How to attract birds to your garden

Whether you want to create a new garden, have an existing one or simply a patio or balcony, try to imagine your garden is a nature reserve and you are the warden. Here's a checklist to help you develop your wildlife-friendly garden.

If you can provide lots of different places, the greater the variety of wildlife you will attract. For example:
1. Short lawns are good for thrushes looking for worms.
2. Densely-planted borders provide cover for insects and shy birds.
3. Ponds and boggy areas are a magnet for wildlife of all kinds.

Most animals need to hide from predators and many hibernate. For shelter:
1. Plant climbers against walls.
2. Grow shrubs and hedges, eg hawthorn.
3. Put up bat roosting boxes.
4. Provide places for hibernating hedgehogs.
5. Tidy up the borders in spring, not autumn.

Here are a few ideas:
1. Pond for frogs and dragonflies.
2. A buckthorn bush for brimstone butterflies.
3. Trees, shrubs and nestboxes for birds.
4. Tube-bundles - short lengths of drinking straws, hollow canes or plant stems tied in bundles are excellent nesting sites for small, harmless solitary bees.
5. Bumblebee pots - loosely fill a medium-sized plant pot with dry moss, make sure the hole in the base of the pot is at least a 20 mm across, then bury it upside down in the ground. Protect the entrance from rain with a few stones and watch for bees going in and out trees and shrubs, including oak, willow, birch, bramble, hazel and holly.
6. Nettle patch - good for butterflies.

Native plants provide the best food for wildlife. You can also put out a variety of foods to encourage birds. Almost any water in your garden will make a difference. A well-sited and planted pond is a haven for wetland wildlife.

Adding more native flowers, shrubs and trees to your garden will attract more wildlife. Many native flowers are now less common, so planting them in your garden will help them survive. Make sure you plant native varieties, not continental ones. Never remove plants from the wild but choose nursery grown ones.

Find out more at www.rspb.org.uk.

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