Family owned and run for over 30 years
Passionate about plants and gardening
Dog friendlyWays to Attract Wild Birds to Your Garden
Birds add music and life to our gardens as they flit around plants which provide food, shelter and resting sites. They help to keep garden pests like aphids and caterpillars at bay - Blackbirds, Thrushes and Robins like to eat small slugs too! They love to snack on plants that grow berries and fruit like holly, crab apples and hawthorn which also look beautiful in the autumn and winter.
Place feeders in positions that are sheltered from harsh winds and in locations which are safe and they can eat undisturbed. Birds have different feeding habits so try putting up a few hanging bird feeders which attract Blue Tits, Goldfinches and also ground-feeding stations for Robins and Blackbirds.
Fresh, clean water in a shallow container like a bird bath or a saucer should be regularly topped up, especially during the winter and in dry weather.
Birds are short of nesting holes for many reasons but we can all do our bit to help in our gardens. Boxes are often put up in early Spring before the breeding season starts and this is the time to put up a nest box camera too if you want to see the chicks grow.
When choosing your location to hang a nestbox you want to provide a safe location where chicks can be raised with fewer risks from predators and bad weather, angle the entrance in a northerly or easterly direction to reduce prevailing wind and rain, making sure that it is between 1m and 3m above the ground away from cats.
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Bird BoxThe best nest boxes are made from wood as it provides insulation from hot days and cold nights. A hinged or removable lid is beneficial so the old nesting material can be removed at the end of the nesting period. Birds that favour a small entrance hole are Blue Tits, Great Tits and house sparrows, whereas Robins and Wrens prefer an open front. |
