I am writing this in England, so some of the birds mentioned may not live or visit your part of the world. However the basic idea will apply wherever you live.
Birds visit our gardens either because they are forced to do so because their normal home environment has changed (deforestation, land reclamation, new buildings etc) or because we humans offer them what they need (i.e. food, water).
Providing food, and apposite shelter for birds to drink, bathe, and nest is a good way to encourage birds to come into your garden. It is fairly straightforward to set up a bird-table on your lawn, or even your window sill. Things become a little more involved if you decide to manage a garden especially for birds. This may help you decide if that is what you want to do

Planning Your Bird Garden
The best garden for birds will normally be unkempt rather than neat, with more overrun areas than the dedicated gardener would permit. A lawn that is a little overgrown will more than likely produce clover – ideal for wood pigeons and bullfinches, while thistles and groundsel will bring goldfinches. So even at this early stage you can see that the bird-friendly garden should try to copy nature.

A judicious selection of plants to grow in the garden, along with a sensible approach to tending and tidying it, should produce a habitat suitable for a wide range of birds without the garden becoming unattractive. Note also that a garden does not have to be large. If room is at a premium hanging baskets, trellises, even pergolas can be utilized to take advantage of upright space.

Plants That Can Attract Birds
There are far too many to list here but a good starting point for a spring border would be any of the following: Forget-me-not, Pansy and Aubrietia. Finches feed on the seeds of Forget-me-not, and bullfinches and tits in particular can often be seen pecking at pansies for their seeds, and small birds can find insects to feed on among a covering of aubrietias.

For the autumn border Amaranth, Cornflower, Sedum, and Yarrow will be appreciated. The seed tassels of amaranth provide food for finches and tits, and the summer blooms of cornflowers bear edible autumn seeds for a variety of birds. Sedums and yarrow attract insects for the insect-eaters, while the yarrow seeds are eaten by the finches and tits.

Shrubs And Climbing Plants
Shrubs offer valuable cover where birds can roost and nest in safety. A lot of shrubs yield berries which are a valuable food in autumn and winter. Starlings, thrushes, and waxwings prefer Cotoneaster or Pyracantha. Finches will eat heather seeds. Long-tailed tits often nest in prickly shrubs like Berberis.

Climbers present comparable opportunities for food and refuge, but need less room, and may be ideal for a small garden where space is limited. The honeysuckle’s aromatic flowers are followed by edible berries, while ivy is especially valuable because not only does its substantial growth allow nesting and roosting, it flowers and bears fruit late in the year, providing food in winter when other berries have stopped showing.

Trees
A tree is a useful element for a bird-friendly garden, though if yours doesn’t have one, do not despair. Nuthatches, treecreepers and woodpeckers and birds such as these need trees in their habitat. If you decide to plant a tree opt for a species that bears fruit and supports plenty of insects. Native trees are best and in my country (England) oak sustains the majority of insects, with birch, hawthorn and willow as good alternatives.

Of course the list is by no means finished; alder, ash, beech and hazel turn out important harvests of fruit or seeds. Goat Willow (Pussy Willow) grows quickly and can make a useful divider in the garden. Its catkins attract the first insects of spring – therefore insect-eating birds.

Conifers like larch, pine, and spruce, apart from providing all-year shelter contain seeds in their cones and insects amongst the needles. Goldcrests in particular welcome them. Elder, rowan, and wild-cherry bear fruit in autumn and winter which will be very acceptable to many birds, whilst the apple tree may come closest to our aims and ideals. It supports a great diversity of insects, if left unsprayed, and its edible fruit can be shared with a variety of birds in autumn and winter.

Supplementing Nature
Many gardening outlets sell wild bird food, eg packs of mixed seeds or nuts. These can be proffered in dedicated bird-feeders hung from, or attached onto convenient branches in the garden or displayed on the bird table if you have one. Household scraps, on the bird table or some other suitable surface, will be welcomed by most birds, particularly the larger species who may have difficulty using the feeders

Water
Finally do not overlook a supply of fresh water. Birds need fresh water for drinking and bathing all year round. Having a bird bath in your garden gives an added reason for birds to visit. In summer birds will use it to cool themselves.

In winter it is imperative to keep the bird bath topped up and to break any surface ice which may have formed on it. You will discover that the birds will use it even more frequently than in summer. This last point surprises many people until it is pointed out to them that the bird bath, in winter, changes into a very important reservoir of fresh drinking water when frosts stops the birds natural supplies. Birds also need to bathe in winter since they must keep their plumage groomed to keep warm.

The Pleasure Of Watching Birds
This article has only touched on the fundamentals of a bird-friendly garden. There are numerous books available on wild bird care and indeed on bird watching. I hope I have induced at least some of you to want to look further.

Many people derive huge enjoyment and contentment from the birds that visit their garden, their antics and song are a joy to behold and listen to. The pleasure that comes from being near to nature is, to me, magical.

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This entry was posted on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 7:52 am.