How Can We Encourage More Birds Into Our Gardens?

There is nothing quite like the quiet joy of watching birds in your own garden.  The RSPB Big Bird Watch results for 2018 show that smaller birds are increasing in numbers in our gardens.  Goldfinches are up 11% on 2017’s numbers, and greenfinches are up 5% which is really pleasing.  Long-tailed tits and coal tits are also increasingly seen.  But perennial favourites robins and blackbirds had lower numbers reported this year.  So how can we encourage more birds into our gardens? 

Your Garden as an Ecosystem

You will get an increase of visitors with a well supplied table or feeder, but to make a garden more inviting to birds year round a long term approach is needed.  Our human idea of a beautifully manicured formal garden with decking and a wooden fence all round is sadly unattractive to wildlife.  But most of us need our gardens to be family and pet friendly spaces where we entertain and enjoy our summer.  Happily there can be a compromise.

Starlings love chafer grubs!

Not many of us have the space or the inclination to have a meadow area in our lawn or a wild area in the garden.  But how about leaving the grass a little longer this summer?  Longer grass will encourage more worms to surface which will help robins, blackbirds and thrushes.  Starlings pick out chafer grubs from the lawn which will stop the grubs eating the grass roots.  Win Win!

If you can, perhaps consider gardening without pesticide.  Your garden really is a tiny ecosystem on a very delicate balance.  Things that we consider pests – slugs and snails, aphids, caterpillars and grubs- are all food for someone.  Similarly, forgetting the traditional autumn garden clear up can help our birds.  Lots of plants have seed heads that finches and sparrows will greedily come down for.  The remaining plant material gives invertebrates a place to shelter, and these invertebrates are food for wrens, goldcrests and dunnocks.  I didn’t clear the old sweetcorn plants from my garden last year, and wrens came most days to pick around the plants.  Up til now I’d never seen a wren in the garden, so I’ll definitely do it again!  I’ve also had a friendly blackbird rummaging for grubs in the bark chippings.   

What Garden Plants Will Help Birds?

A thoughtful planting plan will provide food and shelter for both residents and seasonal visitors.

Ivy. Now don’t get me wrong, I know ivy can be a pain in the garden.  It starts off small and cute, you turn your back and it becomes a raging garden claiming oaf. And it’s flowers smell terrible.  So why am I telling you it’s great? Ivy gives so much to the birds.  Its flowers are so attractive to pollinators.  Ivy berries are a vital food source for many birds as varied as blackbirds and pigeons  through the winter.  It’s a dense plant which gives birds shelter from predators and a nest site for thrushes, blackbirds and robins.

Pyracanthia.  This might not be a great garden addition if you have small children as it’s a thorny beast.  Birds love its berries, you can expect to see blackbirds, robins, thrushes, even passing fieldfare and redwing in winter. Its quite a densely growing plant which gives smaller birds added protection and shelter. Holly berries provide similar birds a meal in winter.

Teasel will attract goldfinches

Teasel and sunflowers are a great food source when they’re left to go to seed.  Most birds will love you for a supply of sunflower seeds.  You can either leave them on the plant or take them out and feed from a table.  Teasel is a particular favourite of goldfinches.

Fruit trees. If you have fruit trees try leaving a few gnarly apples or pears on the tree or as windfalls for the winter.  Redwing and fieldfare enjoy fruit and you may even be lucky enough to get a hungry waxwing.  Of course, if you have cherries or soft fruit, they won’t wait for your invitation, they’ll happily help themselves.   

Can I Persuade Birds To Nest In My Garden?

Certainly, if you give them appropriate nesting sites. Wrens and long-tailed tits like a thick, dense hedge.  Most other tits nest in holes in trees which makes them the perfect candidate for your nesting box.  Don’t go for too garish a coloured box though, however lovely you think it looks birds know predators will easily see it and will be put off.   Chaffinches, greenfinches and goldfinches nest in trees between branches.  Leave nesting material around for them.  After I comb the Official Blog Dog, I leave the fur in a rose bush for the birds to collect.  They will also collect twigs and moss, long-tailed tits even look for spider web.  So leaving your garden a little less manicured will do your feathered friends a favour.

Birds are creatures of habit and routine so don’t expect a chirping noisy flock to greet you immediately.  With a little patience and forethought, you can encourage the birds into your garden for years to come.