summer’s day the Oakeley Arms beer garden is packed full of happy guests – it’s a sight we love of course, but fast forward six months and the beer garden is full of visitors of a different kind. It’s great to look out of the windows here in the winter months to see lots of feathered friends happily chomping away on all manner of goodies, and according to the RSPB, the age old tradition of feeding winter birds is one that should definitely be upheld.

This is because the ground is so much harder in the winter time, with the cold temperatures, frost and sometimes even snow. This means that it’s not as easy for birds to peck into the earth and dig out worms and grubs for their dinner.

But, we were interested to read that although suet balls are a great winter bird food, the RSBP advises that the fat from festive roasting tins isn’t so good for our feathery chums. This is because not only is the fat and oil from meats like chicken and turkey a breeding ground for diseases like salmonella (which is also very dangerous for birds) but also because of all the additives like salt, pepper and flavourings that we often add to a roast, which aren’t very garden bird-friendly. And also, the fat from roasts stays mostly in liquid form, so it could stick to their feathers and ruin their insulating qualities.

Richard James, RSPB Wildlife Advisor, said: “It’s extremely important that people don’t put the fat from roasting tins outside for birds this Christmas. Although it may seem like a good thing to do, you could be killing them with kindness.

“Often people believe they’re helping birds by pouring the fat from Christmas joints onto bird tables or mixing it with bird seed, but this is a completely different kind of fat and could have disastrous effects. Only pure fats such as lard and suet should be used to make homemade fat balls which will give birds’ the energy and nutrients to survive the winter cold.”

However, RSPB Cymru is encouraging people to put on a festive feast for visiting garden birds, as additional feeding at this time of the year can be the difference between life and death. And tasty bird-friendly nibbles like bird-seed and fat balls will be much appreciated by your garden visitors, and if you really want to give them a Christmassy treat then why not leave out some cake crumbs, mince pie crumbs or crushed up biscuits – you little feathered friends will love them!