Anyone with a garden urged to put grated cheese outside

Anyone with a garden in the UK is being asked to put grated cheese outside in February. It might sound like a strange task to ask of people, but there is actually a very wholesome reason behind it. February has been a cold month so far, with unsettled conditions across much of the country. And these weather conditions look set to persist for a while, meaning the rest of February is set to be quite wintry, especially in the northern parts of the UK.

Winter can be tough for wildlife in the UK, and there are various things that households can do to help certain animals survive harsh weather. Not only is shelter essential, but so is nutritious and filling food that will keep animals like garden birds warm, energised, and strong throughout the winter. With wintry conditions continuing longer than some people might have hoped, it's important to continue to support wildlife in any way we can. The Royal Horticultural Society provides various tips for this, stressing that supporting wildlife in winter is particularly important.

The RHS suggests placing grated cheese in gardens to help garden birds such as wrens. Wrens are tiny birds that are one of the most common in the UK, and many Brits love the sight of these adorable creatures in their gardens.

However, they have a habit of hiding away, and because they are so small, they can be hard to see. But one of the things they will come to your garden to eat is grated cheese.

This food, which many Brits already have in their kitchen fridge, is high in protein, which makes it particularly beneficial to birds. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) says: "A bird's gut is not designed to digest milk, which can cause a serious stomach upset or even death.

"Birds can, however, digest fermented dairy products such as cheese, which attract robins, wrens and dunnocks."

Hard, mild cheese is best, so a grated mild cheddar would do the job. Soft cheese, such as Bree, would not be suitable for feeding birds such as wrens and robins.

Bird food specialists at Peckamix revealed: "Kitchen scraps should be fed carefully alongside good quality seeds. Suitable foods include unsalted fats and meats, small amounts of occasional bread, mild grated cheese, cooked potatoes, and pastry made with real fats.

"Food scraps can be fed on the ground, on a bird table, or hung in a suet block feeder. Mild grated cheese is a favourite of Robins, Dunnocks, Blackbirds, Thrushes, and Wrens."

The RHS shared several other tips for helping wildlife in winter, such as melting frozen-over bird baths and being cautious when turning over compost, as animals might burrow in there in search of warmth.