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Put out appropriate food to attract the birds-I have lots of seagulls so put out seed in feeders-be consistent- never let your feeders go empty or your birds will look elsewhere and put out a bowl of water too!
The long tailed tit, it comes in waves, very persistant and very brave !!
Hang your feeders close to cover, but remember some birds like to feed from a table and some like to feed on the ground and always have water in the garden …..enough for them to drink and bathe in.
My recipe melt lard or dripping in microwave add mealworms, seed and ground up peanuts, put into containers and allow to set, the birds love it.
They seem to love anything with a bit of fat in – they flock whenever we put leftover cake, tried cheese etc out
Put lots of bird seed and other food out regulary
We have a bird bath filled with fresh water in our garden so many bids come to use it, its amazing to see <3
Feed them – and they will come. Also a good idea to have some fruit trees and plants. They love my strawberries!
Keep out the cats!
Leave plants with seeds in your garden for birds to feed on.
Lots of hedges
Always ensure there is drinking water available, especially during Winter, and keep trees as the birds need somewhere to nest.
I ALWAYS PUT OUT SUET
we have a hedge where the birds like to shelter from the rain
Have a good variety of food available to attract different types of bird and have water for them to
We have feeders hanging from the trees and nesting boxes swing
a bird bath in the corner we watch them splash and sing
my garden is alive with robins, sparrows and many more
I love to sit and listen their singing I adore
Planting is all important, think cover, think perches and think food. Plant teasels, mulleins, sunflowers and leave the heads on over-winter. Small birds like tits love the seeds and it’s great watching their acrobatics as they search them out!!
lots of bird food and feeders ,lots of bushes for them to hide from the sparrow hawk
always have water available! The birds love nothing better than a tasty snack, a long drink followed by a lovely refreshing bath!
Have a bird bath filled with fresh water – its amazing how many birds use it
i leave lots of different types of seed and fat balls and fruit out in my garden . as different birds like different foods
Don’t be too quick to tidy away dead or gone over plants…..the seed heads will become a source of food for some species 🙂
Also, consider a small section of garden scattered in a meadow seed mix…..My mum did this and her Garden Bird friends are thriving!!
Put out fresh food and water daily
Be generous with your food you leave out, a bit of everything, so they all get a piece of the action 🙂
lots of food, plenty of variety.
My nan, bless her, she loves sitting and watching the birds in the morning and the reason why such a variety comes to the garden everyday is because for the past 5 years she puts bird seeds in the same place at the same time in the morning so they always show up because they know there will be food out 🙂 so yeah make a routine of putting food out at the same time each day. Also when she brushes her alaskan nalamute she leaves all the fur in the garden and the birds come and take it to use for their nests 🙂
Leave a pile of dry leaves in a shady place in the Autumn so blackbirds can forage through them for food.
i have a little bird feeder and put bird food in it daily
I rehydrate the mealworms in hot water
Different types of food to attract the biggest variety of birds as not all birds prefer the same things. Feeders with seeds, another with fat balls, another with suet cake and another with peanuts.
Also mealworms and suet pellets for ground feeding birds (I use a ground guard so the food can be accessed by the smaller birds and not just gobbled up by pigeons).
give them a choice of foods instead of just the seeds
One of the best things you can do is plant a hedge close to your bird feeders. Birds will stick around longer if they have got some where they can hide/feel safe.
Keep a ‘wild’ spot in your garden that will attract insects and provide cover for the birds to feed on and hide in
We put out food for the birds but they seem to like our new grass seed.
fat balls and seed feeders
Foliage! Have the feeders exposed for easy view of the birds, but have some foliage near by so that they have a retreat. The birds always seem ‘happier’ if the have a safe retreat near by, they turn up more frequently and in greater numbers.
At this time of year when my dogs are having their spring moult, I put the fur that I brush up into the garden for the birds to collect when nest building.
Use a good quality bird feeder and keep it in an area of your garden where cats can’t get to it and where the birds can easily fly to it.
Leave your hanging baskets with some of last years old growth don’t be too tidy the birds always come pecking for both insects and nesting material early in the year ,we never start our baskets until May so it gives them plenty of chance we even had a family of Wrens raised in our Mesembryanthemum ball two years running with an exodus that included them actually sitting on my Wife as we watched them leave.
grow a wide range of plants and flowers
leave out food
Give a variety of seed and fresh fruit (the local ducks love cut up grapes!) to attract many different species into your garden.
Put fresh food out for them
Having lots of fruit bearing bushes which encourage insects and fruit in the autumn.
always make sure birds have daily food/water left out for them with tasty homemade lard fat balls with sunflower seeds in them
they seem to love our corn that gets missed by our chickens
Put food out every day and the birds will come to visit
Sunflower hearts – living on the edge of urbanisation we are very lucky to see blackbirds, coal tits, blue tits, sparrows, starlings,wrens, chaffinch, gold finches, collared doves, woodpidgeons, magpies,woodpeckers and even a sparrow hawk. With the obvious exception! all of the birds enjoy the sunflower hearts
Put a variety of bird foods at the feeding stations and do not use slug pellets.
Put food out regularly and not just in winter
They seem to love my grass seed x
Regular feeding encourages the birds to visit
Regular feeding at multiple feeding stations, at various heights, in various places throughout the garden, to accommodate the varying needs of different bird species.
I put left over cat food out every morning when I clean the pet dishes. It’s like instant worms – they all love it and wait for the door to open.
We just let the garden grow a bit and put some food out which does the trick!
Ensure there is a good amount of natural shelter for protection against predators and to give a feeling of safety.
Making sure there is a variety of food for different types of birds other wise the pigeons Nick it all. I also have a bowl of water for the birds to have a bath.
leave a variety of food the best one being these coconut shells, they love them
julie sansom
My best tip is lots of wild flowers and hedges with plenty of lovely seeds…attract the bugs = birds 🙂
put the feed where cats cannot get to it
Put a wide variety of feeders out and as many as possible.
I ensure they have protection from predators such as the fox that lives 8n the field next door. We have two huge trees and I often hear the woodpecker up there and see my two little robins.
Feed regularly, in the same place, a mixture attractive to many types of Birds. Carefully chose your feeding location-Try to think would the birds feel secure while feeding here.
keep your dog out of garden when birds are feeding on your bird table it puts them off
Leaving bird food out in a tree or a bird feeder x
Regular feeding
Research what birds live in your local area and be patient
Lots of bird seed
But the feed by a tree
Leave some part of your garden wild to encourage wild flowers.
Ensure you always have food in your feeder and you will always have the pleasure of birds visiting you
Have a pond, trees and plants to provide natural food for the birds and of course also provide bird food, fat balls and mealworms
My number one tip to attract birds to the garden would be to keep a birdbath topped up with fresh water and kept clean as it gets mucky very quickly.I love watching the birds bathe and drink from mine.
provide appropriate food and water regularly
provide regular supplies of appropriate food
Don’t be too tidy.
My tip is to try and put the feeders where the birds feel safe. We are fortunate enough to have fields on two sides of us and so we have trees over the fence at the bottom of our garden. We have put the feeders up close to the trees and so the birds feel they have somewhere to nip to if they feel threatened.
I think the most important thing is letting your garden be a bit wild, not too neat. I live in a shared house, and we all like going into the kitchen because whilst washing up you can spot several species. My fellow house dwellers come from abroad, so were surprised that even in the city of Oxford in a built up street birds could still be found chirping in the morning. It makes work that bit better to get up for… not to mention the several cheeky squirrels who hang upside down on the feeder in between the little birds. A veritable cornucopia, all we do is – leave them be.
I have a bird table in a sheltered spot which I feed the birds on all winter because they struggle at that time of year, plus it is out of the way of my two dogs so they cannot scare them.
Don’t be too tidy in the garden. Birds need cover to feel safe and don’t forget ground feeding birds that require ground cover which will harbour natural foods for them to feed on. Siting feeders near shelter encourages even timid birds to visit like these long-tailed tits but make sure it predators are not given an easy meal with sturdy branches too close.
My main tip is keeping the kids indoors! I love both my birds and my children but the two don’t like each other. I tend to get the children to help me put out the bird food and as soon as they are indoors again my three pigeons make their way down for the first feed. Occasionally we have a little robin who visits us and several blue tits and the odd magpie too. I’m not sure what happened to “Nutty”, the squirrel – but he has been scarce for a few weeks now…he is also partial to a little seed.
Place bird feeders in different parts of the garden, plus a selection of food for the different types of birds in your garden
Have a variety of nuts and seeds – not just one branded type. This helps to attract a variety of birds in my experience.
If you find an ants nest, open it up with a fork or spade, and hide – the birds love it!
lovely bird feeder
I seem to have had a lot of birds in the garden, simply by having the bird bath & keeping it clean and topped up with fresh water. I get loads on it!!!
Feed them and water them continuously and they will come, i hardly had any birds on my garden last year and then i bought a bird table and kept it supplied and slowly they arrived and now i have all different species visiting. x
Let the garden get a little overgrown, the sparrows seem to love ours! Also, having a dog has kept the cats out which has meant we’ve had a lot more birds visiting us.
use a squirrel hood / dome to stop cats getting at your bird feeders
Plenty of assorted food each day and smearing peanut butter on tree trunks..they love it.
a bird bath is a good idea to attract more birds
A good variety of bird food such as sunflower hearts and suet pellets attracts several species of birds and a good robust squirrel feeder keeps the squirrels away from the bird feeder.
Grow berry producing, thorny bushes. The berries feed the birds while the thorny growth provides nesting space.
Plenty of bright plants big and small; make the birds visit my garden the most of all
Put up lots of bird houses and keep feeding them.
put out plenty of feeders
Planting bird friendly plants with lots of seeds or berries to seed them through the winter as well as plenty of bird feeders and fresh water
Have a variety of different feeders & foods.
I dont try to attract birds to my garden because of my cat, but I have a large variety that visit me at work instead. I find a wide variety of food helps and plenty of places to hide. Bob, our friendly Robin comes in the unit to see what we are doing now
Plenty of cover for them to hide in
Ban cats
Grow Sunflowers – the look great in the Summer then the birds come and peck the sunflower seeds off them when they die off
provide a safe environment with high nesting and feeding areas with a mix of treats
Make sure that your feeders are close to shelter, a hedge, tree etc, the birds feel safer then.
