Recently, I came across a pamphlet published by the RSPCA in association with C J WildBird Foods in UK. Although it is aimed at people living in UK who feed garden birds, one can easily follow these instructions as regards our gardens and yards.

The pamphlet says that feeding birds is one of the easiest and most rewarding ways to see wildlife really close up. In Britain, over half the households put food out from time to time, while a third feed birds on a regular basis.

In winter - as BirdLife Malta explained recently - birds may have more difficulty finding natural foods such as insects, seeds, worms and fruit. Any alternative food one puts out during these cold months will help birds survive until spring comes.

This pamphlet suggests a list of food one should put out for feeding. Bread can be crumbled up and scattered outside. Very dry bread could be moistened first. Stale cake and biscuits provide birds with a rich source of fat. Cooked rice, pasta and pastry are packed with starch; potatoes boiled, baked, roasted or mashed are also eaten by various birds; cheese crumbled or grate...the robins and wrens will love it. Fruit such as bruised apples and pears goes down a treat with blackbirds and thrushes. Bird seed mixed with sunflower seeds may attract some finches.

One may argue that if one had to put out a tray with food, it would attract a lot of sparrows which some may look at as pests devastating crops and fruit. Sparrows like any other birds feed on whatever is available when they are hungry. But I believe that those who think that the sparrow does irreparable harm is exaggerating a bit.

Sparrows are also birds which may also find difficulty in finding enough food in winter; and our ancestors used not only to feed them crumbs of bread but provide them with nesting places hanging over rooftops.

The above mentioned pamphlet continues to advise that birds need water to drink and to bathe in. In winter, their feathers must be clean and in top condition to keep them warm and protect them against harsh weather. So, any shallow water container will do as a bird-bath.

One last important point: To reduce the risk of spreading disease, bird trays or tables and feeding devices should be thoroughly cleaned weekly and water bowls cleaned daily. And another relevant thing: Avoid pesticides as much as possible.

In UK and other European countries, children are encouraged to love birds, and not criticised for educating themselves as if being brainwashed. To learn how to feed and enjoy watching birds close by is much better education than to learn how to exterminate anything that flies while poisoning the environment.

Birdlife Malta is doing sterling work promoting the love for birds and the environment. Not only, but also studying the many facets of bird behaviour and flight.