Birds bring natural beauty to your garden
While you certainly can’t force birds to flock to your garden, there are many ways to make your garden a more pleasant place for our avian visitors.
Know your neighbours
However, before you take any actions to attract birds to your garden, do some research. What birds are common in your area and what appeals to them? Are you happy to attract the usual suspects, or do you want to lure the more elusive feathered varieties?
Bird feeders
The most obvious way to attract birds is by installing conveniences, such as bird feeders, bird tables, bird houses and baths. Feeders and houses are usually designed with specific species in mind, while tables and baths have more general appeal.
Bird food
If you don’t mind what kind of bird shows up and would rather not worry about what food to offer, sunflower seed (especially black oil sunflower seed) is a popular treat. If you’d rather be more discerning, there are various seed mixes designed to appeal to certain types of birds.
Bird friendly flora
Another way to draw birds to your garden is to grow plants that birds like, whether for food, shelter or both. Rowan, elder, holly, hawthorn, cherry, and other berry-bearing shrubs and trees will have hordes of hungry birds flocking to your garden. Try to choose plants that are native to your area, since birds may treat unfamiliar plants with suspicion.
Plants with thick foliage, such as ivy and holly, also provide good hiding and nesting places. Birds really appreciate evergreen bushes and trees, which they can use for cover all year-round. Unfortunately, cover plants can also be used by lurking cats, squirrels, rats, and other predators. You can help discourage predators by putting thorny vines, rose stems, or other spiky plant cuttings on the ground under covering plants.
You can also provide natural food for birds by increasing your garden’s insect population. Planting native wildflowers will lure local insects, and where the bugs go the birds will follow. It may seem counter-productive to want your garden to be more buggy, but once the birds arrive, you’ll hardly notice the extra insects.
Whatever method you choose to attract garden birds, be sure to take the time to appreciate your feathery friends and let their sights and songs brighten your day.
