THE RSPB is urging Trafford residents to put on a festive feast to fatten up garden birds this Christmas, but to avoid leaving out the potentially dangerous leftover contents of their Christmas dinner roasting tins.

The charity is reminding people that cooked turkey fat is extremely dangerous to and can have catastrophic consequences for garden visitors.

The fat remains soft even when cooled and can easily smear onto birds’ feathers and ruin their water-proofing and insulating qualities.

This layer of grease would make it virtually impossible for birds to keep their feathers clean and dry, which is essential if they are to survive the cold winter weather.

Richard James, RSPB wildlife advisor, said: “It’s extremely important that people don’t put the fat from roasting tins outside for birds this Christmas. Although it may seem like a good thing to do, you could be killing them with kindness.

“Often people believe they’re helping birds by pouring the fat from Christmas joints onto bird tables or mixing it with bird seed, but this is a completely different kind of fat and could have disastrous effects. Only pure fats such as lard and suet should be used to make homemade fat balls, which will give birds’ the energy and nutrients to survive the winter cold.”

The fat in roasting tins can quickly go rancid when leftover with other meat juices in a warm kitchen before being put outside. This forms an ideal breeding ground for salmonella and other food poisoning bacteria, which could prove fatal to birds at this time of the year.

It is a popular tradition to add other ingredients to a joint of meat before roasting, including rubbing salts in order to crisp the skin and to add extra flavour. High levels of salt are toxic to garden birds so the RSPB urges people not to leave the cooked fats from any meat on bird tables this Christmas.

However, the RSPB is encouraging people to put on a festive feast for visiting garden birds, as additional feeding at this time of the year can be the difference between life and death.

Richard added: “Bird seed table mix, suet balls and other nibbles are great at providing birds with the vital energy and nutrients that are so important for them. Additionally, there is no harm in slipping in a few festive treats such as Christmas cake crumbs, mince pie pasty crumbs and biscuit crumbs to give them an extra boost.”

For more, visit rspb.org.uk/homes