Regular feeding
Water is a great way to attract birds, a pond or a bird bath
Choose the best possible seed, and discourage cats.
Feed the birds regularly so they know your garden is a great source of food.
We have a wide variety of birds which visit our garden but this baby wood pigeon was a favourite. It managed to fly down onto the fence from its nest in the tree behind, but it was too frightened to go any further. It stayed there for about three days but eventually it plucked up the courage and we were lucky enough to watch it take its first real flight.
Regular feeding and provide plenty of dense planting for shelter.
Grow cabbages without using pesticides, birds love the cattipillars!
Put lits of feeders out with food for birds
Renew their food and water on a regular basis
Always have bird food outside in a nice quiet area of the garden, with beautiful flowers and a bird house, and not forgetting a bird bath too!
The beautiful bird table I always make sure I leave full of goodies! And maybe my singing voice that attracts the birds to spend their mornings with me in our garden!
The correct food and clean feeders
Use as few chemicals as possible
feeders with forward facing feeding rings attract all types of birds and make it easier for them to feed in a natural position
Keep a selection of nuts and seeds in bird feeders and water in a bird bath
Regular food, fresh water and a few trees.
BBQ and beers 🙂
Make sure you always have bird food out and fresh water.
would love this for my garden
Simple, just put out a good variety of food as well as plenty of it, it will bring in plenty of birds as
I have found because birds communicate with each other.
Create different areas with different type of food
I seem to have hundreds of birds and all I have done is make sure they have year round fat balls,seed fruit and bread
Sunflower hearts. They seem to be loved by so many birds a real bird.magnet.
I have a few bird boxes round the garden and also a bird table
A bird bath and a bird table which is out of the way of cats. Suet logs and mealworm treats and a selection of seeds will guarantee a lot of feathered visitors!
Have a variety of different foods out and in different places – and keep them out year round, don’t suddenly stop in the winter or summer!
Now that both my cats have died the garden is full of birds!!
Lots of treats
Use the left over cold cooking fats or suet (not from Chicken or Turkey as it can be dangerous to the birds) and mix with a teaspoon of peanut butter, a small amount of dry porridge oats and kitchen scraps like (unsalted peanuts, unsalted bacon rind, raisins, cheese etc…) and mix under a gentle heat. In a used yogurt pot insert a small hole in the top and pull through a piece of twine about twice the length of the pot pour in the mixture and place in the fridge over night then cut away the pot, tie a chunky knot at the fat end of the bird fat pate and let the birdie feast begin
Make it as hard for the squirrels get the food as possible.
put the birdboxes up high enough so the cats cannot get them. I fix them to the back of my house…change the birdhouse every year and each year the Blue Tits come to visit.
My tip for encouraging birds to your garden is to keep something in your bird feeder all year round, that way the birds don’t waste their energy coming to you garden and finding it empty. It may be nest making materials if it’s not food. Don’t cut your bushes until nesting season is finished to avoid harming nests.
Add dried fruit to your bird feed. Always the first thing to disappear…
put out food
Hang something up that is bright to attract the birds to the tree to see the rest of the goodies. (I hang a bright red apple which is colourful and edible) The tree which I hang everything up on is right by a tall fence and leylandii which makes for a quick getaway if animals are around.
Have as many different feeding zones with different foods within your garden to attract as many birds as possible.
We have Ivy on the tall back wall of our garden and Blackbirds, Robins, Sparrows and Blue Tits all build their nests and live happily together and raise their young without fear of the neighbours cats getting anywhere near them.
put out seeds and fatballs
mine like the birdbath xx
Having a water source and daily food!
Leave a small amount of seed in a bird house
Pieces of melon attracts birds to my garden
Lots of variety and plenty of cat deterrents
Keep the cats away and the birds shall play.
Place bird variety of food in a safe environment & supply water and the birds will come
Provide a varied amount of foods and always make sure your feeders are topped up
Different range of food,never place a feeding station by a wall,cats love getting close
Don’t keep a cat!
Keep an area of your garden nice and tranquil for them. Put a few different food types out at varied levels and keep a bird book near to the back door and a notebook so you and the children can observe which birds visit.
For couple of years now we store our birdfood in a large plastic jar.we shake the jar as we walk up the garden puting some food on ground and filling feeders up.We shake it making a noise and the birds nearby that frequent our garden recognise it and start to come over.
Put up nest boxes and always make sure you have a plentiful supply of fresh bird food and water.The bird feeders also need to be situated out of the reach of predators.
An assortment of different plants, bird feeders dotted around and plenty of water
I entice my birds with homemade fat balls and fairy cake made with sunflower seeds – oh yes live mealworms never fail!!
Check out my flickr photos and videos where 10 birds feed from my hand!!
https://www.flickr.com/photos/49542898@N06/with/8952037299/
Create a bird bath with moving water near a covered area
I have a bird feeder but a bit battered by the weather so would be good to win thanks
Its quite simple, be consistant in your feeding, always try to keep a constant supply for your visitors.
Feed the birds regularly at a place where they feel safe. I’ve counted 32 different species of bird in my tiny little town garden 🙂
Some good food!
Our bird feeders are located in trees and remain there all year round. We vary the foods given and some are homemade.
Hi,
My tip is to position the bird table/birdfeeder within a few feet of a hedge or tree. The small birds are much happier nipping out of the hedge to eat and having somewhere to take refuge if they get a fright. We have a regular sparrowhawk visitor which is beautiful, and of course needs to eat, but we don’t want to make it easy for him by leaving our small birds vulnerable. So far we’ve never seen him make a successful visit, and our bird table always has queues of blue tits, great tits, coal tits, long tailed tits, tree sparrows, dunnocks, robins, blackbirds, siskins, greenfinches, goldfinches, yellowhammers and chaffinches waiting to take their turn!
Jo
Create a wildlife pond even a really small one, birds will use it to drink from, bathe in the shallows and feed on the insects.
Put out a variety of food – the robins in my garden like suet, the various tits prefer the bird feeder, the blackbirds like fruit and the wood pigeons seem to eat anything at all !
My no1 tip to attract birds is to put bird food in as many different locations as you can. This will not only attract different species it will make sure there is plenty of room for shyer birds. We use sunflower hearts as they are most popular in our garden and don’t leave any mess. We put them on the bird table in feeders on the floor and also on the wall in front of our kitchen window so we can see the birds close up. The smaller birds like to feed from the wall and we also see a little wood mouse pop out of his hole to collect sunflowers, but imagine our surprise when we saw a male pheasant walking along the wall clearing up. He is now a daily visitor!
My tip to encourage wild birds to visit your garden is to offer a wide range of foods and most importantly to keep your feeders topped up. Every dat I pass gardens with empty feeders hanging forlornly swinging in the breeze. No wonder the birds give up and go elsewhere. Keep your feeders topped up and the birds will find them AND keep coming to visit them.
Keep the bird feeders topped up all year round.
I have a bird friendly cat that can do impressions of garden birds!
choose your spot carefully and keep it there. Use plants as well such as Pampas grass they can use for nests
Put different types of bird food out and you will get many different birds visiting.
Don’t move your feeder around too much, if the birds know where it is they will keep returning
assortted seed
varied diffrent foods is the way to get all differant birds from jenny wren to pheasants coloured doves to woodpecker and feeders placed in trees are more natural
my garden gets all kinds thanks to garden wildlife direct or i wouldntr be able to afford to do it
Feed them throughout the year so theybknow there is always food when they need it
Keep next doors kids quiet!!
my birds love sun flower seeds on our bird table and ofcourse some water in my shell water bath
we find the best is a wide selection of foods to tempt as many different birds as possible and to feed at different heights the same as we do water wetting some of the seeds so they shoot helps to {but can attract slugs)
Offer good quality bird food like sunflower hearts in easily accessible feeders and always make sure they are clean and full.
Lots of places for the birds to drink. We have found it quite amazing from which they will drink , a small ornamental watering can on our garden table weighted down inside with a large stone and also some metal outdoor candle containers cleaned and hung plus washing up bowls sunk into the garden
Ensure there is always a good variety of foods available
Put out a mix of different seeds and fatballs, provide water, and do it all regularly.
Dig over a patch of earth then leave it for a while and watch the birds come down to feed on the worms and insects.
All birds like sunflower hearts and insect suet pellets are popular.
water…plenty to drink and splash with.
Putting out a wide variety of nuts and seeds, also growing flowers and shrubs that attract the birds
always ensure there is fresh food and water available and that there is shelter nearby for the birds to hide
My Tip is to use natural foods like fruit and nuts as birds much prefer this than bird seeds 🙂
Depending on the seasons, read about what food the different birds eat.
Hanging out the washing! It attracts them everytime – albeit for the wrong reason!!
Have a variety of shrubs and trees for shelter and protection, offer a range of different foods to attract different species. Then get your binoculars, sit back and enjoy!
A variety of suitable food in a secure and safe place.
I put out the stale biscuits or cut up apple
We have a Blue Tit ornament in our garden, it seems to let the other birds know that its safe to come and feed 🙂
Grow reeds – all types of birds love to eat the fluffy seeds and the garden will be full of them.
lots of bird feeders around the garden with bird baths filled with fresh water daily
i use cable ties and basket pulleys to stop the crows flying off with the feeders so the little birds can keep coming to feed. I have lots of different feeders and food so I do catering for as many small birds as possible and my two collared doves. I also have 2 robins currently in my garden, I think they are courting as they feed each other. I was watching them in my garden one morning and they looked as if they were kissing as their beaks were touching, but they were probably sharing their food. Maybe I will get a nest box in time for breeding season next year
Keep feeding all year.
A good water supply, a bird bath is ideal and lots of colourful flowers seem to attract the birds.
Having moved into a new-build with a dirt only garden, we immediately planted some fruit trees (as there is an orchard down the road so we knew the ground was suitable) … they grow quickly and add cover (and produce fruit) and we have blue tits nesting every year in the nesting box on the wall behind our peach tree
Feed them regularly so they know there is always food. Supply water and give them room and lots of flowers and bushes for natural food
put seeds all across the grass and they will nip though it
suitable food for the birds you want to attract
Feeding stations off the ground with a wide variety of choice of feed stuffs.
Feed them regularly, when I go out to put food out I can hear the birds getting ready to feed! and they don’t seem bothered by my 3 cats either who can set quite happily a few metres from the birds!
Suet Pellets then porridge oats the birds love it.
