WILD birds in the Bromsgrove area are in urgent need of help - according to wildlife experts.

Most of last year's berries and seeds have disappeared from gardens and hedgerows and there are few insects around to provide them with food.

The Worcestershire Wildlife Trust, which is based at Smite near Droitwich Spa, is urging people to feed the birds which come into their gardens.

Peanuts, black sunflower seeds and mixed seeds are particularly welcome, it says. Not only will these help the birds to survive now, but it will help them to produce more young birds in the spring.

Bird food and feeders, which should be kept scrupulously clean, can be bought from the trust at Lower Smite Farm, near Hindlip, as well as from a wide range of other sources.

Peanuts are a good food for many seed eaters, especially greenfinches, but they should always be in a feeder, not in an easily torn net or loose on the bird table or ground because some birds, particularly when young, cannot take whole peanuts.

Peanuts should be bought from a reliable source to ensure they are free of poisonous aflotoxin-containing fungi.

Trust volunteer and keen ornithologist Tessa Carrick, from Bromsgrove, said: "More birds come to my garden because I feed them. I always enjoy watching their behaviour.

"My weekly record of visiting birds shows the surprising changes in species throughout the year."