How to attract more birds to your garden
As we ready our garden for a spring, summer season full of outdoor entertaining, spare a thought for our feathered-friends. Birds love spending time in our gardens just as much as we do, so why not take a little extra care to make them more comfortable.
Naturalist and TV Presenter Iolo Williams has shared a few tips with us to give us a helping hand when it comes to looking out for birds as part of the Homebase ‘Home for All campaign’ so read on for all the inspiration you need…
Feed them well, but make it the right stuff!
Most people don’t realise that bread can be harmful to birds, offering very little nutrition and filling up a bird’s stomach. Instead, fill your feeders with fat balls, peanuts, mixed seeds, and sunflower seeds which are all high in energy so keeping your visitors alert and happy. The more variety of food you have in your feeders, the wider the range of birds you’ll get.
Image: Pixabay
Birds need water, too
Birds need to have plenty of water for bathing and drinking, so once your feeders are in place it’s definitely worth investing in something to ensure your garden visitors can have a nice drink and a wash in your garden. We recommend investing in a bird bath or similar and then placing it in a safe space. However, if this isn’t an option Iolo recommends a bowl of water, or even an upturned bin lid to keep our feathered friends cool.
Grow a hedge
Not only will these look great in your garden, but they’re ideal for birds and other wildlife to create nests in, too. Birds such as dunnocks, robins and blackbirds will enjoy them, and they’ll also provide food and shelter for so many invertebrates and provide wildlife corridors for hedgehogs and bats.
Image: Pixabay
Keep it clean
It’s crucial to remember to replace bird feed regularly as once it’s gone off it can be incredibly damaging for birdlife. The best advice? Begin by filling your bird feeders with a limited amount of food, that way you won’t end up with food hanging around for what could potentially be months.
If you can, try to factor in a regular clean of your bird feeders, bath and any other accessories you have to ensure they’re germ-free and fit for birds to come and play.
Patience is key
Once you start implementing these tips it might still take some time to build up a bird gathering in your garden. Just like humans, birds take time to build up trust in people but once they’ve got used to the new food source, you’re bound to get plenty of feathered visitors.