Provide a safe feeding area with nearby trees or shrubs and offer water and a variety of foods. This brambling visits us in the winter.
Always try to keep everything in your garden as nature intended. Never use chemicals to kill the bugs! Plant an apple tree which attracts i sects which will, in turn, bring the hu gry birds into your garden as well as providing plemty of cruit for your pies! Its a win win situation!:)
Fresh food, water and cater for all birds
Put food and water out but make sure it’s out of the reach of any cats
feed them grain
feed them yummy stuff 😉
Make sure there is plenty of fresh food and water in clean feeders
Make sure that the bird feeder is filled daily, is full of wheat-free mix which consists of a selection of good quality seeds and grains (without husks) and which includes suet pellets and that they always have access to fresh water.
Always have a supply of drinking water and a bird bath for the birds to use
Plant shrubs to provide cover for birds.
feed them and make sure they have water.
High up out of the way to make it harder for cats. And a wide variety of seeds and nuts to entice a wide variety of birds, which is nicer to watch from the kitchen window.
Give them good quality food, squirrel proof your feeders and ban all cats from your garden. Our dog, who seems to love the birds, helps tremendously as a cat deterrent.
Have some sort of hedge or tree for birds to hide in away from predators and provide water in some shape or form, birdbath, bowl or hanging water supply.
Keep the cat indoors!
Have all bird feeding away from your dog are dog just scares them away
Put down cat deterrent and male your garden a bird haven
Put lots of plants with berries and seed heads into your garden.
mk
Keep the food fresh
Keep your bird bath full, throughout the year.
Keep the water in the bird bath fresh and filled as they enjoy a bath in all weathers. Have lots of resting places apart from the washing line for them to perch on. Supply a variety of bid food at different heights and from assorted feeders. I’m lucky that my daughter works at Folly Wildlife which is a British wildlife rescue centre and often brings birds home to be released.
Provide birds with plenty of shelter in the form of trees and shrubs, put up nesting boxes and plant native plants to attract insects. Provide a variety of seed and suet balls to attract various species and fresh water for both drinking and bathing all year round. It is also a good idea to put a bell on the cat’s collar so the birds can hear him approaching
Keep the pesky house cats away by putting orange and lemon peel in your borders and flower beds, they cant stand the smell of it. Less cats = more birds!
Consistent supply of good quality food, cleanliness of feeders and plenty of shrubbery for safe cover from predators
Buy a squirrel nut feeder to keep the squirrels away from the bird nuts!
Find out what they like to eat and keep giving it to them! A squirrel feeding box is useful because it keeps them off the bird feeders.
Feed and water available regularly and cat zappers if possible
Crumble your fat balls add mixed seeds, sultanas, raisins or currants place on the ground and all your groundfeeders cannot keep away.
I have a bird bath, a nut feeder and 2 bluetit boxes so get plenty of feathered visitors x
They seem to like the ‘Fat Balls’ we make our own.
Keep your feeders topped up!
We have put some nesting boxes out and bought lots of seeds for them
Put feeders in trees to provide protection from predators, provide a bird bath, sit back and be patient!
put a selection of different seeds and fat balls / slices etc, and scatter some on the ground for the birds lke collared doves to prefer this
My tip for attracting wild birds is to always leave water out for them and to grow plants that have berries on
As well as a variety of food, make sure they can access clean, fresh water
I leave a selection of fat balls suet cakes and sunflower hearts and they all come. Lots of protective cover like trees and bushes help too.
When I brush my dog I always leave the hair out for the bird to use for nesting.
We have a bird bath which is regularly filled and several bird feeders
I live backing onto an orchard and put a variety of feed out twice a day together with fresh water. It is placed at different levels to attract a wide variety of birds. There is a tree right by the house that they fill waiting for me each day and as I move from feeder to feeder the small birds flutter past me to get to the first filled feeder.
lots of bushes trees etc so they feel safe and protected somewhat
Ensure you have a good variety of bird feed out, seeds, nuts and fat balls
Buy all your bird food & feeders from gardenwildlifedirect Easy !!!!!
keeping food tray on bird tree full
My tip would have to be: if you are going to attract garden birds with food, make sure you can regularly feed them as they will become reliant on that food source especially in very cold weather. Attached my favourite garden visitor so far – a juvenille female greater spotted woodpecker. She hasn’t been back since then but spent a good 30 minutes posing for photos.
ALONG WITH YOUR FAVORITE BITS LIKE PEANUTS FATBALLS AND MIXED SEEDS ENSURE YOU PROVIDE A YEAR ROUND SUPPLY OF SUNFLOWER HEARTS IT IS IMPORTANT TO CONTINUE FEEDING THROUGH SPRING AND SUMMER AS MANY BIRDS CAN HAVE UP TO THREE BROODS.ADDED BONUS OF SUN FLOWER HEARTS THEY ARE A MAGNET FOR GOLDFINCHES
Without doubt it is a pond. But I do fill the garden with all sorts of different bird foods and the suet blocks always get the most attention.
Put different types of feeders with a variety of feeds near trees or shrubs so birds can easily fly for cover when predators are about, and baby birds can sit nearby waiting for a feed. It’s best not to put feeders near regular nesting sites. We also have a well established variegated large leaved ivy on the back of the house and established variegated small leaf ivy on the front, a well established ivy adorning side fencing and walls. All of which provide homes for sparrows, robins, wrens, blackbirds etc each year. Evergreen shrubs and trees also attract the goldcrest. Blue Tits are regular’s in the nest boxes put up on trees. Most importantly, you must have bird baths and a pond even if it is small – birds love them!
I have struck up a rather nice friendship with just one ring collarded dove-he comes over every morning and I put out bird food for him and the same at about 6pm-I talk when he eats-perfect relationship-he eats about 2 yards from me-hopefully he will become friendly
Provide a regular supply of food in positions where the birds will feel secure, e.g. near bushes, together with a water supply positioned such that predators have no cover. A variety of food in different types of feeders will also make it more likely to attract the maximum number of different birds. Prevent squirrels by using squirrel proof feeders and/or provide an alternative supply of food for them. A Perspex fronted box with a hinged lid will give them a puzzle to solve and an opportunity to take photographs by careful siting of the nut store.
Put a variety of bird food out REGULARLY so that the birds know a tasty lunch awaits them every day!
We have a very large garden just short of half acre and have planted
bird friendly shrubs and flowers with trees and hedges for nesting and
protection. We feed a selection of seed, nuts and suet all the time in the
late autumn to late spring, making sure to have no feeding gaps.
From the conservatory we often see up to 50 birds feeding.
Keep the feeders stocked up all year round and plant bird friendly plants and shrubs in your garden, ie teasels for the Goldfinches and Berberis for Blackbirds.
chase away neighbours cat and feed them fat balls
Bird Bath
Throw away uneaten peanuts in feeders every couple of weeks and replace with a fresh supply-no birds wish to eat mouldy nuts!
and keep the cat inside until after lunch when the birds settle down for a siesta.
Hanging up fat balls always works. They love ’em!
just make surs you have a great mix of seeds including niger
Keep your bird seed,fatballs,etc in the same place in your garden so the Birds know where they are.
we feed the birds regular x
Ensure your seed containers are kept clean and topped up to attract our feathered friends into the garden.
Always ensuring that I have enough reserve stock of a wide variety of seeds, nuts & specialist foods to be able to top up the feeders daily together with a ready supply of water so the birds do not have to search elsewhere.
A good selection of seeds,nuts and fatballs supplied by Gardenwildlifedirect has my garden teeming with birds.
Place bird feeders where the birds will feel safe whilst they eat. For example, mine are on a fence between 2 trees and the birds queue up on the tree branches and take it in turns to fly down to the feeders. Last summer we had over 70 sparrows at one time. The trees were so full they were lining up on the fence!
I have been feeding birds in my garden for fifty years give them as many feeding stations spreadout so that the birds are able to feed in peace with as many different foods as possible all year long
Provide a bird station with a variety of food and water and never let it run out. A constant supply keeps them coming.
Number one tip is never let the feeders go empty
Lots of plants for a secure and safe bird haven
Bird tables and bowls of water
Along with your seed and peanuts they have chicken skin to fatten them up, and I buy value bran flakes and value sultanas for the fibre they need to keep them REGULAR in my garden.
Have lots of Bird baths dotted around the garden and hidden in amongst bushes/plants where the birds feel safe having a bath, along with different feeders hidden in amongst the bushes also.
Ground food mixture early morning and evening – mix of sultanas/wild bird mix/peanuts/porridge oats/suet pellets/dried meal worms.
3 feeders with sunflower hearts and one bird nut feeder and one squirrel nut feeder to keep them away from bird food.
Hundreds of birds daily including a pheasant (yells if no ground food available) and his hen.
Make sure you have a variety of food and clean water all year round and not just for the winter
Lots of different types of wild bird food, we put out a regular mix (bought in big 20/25kg sacks, mixed with a cheaper brand from B&M at £4.99 for a 12.5 kg bag), with additions of black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts, niger seed, peanuts, mealworms (dried), dried fruit (sultanas, sometimes mixed dried fruit) monkey nuts, suet pellets and fruited suet pellets, fat balls, its a veritable birds restaurant and we spread the seed around, small amounts in different areas so they do not have to fight over it. We get robins, blue tits, great tits, coal tits, starlings, thrush, blackbirds, collared doves, bull finches, brambling, wrens, dunnocks, goldfinches and gold crests, magpies, crow (a aprticularily friendly one, that doesn’t shift far when putting the food out) hedge sparrows and house sparrows, wood pigeon and wild common ex- racing pigeons. and one time we even had a massive owl on our old satellite dish- it was 2 feet tall, by the time i fetched my camera it had gone 🙁 and a sparrow hawk which used to sit on our garden path waiting for some poor sparrow to come looking for food, or a blackbird etc. We have never had any woodpeckers despite the many trees round the edges of our garden and we are too far north for any of the wild parakeets that seem to fly around in the southern part of the country
The Birds absolutely Love grated cheese
The Birds absolutely Love Grated Cheese along with the usual bird seeds.
Keep the cats out of the garden !
A safe environment, with plenty of trees or hedges to roost in, plus access to food and water at all times
Feed ’em a variety of food. Gets a variety of birds!
