The borders are bare, the insects have disappeared, and many trees stand stripped of their leaves. But look a little closer and you’ll see there’s still plenty going on. Robins defend their patches (and keep singing even in the coldest weather), flocks of house sparrows dart between hedges, and blackbirds gather the last of the berries.
Walk through any London park or garden in winter and it can feel as if everything’s suddenly a little quieter.
Winter is a tough time for birds. Short days mean fewer hours to feed, and food itself is in short supply. Insects are hidden away, worms hide deep underground, and frozen ground or icy wind can make foraging even harder. For many small birds, survival depends on finding enough high-energy food and safe places to shelter through the coldest months. That’s where gardens and green corners across the city come in.
Even the smallest patch of planting can help. A shrub covered in berries, a tangle of ivy, or a few dried seedheads can provide food and cover when little else is available. Together, these small spaces link up to form a network of winter support across London, from balconies and allotments to front gardens, parks and community greens.
A city built for wildlife
London has a lot going for it when it comes to supporting nature. Sitting in a relatively mild pocket of the south-east, and warmed slightly by the city itself, it’s often a few degrees warmer than surrounding counties. That extra warmth keeps insects active for longer, allows berries to ripen later in the year, and gives overwintering birds a fighting chance when temperatures drop elsewhere.
More than 14,000 species of plants, animals and fungi have been recorded within Greater London. The city’s mix of gardens, parks, allotments, canals and ancient woodland creates an amazingly rich variety of habitats. Some of these long-established areas, such as Highgate, Coldfall and Sydenham Hill, have been continuously forested since at least the 1600s. In spring, native bluebells still flower beneath the trees, a living clue to just how well established those ancient woodlands are and how deep those roots go. Because these woodlands have been undisturbed for centuries, they continue to support a stable ecosystem of insects, plants and shelter that benefits birds all year round.
Because parts of London remained rural until surprisingly recently, fragments of old farmland still thread through the city. You can see them in hedgerows, churchyards and lines of mature trees that once marked field boundaries. Together, these green corridors help wildlife move between sites, linking reserves and gardens in a way that’s quite unique to London.
And it isn’t just the big spaces that matter. When gardens connect, through shared planting, wildlife-friendly boundaries, or even just the absence of barriers, they create a continuous route for birds and insects to travel safely across the city. A robin feeding in a front garden in Walthamstow might rely on ivy berries two doors down and a safe roosting hedge at the end of the street. What feels like a single garden is really part of a much larger web of support.
Berries: nature’s slow-release fuel
When insects disappear, berries become one of the best food sources for birds. They’re full of antioxidants and fats that help birds cope with cold weather and keep their immune systems strong. The red and purple pigments that give berries their colour are packed with anthocyanins, which protect birds’ cells and help them recover after long, cold nights.
Different plants ripen at different times, keeping London’s birds fed for months. Hawthorn and rowan berries appear first in late autumn, attracting blackbirds, thrushes and redwings arriving from northern Europe. Later, holly, ivy and cotoneaster take over, offering fruit well into winter. Ivy is overlooked but especially useful because its berries ripen last, often just as everything else has run out.
You’ll sometimes see berries left untouched for weeks before birds suddenly arrive to clear them. That’s because many species wait for frost to soften the fruit and convert starches into sugars, making it easier to eat.
If you’d like to help, you can plant a variety of berry-bearing trees and shrubs, ideally native ones that also support insects in spring and summer. Hawthorn, dogwood, rowan, holly and ivy are all great choices, and even a single pot-grown shrub on a balcony can make a difference. And if you can, skip chemical sprays and slug pellets, which harm the insects and soil life that birds rely on.
Seeds and shelter: what to leave for wildlife
While berries are a vital energy source, seeds and shelter are just as important through the colder months. It’s tempting to tidy up as autumn fades, but leaving some things standing can make a real difference. Seedheads from plants like teasel, sunflower, coneflower and grasses feed finches, sparrows and tits, while dried stems and fallen leaves provide shelter for overwintering insects, which in turn feed the birds later on.
If you’re like me, it’s hard not to go in with the secateurs as soon as everything starts to look a little messy, but a corner that looks a little untidy to us can be a refuge for wildlife. Hollow stems, leaf piles and ivy tangles give small birds and insects somewhere to hide from frost and predators. Dense evergreens such as holly, yew or privet also make good roosting spots where birds can rest and conserve energy overnight.
Even the smallest outdoor space helps. A few seedheads left in a pot, or a thick climber along a fence, can create the kind of cover birds look for in winter. Across London, these tiny spaces connect the dots between larger green areas, forming micro-refuges that help wildlife get through the cold.
A winter worth watching
It’s easy to think of winter as a quiet time for nature, but once you start looking, you realise how much life carries on. By leaving seedheads, planting berry-rich shrubs, or keeping a patch of ivy, you’re giving birds what they need most: food, cover and a little breathing space in the middle of the city.
From Highgate to Hackney, Lewisham to Leytonstone, every garden and balcony can contribute to something bigger: creating a London that still hums with life, even in its coldest months.
Written by Clare Cahill, founder of A Little Bird Co, a small London-based business creating sustainable bird food and feeders for people who love to notice what’s happening in their gardens. Clare values taking time to watch wildlife throughout the seasons, which is exactly why she started her brand. The company’s seed blends change with the seasons, offering birds extra support as they nest, breed, moult their feathers and get through the coldest months of the year.
As a London Wildlife Trust supporter, you’ll get 5% off, and 5% of your purchase will be donated back to the Trust when you use the code LWT25.