Anyone with robins in their garden urged to avoid 3 key mistakes in November

Gardeners with robins and other birds in their garden are urged to avoid three simple mistakes this autumn. Birds are a gardener's best friend, providing a soothing dawn chorus, and pitching in by going after pests that can bring damage and disease to plants.

But they're known to struggle as temperatures drop in autumn and winter, struggle to get to some of their favourite foods like worms and insects when the ground is hard and frozen. They will still come to your garden provided you make sure there's plenty of grub around to give them the energy they need to withstand the chillier conditions.

In its advice for feeding garden birds, which include sparrows, the charity recommends putting out
"bird food and water on a regular basis through autumn and winter".

"In severe weather, you may find you need to feed twice daily," it says, adding that the avian creatures "need high-energy, high-fat foods during cold weather".

However, while some gardeners might be tempted to leave out full feeders and wait till they're eventually emptied by peckish, winged visitors, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says its something you should avoid.

It recommends that green-fingered Britons to always "adjust the quantity given to the demand, and never allow uneaten foods to build up".

"Once you have a feeding routine, try not to change it as birds will become used to it."

Garden Wildlife Health (GWH) a collaborative project between Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the British Trust for Ornithology (BTO), Froglife and the RSPB previously shared their best practice for feeding birds, explaining the risks of failing to keep feeders topped up with fresh food.

GWH says "feeders should only be filled with enough food to last 24-48 hours" as food left out "for a prolonged period can become stale, allowing mould and pathogens (e.g. bacteria) to build up".

Rather than topping them up with fresh feed, "any food not eaten within 24-48 hours should be safely disposed of where it cannot be eaten by wildlife and replaced with fresh food", the project adds.

If there are still left overs after 24-48 hours it's a good idea to leave out less food to match how much they're actually being used.