I have some lovely big trees and we made some bird feeders using a pine cone with lard and seed on (messy arts and crafts with my toddler!)
lots of places for them to feed and bathe in and encourage different kinds to return
Put food out for the birds at a regular time each day and make sure there is some water for the birds to drink.
Put the food in places accessible to birds but less so to other animals (like cats) but ensure they have a reasonable view of the area around the feeder. Watch the birds that come to the feeder and you quickly identify which birds prefer which food items you have offered. Feed regularly and in the same places as birds quickly get used to those places and make sure you leave fresh water nearby (enough for drinking and bathing).
A nice inviting bird bath and plenty of bird seed
Lots of fruit trees for them to feed on sand a little bird bath for refreshments 🙂
They seem to love sunflower hearts. We have had bullfinch, 19 goldfinches and 2 redpoll since we started feeding these
Putting out the crusts from my daughters sandwiches, they seem to find them more interesting than bird food.
Feed all year round, not just in winter. Birds need appropriate food and water all year round.
I have left lots of wild areas to encourage frogs and newts, bees and butterflys and all insects, piling up logs and sticks, leaves, old plant leftovers, bits of compost, pots and hollow things and I leave the fallen leaves here and there too. I’m hoping all of this benefits the birds too and have certainly seen blackbirds having a good old rummage for worms quite regularly!
Keep feeding them every day, in a quiet area of the garden!
Make sure you eave a variety of offerings as well as water, and make sure its not accessible to cats
You need a few trees and bushes around your garden. Use a variety of nuts and seeds for some birds, suet pellets, and fat balls, sunflower hearts for other birds are a must too. Chucking in a few meal worms as you go
My number one tip for attracting birds into the garden is to capture all the cats and move them 2000 miles away. Works every time. Other than that: cake crumbs.
Get rid of the cats
We have two bird feeding stations which have fat balls, fruit suet and bird seed containers which we fill up regularly and the birds come back for more.
Make sure that food and water is put out and regularly and be out in the garden with them. I find that Robins and Blackbirds particularly appear to be very sociable. The Robins in our garden get up close within a few moments of our French doors opening and we have had two in our garden all winter.
for the DIYer make those lard balls with dried fruit to make them extra tasty
Make sure that you have water available , My water feature and fountain are on all the time and the birds queue up.
Keep food topped up and provide water. Keeps them coming back!
Bird houses and food, keep those flippin cats away
Water and a selection of gourmet bird foods-niger seed, soft bill mix peanuts,,suet balls and live meal worms-plus handy perching cover and a pump action water pistol for feline hunters!!
Making sure there is food available every day for them.
All our local birds seem to know what time of the day you put out their food, so a top tip is to be as consistent as you can with feeding and topping up the feeding stations.
We notice them flying into the garden beforehand, “waiting” for their favourite feeder to be topped up! The summer visitors quickly learn from our native small birds.
Lots of feeders with a Variety of foods kept filled all year.
mealworms!
I find that it is best to have some food directly on the ground as well as in the trees to attract a range of birds ( we even have a pheasant regularly visiting our garden).
Suet logs in a feeder. None of my feathered friends can resist them.
get rid of neighbours cats
We need to help them, all year round.
I live in Shetland so we’re on the migratory path for many birds. I just make sure we’ve got lots of fatty, protein balls hanging from the washing line and they always stop by.
Don’t forget to put food on the ground as well as hanging up food & food tables xxx
Be consistent! Don’t feed the birds one week and then not bother the next. Leave food out daily if possible, especially during the winter months. Seed and suet ball feeders are great for this purpose. Extras can be left out on a table. Positioning of the feeders and table is key. You want to put it in a place that the birds can find it, but away from fences or other places a cat could launch an attack from. At the same time, I always place the feeders near plants, so the small birds can hide from birds of prey.
Put out food every day if possible
I always make sure the birds are fed at more or less the same time every day and check the feeders during the day to make sure they have not run out. They seem to be able to tell the time and the pigeons are sitting on the fence every morning waiting. As soon as I go out the crows swoop down ready to pounce on the left over cat food I give them. They have a water fountain and the crows and magpies love to dunk bread in it. The smaller birds love to bath in it
Regular daily feeding is a must to ensure birds keep coming back
Keep your cats in the house
If you regulary stock your feeders, regulary clean your feeders, you will enjoy a regular supply of visitors.
Start with putting food out for them, and do it regularly. They prefer feeding tables/stations not to far from hedgerows etc so they can escape to cover should a bird of prey come in. We were lucky enough to have this Albino Sparrow in our garden last year, and felt really privalidged, until the Sparrowhawk got it one day 🙁
Have patience and lots of it.
I put out peanuts, sunflower seeds, mixed seed and fat balls but position the feeders so that the birds have the protection of foliage and shrubbery, which gives them a feeling of security and the opportunity to escape sparrow hawk attacks.
Have some trees near your feeder(s) for the birds to shelter in/ escape easily to
Quality food, Quality price, and a good source of water. Done Job
Give them plenty of shrubs and bushes to hide in if they feel vulnerable. They love to hop from the bushes to the feeders and back again.
I put some niger seed out and the finches love it
When feeding birds consistency and patience are the two key words. Feeding birds shouldn’t be something done only when you feel like it ~ birds depend on a regular source of food and won’t keep coming if your feeders are often empty. Always use good quality food and be patient ~ I put out niger seed for two years before the goldfinches finally ‘discovered’ it ~ now I have regular visits of flocks sometimes up to 20 in number ~ my hard work and patience paid off at last!
As well as making sure there’s always food about, make sure there’s a variety of kinds of food so that you have a better chance of getting birds to visit. Over the year, I get 10-15 different species visiting regularly and that’s just the ones I’ve seen!
a great bird feeder and table
Supply a good selection of different foods served in feeders for little birds and platforms for the larger ones, so easy access for all – all out of reach of next door’s cat!!!
We spend at least £400 a year and have mixed feeders all over our garden as well as three large compost bins which certainly attracts the Robins on a daily basis. The variety is super even attracting pheasants and redlegged partridge.
try and keep the cats out!
Hi,
I was amazed at how many birds were attracted to our garden after I installed a concrete bird bath.
Regards Peter.
Position the feeders close to shrubbery so that the birds feel secure and make sure the feeders and water is never empty. We now have a pair of Blackbirds who sit on the fence waiting for top ups of the mealworms (making their life easy for feeding the fledglings)
My tip is to feed regularly and to keep the cat indoors!!
I mix cheap pears & sunflower hearts together – the song birds love it!
And I always make sure there is a constant supply of water – The birds are always queuing in our garden!
A small water fountain in a shallow bird bath.
I feed the birds regularly every day with clean from dust, de-husked, quality mixed year round bird food and fat balls using plenty of feeders to lessen the amusing noisy squabbles. Feeding regularly using the same area of the garden gets the birds used to their always being food available and they will trust you and visit in droves. All sorts of British Birds come to our tiny garden, including the hawk who thinks our birds taste better and are fatter year round. Our hedge sparrows, house sparrows, blackbirds, song thrushes, wrens, Jackdaws, collared doves, wood pigeons, blue tits, great tits, chaffinches, green finches, pheasants and even a squirrel are hard to catch because they are also very alert and fit even in winter. Our resident sparrow hawk is the one getting thinner, ha-ha. Feeding year round helps care for the parent birds who also have to feed their chicks. de-husked seeds means they spend less time preparing their food and more time eating. Always remember to provide clean water daily because as many birds die on a hot dry day for lack or water as might do in winter because of cold and hunger. Cleanliness at the feeders is also very important of course.
There is no doubt that providing a quality product in a safe environment is important.
Make sure that your feeders are filled every day, my favorite is and the birds favorite is
Crushed Sunflower seeds all variety of birds enjoy them.
A source of water, people always forget this.
Shoot the cat!!!!!
Always hang your Bird food and fat balls high in a tree if possible never on the ground then they can feed safely away from predators like the pussy cat from next door.You will find flocks of birds attracted to the food because they will feel safe. Always provide water in a pedestal bird bath.
peel old tired apples that you will no longer eat, (we all have a few don’t we?) core them and place string through the middle and tie to bushes, trees above cat and rat height. You will attract woodpeckers, blackbirds and goldfinches by the dozen. Enjoy!
It’s especially important to feed birds during the winter months, so make sure you provide seed and nuts on a daily basis. Once they discover a regular source of food, they’ll visit your garden regularly and tell all their feathered-friends !
The best tip I can give is do nothing. Let nature rule in your garden and you will see a huge increase in visits. I regularly find my garden carpeted in sparrows. hundreds of them.
give the birds some shelter – don’t leave bird tables and hanging feeders where cats can attack the birds as they try to eat
Last Sunday as usual i cooked Sunday dinner and as usual the kids (grown up kids) were late so i decided to treat the birds and wow iv never seen as many, dont think my kids will be late again they were not happy but i was and so were the birds although the next day i dont think they were impressed when they just got bird food
I like to keep my deeders topped up x
Good quality seed, a nice quiet spot away from cars and patience, I waited two years for Goldfinches and now we have a flock that arrive all the time.
Peace and quiet and a good lunch for them
I find that this recipe for birdie bars attracts loads of birds to my garden. It is enjoyed by loads of chaffinches, goldfinches and all the tit families.
They love it.
4 cups cornmeal (or crushed cornflakes) 1 cup of suet
1 cup peanuts (crushed) 1 cup peanut butter
1 cup of raisins 1 finelychopped apple
2 cups wild bird seed
Melt the suet and add peanut butter, cornmeal & seeds, mix together well on a low heat, when cornmeal is cooked press into a baking tray. When cold place in the freezer and leave for a few hours until solid enough to crumble. Crumble the whhole amount and place in a large mixing bowl.
add the peanuts, raisins and chopped apple. If it is not sticking together well add more fat (suet or lard). When the birdie bars are well mixed fill your containers, either paper cups or old clean yogurt pots. They can be frozen until needed.
My bird feeding station is near the pond with a sloping ‘beach’, they like bathing and drinking there.
Feed all year round!
Plant trees and shrubs that produce foliage that provides adequate shelter from predators. Attract different species with various types of food obtainable from Garden Wildlife Direct. We have feeding stations, both at ground level and above, front and back of our house. The food is quickly consumed and we replace the supplies at least twice a day. The different species are permanently safe from all predators. Our area is semi rural and the bird count is quite high.
We have all sorts of birds including pheasants and wild ducks, they love a variety of good bird seeds and peanuts and we feed them all year.
