A garden filled with the sight and sound of birds is a true delight. Birds add colour and life, but they're also fantastic allies for gardeners, helping to control pests like slugs, aphids, and caterpillars. Making your garden a haven for birds is a win-win: you get a vibrant garden, and they get a valuable source of food, shelter, and nesting sites.
Here are six simple ways to make your garden more bird-friendly:
1. Use a Variety of Bird Feeders
Not all birds eat the same way. Ground-feeders like robins and blackbirds prefer table feeders, while smaller birds like blue tits and goldfinches love hanging feeders filled with seeds or nuts. Place your feeders near shrubs or trees to provide a quick escape route from predators. Be patient—it may take a while for birds to discover them.
2. Plant Berry-Bearing Shrubs
Planting shrubs that produce berries, such as holly, hawthorn, crab apple, and rowan, provides birds with a crucial food source in the autumn and winter. As a bonus, their bright berries will add a cheerful splash of color to your garden on gloomy days.
3. Welcome Mature Ivy
Mature ivy is an incredibly beneficial plant for birds. Its energy-rich berries are an excellent food source in late autumn, and its dense, evergreen leaves offer essential shelter from cold weather and predators, as well as a great place for nesting. To keep it under control, prune it back hard in early spring.
4. Put Up Nesting Boxes
Install nesting boxes in autumn or winter so they're ready for birds when they start looking for nesting sites in early spring. To ensure the boxes don't get too hot or windy, place them on north or northeast-facing walls.
5. Avoid Using Pesticides
Resist the temptation to use pesticides. Pests like slugs and aphids are a vital food source for garden birds. For example, blue tits eat a huge number of aphids during the breeding season, while blackbirds and thrushes help keep slugs and snails in check. If you need to deal with a pest problem, try non-chemical methods like wiping bugs off plants or spraying them with a strong jet of water.
6. Let Your Lawn Grow Long
If you have the space, let a small patch of your lawn grow wild. The long grass provides a habitat for insects and invertebrates, which in turn become a food source for birds. Leaving the grass long over the winter allows new insects to hatch in the spring, providing a feast for young chicks.
With a few simple additions, your garden will be a thriving haven for birds. Visit us today to find the perfect plants and bird care products to get started.
