Rural Diaries - live the country life, love the countryside and learn about rural issues

Posted by Sally on March 17th, 2008 in Wildlife

When we think of wildlife we often consider donning our anorak and wellies and trudging through a damp forest to get a glimpse of something feathery or furry. There is no need to leave your own home if you have a garden and put a little effort into attracting wildlife.

Birds are particularly easy to attract and so pleasant to watch while sipping your morning tea.
Here are a few tips to help you attract wild birds to your garden:

1. Provide bird boxes with various sized entry holes. This will allow different species of bird to nest, if they are all one size then some species will chase others out of their boxes. Position them away from predators, not just the neighbour’s cat but rats as well.

2. Provide food regularly, unless you provide food regularly when natural food is scarce then the birds will simply look elsewhere. The RSPB provide excellent information on types of feed to attract different species of bird. Don’t forget about providing natural sources of food by leaving leaves and pieces of bark under bushes and trees, this provides a habitat for insects and of course natural food for birds.

If you are going to buy wild bird food why not consider helping a great charity out, 17p from every 2kg back of Bill Oddies Woodland Trust Forest Feast will go to the Woodland Trust to help them protect our woodlands.

3. Don’t forget to provide water, this can be in a pond or birdbath but all creatures need a supply of drinking water. You will need to remove debris every few days to keep the water drinkable. When it needs a good clean just use a stiff brush but don’t use household cleaning materials, just plain old water and some elbow grease.

You can purchase nest boxes, feeders and wild bird feed at most garden centres or if you are handy and have some free time at the weekend why not try making some.

Remember you can’t just throw some seed on the floor and expect a flock of birds to arrive by lunchtime, it can take days or even weeks to attract wild birds but if you are patient and provide the best environment for them you will be rewarded and your garden will turn into a hive of activity.

Once you get the basics in place and train yourself to put out feed and clean water regularly you will be ready to move on to selectively feeding to attract the species of birds you most admire.