The complete home

There are many other things you can do in the garden to give birds their ideal home.

Plant as many shrubs, trees, climbers and flowers as you can, and try to keep hard landscaping to a minimum. A fruit tree is ideal, as is any shrub that bears berries, and leave seedheads standing in flowerbeds overwinter. Lawns are great for birds, whether kept long or mown short.

Cut down on chemicals, especially pesticides. And add a log pile to encourage more insects, which provide food for most of our garden birds. Put up a range of birdboxes – those with holes for tits and sparrows should always be placed facing between north and east; open-fronted boxes for robins should be hidden behind dense climbers.

‘Nature on your Doorstep’ is a fantastic free RSPB resource for helping you attract birds and wildlife to your garden. For more information, visit www.rspb. org.uk/yourdoorstep.