Horticultural aide memoire Look after birds

There is plenty of food about for garden birds in midsummer, but there has been trouble afoot in the birdbath department for some time. Many birds like to drink and splash about in these and we like to watch them from the kitchen window. Take the trouble to drain the bowl, scrub it out with a stiff brush and a mild disinfectant and rinse a couple of times before refilling. A mucky birdbath is the source of birdpox, which spreads rapidly and causes deaths, as shown by the noticeable fall in the songbird population. It won’t take you long.