Do you have a garden or a backyard you would like to see some birds in? Would you like to support passerines? So, let’s get crafty and creative and invite birds to your garden!
Here are some of the most efficient things you can create to get bird visits.
1. Bird boxes
There are plenty of ways you can help birds during their busiest season. One way to get birds in your garden is by providing them with boxes to shelter and breed. Vulgarly, boxes for tits are the most common and easiest. But there are many other species you can build a home for. Just ensure you properly study the needs of the species you aim for.
Check our previous article on this subject here .
2. Bird feeders
Another efficient way to bring birds to your garden is by building feeding structures. It can be a platform hung on a tree, a rounded structure with holes, or even a cage on the ground, protecting them from predators. There are too many options. Do some research and try to reuse stuff you don’t need before buying brand-new materials.
You can read more about this topic here .
3. Bird baths
Who doesn’t enjoy fresh water, right? Birds need it to stay hydrated and to keep their feathers in the best shape. So they will appreciate it if you place in your place something they could drink and bath on. It doesn’t have to be big or complex and shouldn’t be deep. But it does need some maintenance. It is crucial that you change the water and clean the container regularly to avoid the spreading of diseases.
4. Plants
Planting a good variety of plants in your garden will benefit everyone! Make it more colourful and will attract birds. Plus, it is vital for pollinator insects. For the birds, plants can offer food sources and shelter. Even if you have to plant them on vases, it’s fine. There are several plant species that you can keep in containers.
5. “Small ecosystem”
In case you have a bigger garden, you can get “crazy” and arrange it so that you create a small ecosystem which would be great not only for birds but for many other wild animals too. You can combine all the ideas above or even create a small pond. This way, you will have a vivid and healthy garden that you and your family can enjoy, while connecting with nature and wildlife.
6. Free of predators
Finally, perhaps the most important thing to take into consideration. All those lovely things will only work if your garden offers birds another essential need: safety. And, no, we are not saying you should kill snakes and other “dangerous” animals. We are only referring to cats. Having cats at home or in the neighbourhood is the number one reason for not succeeding in having birds in one's garden.
Even if you can somehow control your cat(s), chances are that the cats in the neighbourhood will visit your garden and threaten the visitors you really want. In this case, the only way is to make your garden cat-proof. You can use detectors or fences, or be more careful in building and placing the structures for birds.
We will leave you this nice diagram by Bird Spot summarising how a garden can be bird-friendly.
