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Attract
Birds to Your Garden
I expect there have been occasions when you have looked out of
a window and watched fascinated by the behaviour of birds in your
garden. In the summer we often see birds bathing in a quiet section
of our manmade stream flowing into the garden pond. Many people
would like to encourage more birds into their gardens but how do
we do it?
First of all, young children and cats are a positive discouragement
as is a very tidy garden. Teach your children to enjoy seeing birds
and not to chase or frighten them. Put bells on your cats and don't
have places they can wait in ambush near feeding places for birds.
Here are some more suggestions for encouraging birds into your
garden.
- Don't use non organic slug pellets, if birds eat poisoned snails
or slugs, they are poisoned too.
- Be sparing in your use of pesticides of all kinds. Remember
that birds need slugs, snails, leatherjackets, etc, to eat themselves
and to feed their chicks.
- Although you won't want a garden full of weeds and pests, set
aside a section where you don't remove weeds and the insects,
caterpillars, etc, that feed on them.
- Leave rotting branches in this out of the way section of garden.
Birds will find insects in them and some species may also use
them, as well as holes in garden walls or trees, for nesting.
- Set up nestboxes out of reach of cats.
- Provide a birdtable and birdbath, again in a place where cats
can't creep up on the birds.
- If you are planning to plant a tree, choose one with birds in
mind so make it a native species like oak, willow or birch. These
provide food by giving shelter to insects as well as nest sites.
Their fruit and nuts are also valuable sources of food for birds.
- Plants trees and shrubs that produce autumn and winter berries,
eg rowan, pyracantha, elder, cotoneaster.
- If you can bear it, don't be to assiduous about weeding your
lawn because weeds like dandelion and clover also provide food
for birds.
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Copyright © 2005 - Carol
Fisher
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