A well stocked garden with hiding places and a big attraction is the pond and waterfall, free showers!!
Antagonise next doors cat so that it wouldn’t dream of entering your garden!!
Have a variety of foods (suet blocks, fat balls, mixed seed, sunflower heads, niger seeds etc) around the garden…and keep the cats inside. We have three house cats, and have invested in a cat wheel so the cats have exercise, and don’t kill the local wildlife!
I simply make sure my feeders are topped up and the water in the birdbath is changed and topped up daily…Simples
Make sure they have some cover/a hiding place so they can feel safe from predators while they are eating. Some plants in a border will work well or, if you only have a yard, a gathering of pots with plants in and room in between at ground level works too. If they feel too exposed, they won’t come and feed. Or if they do, they will grab and go and not give you time to enjoy watching them.
Tip 1: Always keep your feeders topped up. If they find them empty too often they will find somewhere else to go.
Tip 2: Put your feeder near a bush or tree. The birds seem to like to land somewhere safe and close first before going for the food.
Make sure, you have both a bird bath and a drinking bowl, in your garden.
We had bird feeders with peanuts and suet/fat balls for years but only a few birds would visit. However, the addition of separate feeders full of sunflower hearts and niger seeds changed everything. We now get loads of different birds in abundance but beware, they do “shout” if the feeders are empty!
I always keep my feeders full, and always supply fresh water.
Place the bird table where there are some trees and bushes to protect birds from predictors and then put plenty of different types of garden wild life food out for birds.
After living in my present house for 28 years in the countryside, there were very few birds, this was probably due to the fact that there were very few trees in the garden.
We started to put food out for the few birds straight away, which has paid off over the years as there are a phenomenal amout of birds now.
Over a period of time, we planted apple trees, silver birches a poplar and various other trees.
We have birds from House and Tree Sparrows, who love the fat balls. Long tail tits who love the nuts and fat balls, Great Tits, Blue Tits, Green Finches, a host of Goldfinches, who love the Sunflower Seeds, we have also had Siskins and Buntings . Lesser and Spotted Woodpeckers who love the nuts and fat balls.
I also have a Nyjer feeder, but the Goldfinches seem to prefer the Sunflower Seeds.
I have resident Magpie’s and have rare visits from Marsh Tits, Coal Tits and Starlings.
I saw a yellow hammer and a Wagtail the other day roaming around the Garden. We have wrens and at present we have three Stock Doves, numerous Wood Pigeons and a Pheasant who love the droppings from the Sunflower Seeds, Peanuts and the No Mess Mixed Seed, so they keep the ground pretty tidy.
In the past, we have also had daily visits from a pair of Red Leg Patridges.
We have always put feeders out with fat balls, no mess mixed seed and peanuts, but this year, I decided to put a feeder with just Sunflower Seeds and at one point had a flock of around 30 Greenfinches. The Sunflower Seed feeder is filled every day and so is the nut feeder, but that is more down to the three squirrels who devour the nuts. They also took a liking to the Sunflower Seeds, but unfortunately, it was proving very expensive, so I have had to put them into a squirrel proof feeder.
In the Winter I had a resident Field Fare who visited my Garden every day for his apples. I used to put around 5 out at a time as the Blackbirds also indulged.
Also in the Winter, I had a Mistle Thrush who I fed with the meal worms.
I put Mealworms out for the Blackbirds and the Robin who visits and sits on the bin where I keep the mealworms to let me know he has arrived.
In one week about a three weeks ago, the birds managed to munch their way through 24 fat balls from one feeder!!
We have fields surrounding our Garden and I throw Bread everyday which feeds the Crows, Jackdaws and more importantly the Ravens.
On rare occasions the Jay visits and perches himself on the tray to the nut feeder.
I also have to be aware, as unfortunately we do have a Sparrow Hawk, who is certainly not welcome in my garden!!
have lots of leafy bushes and no pets good choice of bird feed offered in a variety of different places
Dress up as a squirrel and
have your pea shooter handy.
Leave a good quantity of quality food in various locations and types of feeder to attract the largest range of birds possible ! Don’t forget to have a big bird bath so they can wash and drink too !
I live on the Isle of Skye and I have a large variety of wild birds visiting me all year round and this means that I have to cater for all tastes. I therefore use lots of feeders and fill them daily with wild bird mix which contains lots of tasty bits for even the smallest of Pied Wagtail. Even the Rock Doves enjoy the mix and try to feed from the feeders which are hanging from the trees, despite bird’s size. The Chaffinches seem to prefer the peanut feeders, but also like to nibble on bits of fruit and bread that I scatter on the garden around the feeders.
I think best way of attracting birds to your garden is to have several feeding stations with various foods in different locations, one at least close to trees/shrubs or bushes, with adequate water and feed all year round. Plant seeding wild flowers such as Teasel (photo attached of Goldfinch on Teasel)
well stocked, clean feeders
Location of feeder is probably the most important. If the feeder is directly above a stout branch on predators can sit and wait for the moment to strike, it is unlikely to attract birds. Or is too near a wall, where the same scenario would apply. Once ‘siting’ is done and dusted, the ‘variety’ of seed mix comes into play. Tits, Robins, and similar small birds are all relatively easy to attract. Don’t forget fat balls, water, etc. But, … just the same as humans … remember birds will travel a distance for a nourishing feed. Provide a good environment, with quality feedstuff, and “they will come”.
make sure there are places that your cat cannot access so that birds can be safe
Putting feed out is obvious but my tip is to hang the bird feeder on fine stainless steel cable stung across the garden the squirrels are unable to get along it. Works really well no squirrel has ever got to it in 14 years of trying.
Give them a good choice, we use suet, mealworms, seeds and fat balls, and also ensure there is water for them too. Our garden fills with Blue tits and robins and a cheeky pair of magpies.
Lots of different types of bird food in various feeders, peanuts and a good range of plants, I’m sure the birds treat our garden like the local café LOL
Well its not really a tip, but we have always put bird feeders out in the garden when we got a couple of pet rabbits last year and let them run around in the garden loads of birds would come and feed ( I guess they thought it was a safe envirionment )
Plenty of seeds, nuts suet balls, fresh water and fresh bread and fat attracts the birds to our garden along with the flowers, shrubs and trees.
I’m lucky enough to live in a woodland area so have lots of species of birds. I use different coloured feeders to attract different birds such as yellow for goldfinches using niger seed. I have a window feeder with mealworms which attracts the robins so I have a great view of them. I also have feeders & hanging bird baths with wide openings for the smaller birds to feed & bathe as well as larger bird baths on the ground for the ground feeders. I use the best quality won’t grow mixtures so I don’t get lots of weeds growing & the pheasant families who visit love the sunflower hearts & peanut granules that I leave on a ground feeder for them. I have 10 who visit each day as well as a family of 7 badgers who visit each evening. I also use fat ball feeders particularly during the winter months & make sure not to put whole peanuts on the ground during breeding season as the young may choke
No Cats
A variety of seed and the right feeders. Three Years ago I purchased a Niger feeder and Niger seed – 24 hours later we had Goldfinches feeding in our garden for the first time. I’d never seen these birds before – How they found the seed I will never know. Did feathered friends tell them there was a new restaurant in town?
We now provide a variety of seed and have everything from starlings to jays visiting every day.
Trees/bushes near the feeder so there is enough cover.
the cats away
Use bird house products
Top of the list for bird feeding is consistency, I feed every day without fail, birds are waiting in the trees for their breakfast and the moment I’m in they are down to feed, birds need assurance that their feeding places are always there for them, when I’m away a neighbour who loves bridwatching feeds them for me. So number one tip is CONSISTENCY, 365 days, be reliable for them, they need us and you will be rewarded with a great variety of birdlife and entertainment too.
We put out bird seed and fat balls and bird-friendly plants, all of which has increased the number of birds in our garden. However our top tip is to install a pond and then don’t get too fond of the fish. Please see the attached photo of a kingfisher in our garden, with one of our fish in its beak!
Plenty of foliage, wispy trees, boxes, food variety and drink
Have a variety of foods on offer but almost more important make sure your garden has a variety of plants to attract all kinds of wildlife as well as providing cover. We have a cotoneaster bush close to a feeding station and that is by most of the birds which visit the garden. It is a stopping off place and an ideal hiding place when the sparrowhawk is about, together with a place to queue while they wait for a place on the feeders.
Feed them!
Set up your feeders in an area that is free from places where cats can hide and wait in ambush for the birds. Put out a wide variety of different foods to attract a range of birds. Keep feeders clean and ensure a supply of clean drinking water.
at this time of year I always put out bits of wool, feathers and straw in a fat ball feeder or similar so that the birds have plenty of nesting materials. Also make sure to put out live mealworms when they are busy feeding their young.
Look after the birds and they’ll look after you and your garden (by getting rid of unwelcome visitors and unwanted insect).
Feed the birds consistently and they’ll be loyal to you and give hours of pleasure.
Birds look after themselves if you look after them.
Putting the right food out for the birds you want to attract .
I have bushes with loads of berries – Certainly attracts my blackbird and robin (I call them mine!!) I also have squirrel proof feeders
Feed birds regularly each morning using different types of feeders and a variety of
foods and they’ll return again and again. The birds in my garden make me feel guilty
if I get up later than usual because there’s a queue of them waiting for breakfast!
I have many different bird visitors, my garden has three bird baths, lots of large shrubs which provide perfect nesting, nesting boxes, the food I put out is sunflower hearts in feeders and on the ground, fruity suet bits (two robins wait every day for these to be put in basket mesh feeder and will feed even though I am present), also sultanas for the blackbirds, scones broken into very small pieces and recently discovered that crackers are wildly popular. In the winter fat balls and cakes, also boiled rice. It seems the greater variety of food means many different species of birds visit and soon are regularly visiting my garden. It is an absolute pleasure to watch them especially at bathing time.
B – Build up trust, keep to a routine as much as possible
I – Inconspicous – try not to spend too much time around nestboxes and feeders
R – Reliabile keep feeders and water toped up
D – Delicacies – birds love treats such as cake raisins cheese
S – Safety be aware of places where predators can hide such as bushes and climable trees
I put a variety of food out for them, and different birds like different trees in my garden 🙂
What works for my husband and I is food, food and more food. All variations as well! this year (with the right seed) we attracted Pheasants into the garden and the balcony! Feeding birds is a true joy.
