Bring nature back to your garden
Ensure you have a reliable source of bird food
One of the best things about a garden is being able to watch the many birds that pay a visit over the course of the day. There’s something soothing about watching the critters flutter about, chirping merrily to each other on the way.
Of course, before you can settle down and engage in some amateur bird-watching, you first need to attract the birds.
Thankfully there are plenty of ways to bring more wildlife into your garden.
The first thing you should do is to provide the birds with a reliable source of food. They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, and to an extent this is true of animals.
For the best results, you should try and provide as varied a supply as possible. Seed and fruit are popular choices and will make you a favourite with the many local species. Nectar or sugar water is also a favourite for species such as sunbirds.
Insects are also an important source of food and making an insect-friendly garden will serve as an all-natural buffet.
The next step is to provide the birds with shelter and safe spaces where they can rest without having to worry about potential predators.
Nesting boxes are an obvious solution, but planting dense shrubbery or trees will serve a similar purpose. For example, we’ve got a pair of robins who have made a nest out of a thick clump of ivy on one of our walls, and we’ve had plenty of other birds staying in one of our hedges in the past since it’s almost impossible to reach them inside.
In a similar vein, you should make sure that the birds are out of reach from any possible threats. After all, they aren’t going to stick around if they’re scared of being eaten.
Place your feeders and nesting boxes in high spaces away from possible threats and keep a watch on your pets, especially cats.
Finally, look at installing a bird bath or similar water feature somewhere in your garden. The bath acts as a drinking spot and, as the name suggests, a place for them to clean up whenever they want.
A small sand box is also not a bad idea, since many birds like the occasional dust bath to help clean out ticks.