January is often the coldest month of the year and a time when natural food sources for garden wildlife are in short supply. Rather than hibernate over winter, birds remain active and will continue to visit gardens in search of food. Help your garden wildlife survive the winter, with the help of our jobs checklist for the winter.

Keep bird feeders topped up

Keep bird feeders and bird tables full of calorie-rich food such as peanuts, sunflower hearts and suet products. Put seed mix, chopped apples and grated cheese on ground-feeding stations for ground feeders like robins, thrushes and blackbirds.

Check bird boxes

Check bird boxes to make sure they’re still safely fixed to the fence or wall and haven’t rotted. Remove any nesting material from previous years. Replace old or damaged boxes with new ones. You can also get a closer look inside the bird boxes in your garden with a bird box camera.

Look out for bees when digging

If you accidentally unearth a queen bee while digging, don’t rebury her. Gently put her somewhere cold and dry where she can continue hibernating and offer her a sugar solution of equal parts sugar and water in a bottle top or something similar. This will boost her energy to provide a new hibernation site and she may even establish an early nest.