Grass seeding a new lawn I’ve got a pair of robins working in tandem with a blackbird pinching it all.
Good quality feed and placed out regularly to reach all species of birds, including the predators….see photograph attached showing the food chain that my garden provides.
Put bird tables and suet feeders in or near trees, put plenty of different foods on table to attract different birds, birds will often feed from either the suet feeders hanging in the tree while they are checking the coast is clear before using the table
to attract BIRDS follow these simple steps B – Build up trust, get into a routine. I – inconspicuous, make your watching activities as discreet as possible. R reliable – make sure they know you are by keeping feeders and water bowls topped up. D -Delicacies keep them tempted with occasional treats such as cheese, cake and fruit. S – safety, make sure feeders are as far away from predators as possible – be aware of bushes cats could hide in or trees they could climb
Regular daily feeding so that they know there is a meal there for them whatever the weather
Be consistent with feeding and don’t forget to leave water too.
My Top Tip is
Sell the cat.!
First place your feeders high near bushes so the birds can fly in grab food and fly off to a branch and eat peacefully.
To stop squirrels stealing bird food, hang feeders from thin garden wire tied between two trees or posts.
Be patient. Keep feeders in the same place and topped up with good quality food as available from Garden Wildlife Direct. A choice of food is a good idea too. The birds will come.
Have a regular supply of food. A good variety consisting of mixed seed, nuts, mealworm, suet pellets. Dont change feeders around because it takes another day for them to get used to new addittions / changes.Put the feeders in a quiet part of the garden, near trees if possible. a water source is essential , I have a small ornamental fountain that the birds drink and bathe in.
feeders topped up with variety and clean
Having a variety of shrubs, flowers, weeds, and berry and blossom bearing plants to attract insects and giving a varied food source for all the varieties of birds.
Lots of differing bird foods left out on a regular basis
All the birds are eating is fat as I suppose they are building their reserves up before incubating. Mine also love…hedgehog food.
The minute I start weeding at the moment lots of birds appear looking for worms and tasty morsels
Don’t be to precious about keeping your garden weed free and the grass super short! Set aside a “nature area” for the birds and wildlife to enjoy. This means a little less time spent gardening and a little more time to watch the birds we enjoy feeding. Oh and make sure you provide plenty of fresh clean water for drinking and washing.
Bird feeders also attract sparrow hawks and small birds are reluctant to feed if the feeder to exposed, especially if there care tallish trees in the immediate area
I always place my bird feeders near a shrub or small tree so the birds can perch on there to make sure the coast is clear before using the feeders
A water bath attracts all kinds of birds and in the summer I have lines of sparrows waiting t use it!
In one word – consistency! If you start feeding, keep feeding. The birds will come if they know they are definitely going to find food all the time and it is good quality giving them high energy returns, and always provide water.
it’s dangerous for the little birds to have whole peanuts , so I grind them into small pieces in my food mixer. I cut the fatballs up too. Then I mix peanuts, fatballs with the seed and add sultanas (blackbirds love sultanas ) I have a host of different birds come to my garden summer and winter. The blackbirds will sit on the bird table as I put the food out. They are so friendly and sit in the tree singing their little hearts outs. I also make sure they have plenty so water in other areas of the garden even though we have a pond. They love bathing in the statue we have.
Have plenty of trees and plants for them to hide in
Provide natural habitat, a water source, keep feeders full with a selection of different food. Enjoy your garden.
A shallow bird bath for small birds and a deeper one for large birds to bath in
I have several feeders for the different birds and their tastes and always have clean water available despite having a pond.
Making sure my feeders are always full and the bird bath has water in it
This time of year they always need live mealworms.
Grated cheese used sparingly to compliment usual bird feed. Once birds discover it they will keep coming back.
I have three different types of bird feeders, and found that large birds (crows, magpies etc) would dominate the feeders despite two of the feeders having squirrel-proof cages around the suet and peanut feeders. I added an additional “cage” of netting around the feeders, so the larger birds could not reach the feeders. This now means that larger birds are regular visitors, and feed on the ground, and the small birds also stay and feed – with their “waste” becoming the feed for the larger birds – a perfect solution!
Keep a nice tidy garden which allows them access to natural food and keep fresh water out everyday so they can bath and drink!x
I love watching the birds with my two year twins, we have a bird book and we try to identify them as they fly in-between the various feeders in our garden. I have two feeders containing fat balls, one full of peanuts, one full of bird seed mix, and a handmade bird feeder that is a branch with holes drilled into it, and little steps so the birds can stand on something. I fill the holes with a soft fat/seed mixture (again very similar to fat balls but softer so its easy to put it in the holes of the branch. I also regularly hang coconut halves that are full of goodies (I presume its the same kind of thing as the fat balls) when the birds have eaten the contents, I place the empty coconut shells in the branches of the trees in my garden and secure them with twine, so that when it rains they collect water for the birds to drink (when its very dry I fill them myself) Another thing that I learnt by ‘happy accident’ is that the birds love to use the coconut matting that I have in all my hanging baskets to build their nests with!! They have been very selective and only use the brown matting (I have green as well) and every morning I awake to the sounds of birdsong almost in my bedroom with me- they didn’t go far with their goodies, there are at least two, maybe three nests in our roof. Its definitely my favourite alarm bell! I also have two bird boxes that the tits return to every year and nest in! Our garden is full of birds and wildlife, and thats just how we like it!
Provide a variety of seeds, nuts, fat balls etc well out of reach of cats. I also fill half coconuts with veg suet melted with fruit and nuts in. They seem to love that
Make sure that if you feed the birds it is on a very regular basis – they come to rely on you !!
Grow a hedge of various types of berry bearing shrubs – these provide lovely flowers and foliage as well as being a place for birds to shelter, rest & nest, and supply a good selection of fresh food.
Grow a hedge consisting of different types of bushes which bear berries that birds like to eat. When the bushes mature they provide places for the birds to rest and shelter in, as well as providing a fresh supply of food.
KIS – Keep It Simple.
Feed sunflower hearts and peanuts in feeders and mixed seed on a low table or on the ground. This will keep all your birds ( and some animals ) very happy with very little waste and minimum fuss. We have 22 or more species coming to the feeders every day.
Oh and don’t forget water if you haven’t got a pond.
Great giveaway, thanks
The birds in my garden absolutely LOVE fat balls! Great for helping them get through the Winter too.
Looks great, always forgetting to stock up
My best tip is to have a number of different feeding stations, near cover if possible, containing different varieties of food for all types of birds, as well as a number of nesting boxes for them to choose from.
Ensure food is available all year round and feeders are not accessible to cats or squirrels.
I’ve had a variety of birds in my garden since the neighbour left with her three cats,I have Blue Tits, two Collar Doves, Magpies,two Robins,loads of Starlings, lots of Sparrows, I even saw a Hawk once and a big old Wood Pigeon. I think if you provide a varied selection of food you will attract more type of birds.
To attract birds into the garden, plant and plan for all our wildlife: native species of trees, flowers, and shrubs, including fruit–many ‘garden’ varieties of these are available; hedges instead of fences; drystone walls; wild and untidy areas (think leaf litter, old logs, nettles, under the shed); a pond if that’s possible; wildlife-safe pest control in the kitchen garden
I grew tall sunflowers right round the outside of my plot – guaranteed that the parakeets would come in!
I love birds and like to feed them with my family
Buy a dog to scare off all this nadty cats , if yo can’t afford a dog borrow one from a friend or run around the garden barking
Get your neighbours with 2 cats to move house.
Make a wildlife garden 🙂
Have an assortment of treats to offer different birds to your garden.
I have 4 water-baths in my garden with 2 of them at height – this allow squirrels to drink without coming lower in the garden and disturbing the Birds
Sign that reads “free food to any bird that can read this”. It’s amazing how many birds can read. I also tweet
Top tip , the birds in our garden love peanuts we get a large sack and put them in bird feeders . They also attract squirrels . We have spotted a woodpecker too .
My beautiful holly tree with a variation of feeders filled with tasty treats for all of its visitors .
Birds need water and they often have to fly a long way to find some so a bird bath is great for attracting birds into your garden 🙂 .
Position feeder within a short distance from a bush or hedge so that birds may retreat to or observe the surroundings for preditors.
Feed daily and dont miss, feed a good mix of food.
Make a wildlife garden, the birds will really enjoy eating all the insects that the plants incourage 🙂
keep feed trays clean & feed same time each day with plenty of variety of seeds & feeds
Plant some trees so can sit and feel safe.
Ensure feeders and water are replenished daily and are out of reach of predators.
Hang several feeders in close proximity of each other – as soon as 1 bird comes in gives confidence to many others to join!
Have several feeders, that way there’s no fights and everyone has a chance of getting food!
by making sure there is a variety of seeds for the various birds. Away from the cats and situated on the feeding station.
I feed the birds in my garden my 2 day old left over cake
Keep feeding them and having a fresh water supply all year round
lock the cat in
Have a good dig and it is surprising how many birds come for the worms and grubs that are easier to get at!
My number one tip is probably very simple to most bird lovers. Provide a safe feeding area, away from cats, with a vast array of seed, suet, nuts, worms – basically anything yummy to tempt our little feathered friends! Then sit back, grab the binoculars and hope that your garden is blessed with a variety of species and song.
Add a few bird boxes to add to your enjoyment!
My bird table
Feed them all year round, year after year, with a variety of products-foods.. (make sure you keep all stations clean regularly)
Once they know where the food is (spread out, not all in one place), they will come day in day out, year in year out. And don’t forget to give them fresh water every day in a birdbath to; for drinking and bathing. Like a 5* luxury Hotel my friends describe my whole ‘bird care – provision area’ And yup, the whole neighborhood and strangers who pass by, call me the ‘BirdLady’/ I guess i have been called worse 😉
sheltered bushes, bird bath
We use a selection of suet blocks, fat balls, peanuts and seed in several places over garden and also have 2 bird baths. Our pond also covers a bath for the larger birds
Make sure your garden is pest & danger free & give the birds a good variety of food.
Keep the cat in through the day and let out at night time…that’s what I do and I can enjoy my birds during the day and keeps them safe from being caught from cat. { I only do this in the spring/summer when birds are nesting and fledging and the cat has a kennel to go into when it is chilly}
Keep it untidy – have some hidden areas of bundles of twigs & leaves, under shrubs and the base of walls. Birds need places to seek out grubs, worms & insects and a source of nesting material and prospective nest sites. These unkempt areas are essential in the winter!
