The kids are alright

Iona Chisholm ensured her children made an enjoyable connection with the bird life in their back garden. Why not try her projects for yourselves?

Back in spring, the garden was alive with plants and a new generation of wildlife. What better environment could there be, in which to let our own ‘chicks’ form a lifelong connection with nature?

Although a healthy garden contains a variety of foods for birds, such as insects and berries, by providing fresh water and adding feeders (ensuring they are clean and topped up with quality bird food), we can sustain a wider variety of bird life, and ensure regular visits, as well as the education of future generations of birders and conservationists.

Making feeders using pine cones, party cups and hollowed-out squash or pumpkin is a brilliant activity for children.

Why not make more than one and see whether they are more popular in an open or sheltered position? Are certain times of day busier than others? Do all your garden birds use the feeders?

Alternatively, fill different feeders with different nuts or seeds so children can make a note of the birds’ preferences, or make tally charts to count the number of visitors to each feeder over a period of time, say, 10-15 minutes each day.

Another fabulous family project is to make a simple ‘wigwam’ structure which your children can use as a den, a quiet space for contemplation and also as a bird hide. Think carefully about where you position it, so it will be sheltered, secure and concealed but also give an opportunity to observe the birds closely.

Perhaps you will be able to place the wigwam within a few metres of the homemade feeders or your bird table. Also, setting up an extra feeding station in front of the hide had my son gasping with delight when Woodpigeon, Robin, Greenfinch and Blackbird all came to feast on a pile of seed we’d put on the grass nearby!

Being up close gives children a memorable opportunity to observe the fine details of the birds, and even to take photos. You may have to move the hide now and again, to spare your grass, but it can produce great results.