Watching birds feeding, displaying and collecting nest material in the garden is the most wonderful way to connect with the natural world. Whether you are listening to chiffchaffs singing while you are weeding the borders in spring or watching redwings feeding in the snow, birds bring life and joy to our gardens throughout the year.
Attracting birds into the garden is straightforward and is as much about what you don’t do as what you do. Avoid using insecticides and herbicides, leave trees, shrubs, hedges and climbers to mature, create plenty of areas with good undergrowth cover and allow herbaceous plant material to stand overwinter. If you create a garden that supports healthy soil and encourages biodiverse insect populations, it will also be good for mammals, amphibians and birds. Growing plants with berries, fruits and seeds is also important, and can be supplemented by providing good quality bird food.
Provide the right conditions for our feathered friends to feed, shelter and nest – and they will come.
Common garden birds in the UK House sparrow, Passer domesticusThis gregarious garden bird often nests in holes in buildings or in grouped nest boxes on house walls. The male has a streaked brown back, brown head and neck, with a grey cap and black bib. Females and juveniles are less distinctly marked, with streaky backs and no bib. House sparrows feed on seeds and grains in autumn and winter, but in spring they need access to a plentiful supply of small invertebrates to feed their developing chicks. Although still among the most common birds in UK gardens, house sparrow populations have significantly declined in the past 50 years.
Blue tit, Cyanistes caeruleusWith its blue cap and wings, this charming, colourful
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