To attract birds to our garden , we maintain a tree, in such away that it provides plenty of branches for hanging bird feeders amongst them. During the winter the tree provides berries that the Blackbirds love and the feeders are more suited to the Blue Tits and Robins.
Apart from providing a variety of different bird feeders and types of food I find it essential to keep my upturned rubber dustbin lid, that sits on an old tyre, clean and full of fresh water – the birds that visit my garden love this shallow supply of water for bathing themselves as well as for drinking.
feeding stations and bird boxes
We use high quality seeds, put plenty out in different feeders and on the ground too so that different birds are attracted to our garden. We have also found that if we put some nuts and seeds loose near the feeders the squirrels eat them and don’t damage our feeders.
Choose a quiet part of the garden away from pets and children
Make sure feeders are always clean .plenty of clean water for birds to drink & have a bath. place feeders were its safe near trees & bushes ..we have a lot of birds in our garden ,gold finches .black birds. sparrows wrens. finches .blue tits. coal tits .great tits .robin. song thrush. starlings .All because fresh food & water left out every day .keep the birds happy they will come back to your garden all year round .!!
Site your feeding station in a safe place, not too near the house and preferably near shrubs and trees and make sure there is always plenty of fresh food and water available.
The only sure way is to always have a plentiful supply of mixed bird foods
Box, wire sided, holes sized for small birds. Variety of foods in little containers, also small bowl of water ( regular changed).
I have counted 13 different birds in one day. Best of luck. Dawn
Make sure you have a continuous supply of bird food in your garden.
make sure there is water available
Variety of food and plenty of water for drinking and bathingin
My top tip for attracting birds is using a home-made feed using good quality seed mixed with lard. The birds love it and kids love making it!
At this time of year, with young to feed, you can not beat live mealworms to tempt a diverse number of different species. It seems the desire for live food helps the parent birds to lose their innate shyness – so far this year I have had House Sparrows, Robins, Blue and Great Tits and Blackbirds willing to come 6 – 8 foot from where I am sat to take beakfulls of mealworms for their hungry broods.
Keep you feeders topped up with lots of different types of food.
Never leave your feeding stations empty, always have a constant supply of food from garden wildlife direct!! Their the best!!
Water/water fresh every day even several time a day. Also a wide variety of food nyger seed, sunflower hearts, the best mixed seed you can afford, fat balls/blocks, suet pellets, dried meal worms, dried fruit. This diet will cover most of the bird food that our feathered friends like. This is rewarded by a large flock of various types, gold finch, chaffinch greenfinch, siskin blue tit, coal tit, great finch,dunnet, sparrows, song thrush mistle thrush, blackbird, starlings, fieldfare (winter) , and others I can’t remember at the moment. Many nest round and about as they bring their babies to feed and they are starting to arrive now. One final thing don’t forget the ground feeders I give them a selection of the above but don’t forget to keep the area under the feeders clean. One benefit,hedgehogs love the mealworms we have up to four a night visiting. David
Fill the seed feeder with dried mealworms to stop them blowing away and stop too many big birds getting them.
Simple – have lots of small trees and bushes so the birds have safe perches to approach the feeders from
Variety is the spice of (a bird’s) life!! That’s what I believe anyway. Mine are pretty picky about what they eat, and my feeding station has been likened to Heathrow. I always have wild bird seed, sunflower hearts and peanuts from Garden Wildlife Direct, along with fat balls, grapes, pomegranate, apple, mango, avocado, suet pellets and some cheese. Well we all need our grains and 5-a-day!! Thankfully Garden Wildlife Direct prices are keen which means I can give my birds what they like and need. Thanks Garden Wildlife Direct!! Have also put out cut up alpaca wool, for years, in the supermarket onion/orange string bags, for nesting. My birds have the best “des res in the country!
PS. Please make sure you keep your feeders clean to keep Trichomonosis, (which affects greenfinches, sparrow,etc) at bay. Please check out Trichomonosis on Google……love my birds!!
Ensure there is food always available at the feeding station and that it is fresh, Also lots of people do not realise birds also need water at the station
Put out various foods i.e seeds, nuts, fruit, raisins etc. and at all different levels for the different types of feeders (birds). Plenty of water too for drinking and bathing. Try if possible not to hang food where cats can hide or reach.
We have several bird boxes in the garden and have had nests in them for the last few years. We also have a water feature that they like.
I have several feeding stations some with mixed seed some with sunflower seeds and also some suet balls – make sure some seeds are in hangers and others are on a flat surface. Several water supplies for drinking and bathing is also essential.
Take measures to keep cats out.There are products such as spiked plastic strips to screw on top of the fence
Put out two feeders of different food. I put out peanuts and sunflower seeds. I see at least 15 different birds most days.
Two packs of suet and two packs of mixed raisins and a pack of porridge oat (medium size), put all ingredients into a large plastic bowl, add a kettle full of hot water and mix till it starts to thicken. Let it go cold and harden then fill the old wicker suet feeders and also place onto small dishes or a large plant pot bottom, and watch the birds flock to the garden. We do this all year round, it costs a bit but it’s such joy to see them eat heartily.
Btw, we have medium and large sized plant pot bottoms that we use as either seed feeders or they are great for water for the birds to drink or bathe in.
Feed No Mess bird feed all year round as early in the morning as possible to attract a variety of birds.
Hi, instead of concentrating everything around one feeding station in the open, we spread feeding options all around the garden and keep some very close to trees and bushes. This enables the birds to feed without fear of attack from predators. It also encourages different species to visit different areas of the garden.
Of equal importance we find is to put a selection of drinks fountains and birdbaths around the garden. Happy watching.
Put out a assortment of food e.g hearts, thistle, mixed seed and fat peckers, put the feeders close to a water course and near trees for cover from other larger birds
To make my garden bird friendly, I have trees, bushes and ivy surrounding my bird feeders so the birds feel safe
IN WINTER MAKE YOUR OWN FAT BALLS WITH GOOD THINGS FOR BIRDS
Not many birds feed in our garden as so many neighbours also feed them but we get loads visiting as we seem to be the only ones who supply easily accessible drinking water.
Since putting out sunflower hearts only, we have had no end of different birds flocking to the garden…all at the same time!! We call them our little druggies. At one point there were 6 goldfinches and two green finches on the two feeders. There is a robin, 3 chaffinch, numerous blue tits and even a wood pigeon has learnt how to balance on the perch and peck the hearts from the feeder. The biggest treat to see, is the pair of bullfinches that come to our garden as well, (I had only previously seen pictures of those before).
I would definitely recommend sunflower hearts!!
Make sure that your bird feeding station is near to shrubbery so that the smaller birds (Sparrows, Tits, Robins etc) can feel secure whilst feeding and able to make a quick escape if they feel it’s necessary. Also give a variety of food such as seeds, meal worms and fatballs etc.
Ps. I have found that the feeders need to be far enough away from the shrubbery so that mice cannot jump onto it and steal the food!
many varied feeders plus scraps–fruit,stale bread/
My wife with my credit card and your website!
Maybe speaking out of turn, but I also keep a parakeet and have been told by vets that lettuce gives birds diarrhoea! I pit scraps of fat out and left over mash. Soaked sultanas,currants and suet (not soaked) and soaked dried mealworms, live ones in spring and summer.
Variety of food is the spice of various flying friends! Keep drinking / washing facilities readily available too.
my tip would be to leave out (in a empty birdfeeder) the odd bits of wool or treads from any craft projects or off clothes etc… for the birds to come and collect for their nests this time of year 😀
Don’t get a cat
My squirrel proof peanut feeder is perfect for attracting the local woodpecker family. They cannot get inside the wire cage like the tits, but watching them cling to it upside down, and stick their heads through the wire to reach the peanuts inside is both fascinating and hilarious.
We have running water and mostly sunflower hearts in a tiny suburban garden. We even have a woodpecker visiting the heart feeders now.
My tip would be to have a wide range of variety for the birds to choose from. We always have beautiful birds in our garden and even one in our house…..Our budgie.
Also we put wet lettuce leaves on the tray and the birds either wash (try to by shaking themselves in the lettuce leaves) or eat them.
Keep wildlife flowers that generally attract wildlife like bees, butterflies, obviously birds… A pond with a beach helps to complete the whole theme of wild where frogs or newts can live. Have bird feeders that are always topped up so birds get used to where they can get food, also from the plants growing in the garden like bugs and worms. Keep feeders and water to drink and to bath in in a safe place off the floor so predators like cats can’t harm them. Again the birds get used to where it is and the tweets will go around. And the last tip is keep the feeder in a place you can see from your window so you can also enjoy the show, hear them singing and even start to study them and learn their habits. Enjoy
Fresh water in the birdbath and plenty of food and shelter
lovely bright flowers and a bird table
I have found plenty of clean fresh food and water with plenty of variety to attract different species, placed in various sections of the garden so the larger birds don’t scare off the smaller shyer birds. I have two bird cages to allow the smaller birds in and the larger birds out.
Simple.Have lots of full feeders
Put feeders in more than one place with different types of food where they can hop back into trees and shrubs for safety
You can’t beat live mealworms for both adult and young birds of many varieties. Blackbirds are huge fans of mealworms and will come to within a foot away to get an early feed and to take a beakfull for their children. For several years now I have had the adult blackbirds bring their young to my back door steps to be fed.
My wife had several very small 3 year old Christmas puddings in the freezer and decided to throw them out. I put them into the hanging fat ball container to see if any birds would like them. We were inundated with a variety of birds from the jackdaws in the chimney, starlings , blackbirds and others.. Haven’t seen any birds wandering around drunk yet from the amount of rum in the puddings. Even the squirrels like them. So if you have a few ancient Christmas puddings available you know what to do with themi
The birds in my garden love fat balls but not hard cheap ones & the sunflower hearts very picky! Love fresh bread too.
I have my bird feeders close to my garden pool so there is always plenty of fresh water,
I keep all my feeders full at all times,obviously with food from gardenwildlifedirect always have an assortment of feeds ,I use black sunflower seeds, sunflower hearts,peanuts, fat balls, and mixed seed,must provide for all bird types.
Rosemary
A safe feeding station with a regular supply of a variety of feed, with a bird bath nearby!
