I was stood at my kitchen window the other day pondering a question:
“Why do people feed birds?”
And I’m not talking about the Trafalgar Square, Mary Poppins-style, bird feeding. Those pigeons, in my view, are more of a menace than a delightful distraction.
No, I mean, bird feeding in our own gardens. Small birds, a helping hand in the colder months.
When I was younger, I remember our garden being a haven for birds, during the winter. We had a bird bath and various bird feeders scattered around the place. We’d spend ages watching the numerous birds, attracted by my father’s plethora of tasty treats, as they learned to love our garden. They’d make their nests, raise their young and, in the winter, they’d rely on the nuts, seeds and fat balls that we lovingly provided.
We knew there were birds using the bath and the feeders that we’d never see – they weren’t the reason we kept up our season-long provision regime. We wanted to help the smaller birds during a time of challenge.
Bird feeding in winter
We put the food out in the winter because we knew that, chances were, the ground would freeze over and the birds would struggle to get at those juicy worms they loved so much.
As the frost descended, Dad would whip out his trusty bird books and concoct new variations on the standard bird treats. There were feasts for blackbirds, starlings, sparrows and his beloved finches. He’d tend to the feeders regularly, refilling, clearing, refreshing the water in the bird bath. Then one day in the spring, he would cease his feeding routine, leaving the birds to their own devices.
Bird feeding and consultancy
I can hear you thinking – what has bird feeding got to do with consultancy?
Allow me to explain.
At MiraGold we take this very same approach to consultancy when we work with organisations on development projects.
We’re invited in to work with you during your ‘winter’ periods. When you’re struggling to find your usual ‘worms’ and the climate is battling against you rather than helping you along. MiraGold provides options of support to help you through the lean periods.
We’ll explain how we can help then leave you to digest them, decide whether they’ll help you and your organisation and choose the level of support you need from us. Handfeeding isn’t our style.
It’s patronising and overly involved. You don’t need it.
We provide the options and you make the decisions that are best for you.
And then ‘spring’ arrives – things start to brighten up, become more stable, the planning starts to pay off. That’s when MiraGold takes a step back to allow your organisation to find its feet, using the tools we’ve developed alongside you.
We check you’re happy with the work we’ve done, and we leave you to get on with your business.
That’s our style. Support and options to generate autonomy and self-reliance. Simple.
Are you and your organisation experiencing some ground frost at this time of year?
Get in touch, we’d love to help feed the birds…
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