The temperature is expected to plummet over the next few weeks with ice and snow spreading across the country, and birds that have benefitted from a mild autumn will begin to struggle as the weather changes.

The RSPB, our nature partner, says there are three key things that birds will need this winter: food, unfrozen water and shelter.

1) In chilly weather birds will appreciate a variety of food, but fatty food will be especially helpful. For example, fat balls or homemade bird cakes made with lard and packed with seeds, fruit or dried mealworms are great treats to put out in your garden.

2) Unfrozen water for drinking and bathing may be hard for birds to find when there’s been a frost, but with a simple trick you can help to keep a patch of water ice-free. The RSPB recommends floating a small ball, such as a ping-pong ball, on the surface of the water. Even the lightest breeze will keep it moving and stop an area of the water freezing.

3) You can provide shelter with careful planting by planting dense hedges such as Privet or Hawthorn, or allowing Ivy or Holly to grow: these all provide great cover for birds to roost in. Nest boxes can also be good roosting sites.

CEMEX’s RSPB Advisor, Sam Tarrant, said: “We can make a real difference for garden birds and improve their chances of surviving the winter. Birds don’t need much and by providing a supply of food, a patch of unfrozen water and somewhere to shelter from the elements, you will be rewarded with great views of wildlife in your back garden.”

The RSPB’s annual Big Garden Birdwatch, the world’s biggest wildlife survey, returns on 27 – 29 January 2018. To take part people are asked to spend just one hour at any time over Big Garden Birdwatch weekend noting the highest number of each bird species seen in their gardens or local park at any one time.