We have spent a few years encouraging birds to come into our garden by making our own bird food! We save any fat from our food and mix it with bird seeds. The birds love it. We also have a variety of bird feeders / boxes / water / food dotted around the garden. And I regularly look like a mad woman scaring the neighbours cats away 🙂
Fresh fruit, they love it!
A supply of good quality foods including mealworms, close to or partly covered by shrubs or low branched trees to afford protection and security.
Always fed in the same places with at least two or more sources of clean, regularly refreshed water for bathing and drinking.
Have wide variety of bird feeders dotted all around the garden. I usually hang mine on my shrubs in clear view of my kitchen window so that I can watch what’s going on.
Provide them with what they need and what they like.
Feed early in the morning, so that food always available when they wake.
Try to make your garden a bird friendly environment. As well as bird seed try to attract natural food that birds like and a water feature helps with feeding and bathing. Sadly cats are a threat so make sure your garden has somewhere the birds can feel safe. A nice hedge takes a while to grow but is much better than a fence as it provides protection, food with insect habbitation and of course nesting opportunity. A welcoming environment will give you pleaasure as well as the birds.
The best tips.
1.a variety of bird feeders.
2.water
3.plenty of shrubs for cover
4. Nest boxes
I have found that a wide variety of good quality bird food attracts many different types of birds who in turn bring their young as they will also learn where a good feeding station is to be found
Provide top quality sunflower hearts in a clean feeder near a protective hedge or tree and watch them enjoy.
make your garden as cat proof as possible with a choice selection of bird food.
I always have a large supply of drinking water vessel so they can dip there toast in it to get it moist so it slides down more easily<
Never leave your feeders empty
My simple tip is to leave a wide range, but just as important, quality foods with plenty of water, in open but safe areas, away from marauding predators, thus the hope of attracting a variety of species. It works for me !
At our semi-detached property with average sized garden and in a semi surburban area, we can attract the likes of Dunnock, Greenfinch, Goldfinch, Chaffinch, Wren, Siskin, Robin, House Sparrow, Blackbird, Starling, Collared Dove, Wood Pigeon, Blue Tit, Great Tit, Long Tailed Tit, Coal Tit, Great Spotted Woodpecker . . . even a Grey Heron . . . and a female Sparrow Hawk have visited the garden. The former and the latter species were not obviously not attracted with any purchased bird food I hasten to add !
Put a roofed bird table in an open space, near to the garden pond and top table with live food such as maggots and mealworms – we are always amazed at the variety of different birds which flock to the bird table.
Feed the birds Sunflower Heart seeds, They love it-Gold Finches, Chaff Finches and Green Finches on the feeders, Wagtails waiting beneath. These are birds we now have in abundance; previously it was only occasionally.
We have a pond with waterfall so the birds always have water plenty of trees abs bushes with high and low feeders with different types of food Niger, sunflower hearts, peanuts and no mess songbird mixes
Site your bird feeder near a hedge to give protection and include sunflower hearts amongst the food offered as all the birds love them!
It is important that not only should there be good selection of different types of bird seeds to attract different species of birds but it is equally as important to remember that all your bird feeders and bird table should be regularly cleaned in order not to leave decaying foods in or on them. Your bird life will respond and feed better with clean food in clean feeders!
The different varieties of bird seed and suet feeders, that attract birders in my garder
Never let their supply of food and water run out.
The best tip I can offer is always situate your bird feeders or feeding station near to cover. Near to trees ot climbers on a fence.
Anywhere where birds can feel alot more secure to feed without concerns.
This also gives the garden birds a better chance when there are hawks and other predators about.
You look after the birds and they will look after you with years of entertainment.
Sunflower hearts for gold finches blue tits great tits and most importantly green finches. Had a pair visiting yesterday
My tip is having half a dozen free ranging chickens in the garden. Since my chicken arrived I se much more tits, wrens, sparrows,blackbirds, wagtails woodpeckers, pheasants and I have even had a peahen.
Plant shrubs and if space allows trees,this will supply future nesting sites,essential for our birds future.
Give them loving attention each and every day of the year!!!!
we keep our feeders stock up in
squirrel proof feeders – plenty of fat balls in a tube – we have a bird table & a bird bath & get endless hours of pleasure x
Leave out some bird food
Always keep the feeders of mixed seed topped up, to be appetising to a whole variety of birds.
Don’t get a cat!
At my house we like to not only use the bird feeders but find nooks and crannies in trees to put seeds in for a more fun game and challenge for the birds. We also love feeding the fieldmice and use holes and dips in rocks to place seeds. I think spreading the seeds in to natural places encourages different types of birds and ones that are more shy of using a bird feeder and encourages other wildlife too as well as the birds! 🙂 not sure if it counts but we love attracting our little chickies to go hunting for seeds in bushes etc. They are ex battery and it must be such fun to go hunting for them 🙂
Have a lot of bushes in your garden for the birds to hide in!
We have masses of birds in our garden – multiple species and a woodpecker (pair) living here, coletit and nuthatch.
We maintain our boundary with the farm next door, maintaining masses of opportunity to nest.
We have two bird feeder stands and always KEEP THEM FULL, that’s our best tip.
Of course we buy quality feed, from GWD and have done for many years, the varied options, all year are perfect.
Husked sunflower seeds are birds’ favourite delicacy. I put them in a ceramic dish on the bird table so they don’t get scattered to the ground. Birds of all sizes come to eat them, though not all at the same time. The seeds disappear fast.
I crush up fat balls from Garden Wildlife Direct and put it in my dishes for the birds. This attracts all different species of birds and they all love it. Very good for them, especially in the winter.
I bring the birds into my garden to feed by having the most beautiful choice of wholesome snacks and treats for them to feed on!
Plant lots of insect attractive plants and shrubs!
Research what plants are most appealing to both insects AND birds, bees, butterflies etc. We have pollen rich plants, shrubs with berries, patches of nettles (important for butterflies to lay their eggs on). So you are creating a whole happy ecco system – more tasty insects, more birds… they are not only coming to feed on all your feeders!
Keep a good supply of fresh water – in low bird baths & high bird baths….. leave some lovely bare soil so they can frolic and have fun in the sun (dirt baths).
And smile….. I am sure the birds can see how happy I am when I see them!
Put out a variety of different foods i.e Seeds, Peanuts, Fat balls etc + water in the bird bath
Feed birds all year round and make sure there is a water source for them to drink and bathe in [bird bath or pond with shallow area].
Do not over manicure your garden, leave areas a little bit wild, these will attract insects which in turn attract birds and hand feeders from natural “poles” trees or peavey shrubs tese will allow birds to hide quickly from predators .
My husband said ‘kill the neighbour’s cats’ but I don’t think that will win me a prize!!!! Tongue in cheek.
best tip I have is to use different types of wild bird food in bird feeders and on ground feeders and bird tables to attract different types of wild birds to your garden
fat balls peanuts seeds plenty of water some like a good bath so leave wide dish
Don’t put your feeders too close to your house ! They won’t like it.
Keep feeding the birds all year.
We found placing the feeder station near the outer part of a tree where it gives birds shade and plenty of resting points. Near the centre of the tree makes it easier for cats to climb and stalk. Some birds are ground feeders so it’s best to put out food when you can keep an eye on any cats that may stray in the garden. A fairly constant supply of seeds and nuts soon attracts the local birds and we have found Garden Wildlife Direct have been great value for money.
I keep all the food fresh and only put out what I know will be eaten in a day. I spread it in different areas of the garden so the smaller birds are not scared off by larger birds and squirrels. I have jays, magpies, crows, doves and pigeons plus robins blue tits dunnocks sparrows qblackbirds and coal tits and my lovely squirrels. I love watching them all.
Feed the birds all year round and feed the larger birds in a separate part of the garden.
Two collie dogs that seem to love the birds but hate the invading cats, hence nesting birds in every available space. I would love to be able to see through my hedges – judging from the appearance and disappearance of the occupants it must be similar to a high rise apartment block in there! No cats, a large expanse of thick hedge and a tasty dinner in bird feeders just outside your front door – I reckon my birds are very happy!
The garden space is important – attractive native trees with plenty of places for them to perch – plenty of water sources – plenty of food options – finally plenty of houses/ shelters!
Meet the three needs of any bird and you will have daily visitors all year round:
1. A variety of foods for different bird varieties – peanuts, mixed seed, niger seed (for goldfinches) and fat balls in winter. Use various feeders including some squirrel-proof and position close to bushes & trees so that birds can land and survey area for predators before hopping onto the feeders.
2. Fresh supply of water.
3. Thick bushes, shrubs, trees etc to provide roosting and nesting sites.
My tip would be to have as big a pond as you can manage. Build it and they (wildlife) will come!
Garden Wildlife Direct food with water in a relaxed and safe surrounding for all birds
Keep your feeders clean and washed and give a good variety of food at your table. Dont forget water.
feed nothing but Sunflower Hearts, All birds love to eat them. three seed feeders and an open topped dish for the Blackbirds and Thrushes .
Feed regularly and keep feeders clean to remove stale food. Place feeders in different locations where predators will find access difficult. Make sure some food is scattered on ground for larger birds and ground feeders.Make water available and change it regularly.Do not feed whole peanuts in breeding season as chicks can choke on them – give them a quick blast in a food processor to make them smaller.
Place your (multiple) feeders within three metres of a hedge so the birds have easy access to cover.
I attract birds to my garden by offering a variety of quality seeds, peanuts (granules when they have young, to avoid choking) and suet foods all purchased from Garden Wildlife Direct, both in feeders and on the ground, all year round, together with a good supply of fresh drinking water.
To regularly feed fresh seed mix /food in the same place has worked for us.
Always make sure plenty of fresh food and water placed high enough of the ground if you have pets, nothing anymore simpler than that, and just stand back and admire Mother Nature!!!
To make sure you have plenty of food & water & they will always come back + more will come.
my bet tip is plenty of fresh water even when it as frozen I always change the bird baths every day plenty of bird seed and fat balls and grated cheese and occasional bread I also have 3 nesting boxes I get lots of birds and doves in the garden and judging by the singing and noise they make I believe they are all very happy as I am to listen to them singing and splashing about in the bird baths
A mixture of seed / nuts and fat regularly put onto trays and in feeders
When refilling hanging seed containers make sure you deliberately spill some seed to the ground. Rather than wasted this permits the ground feeders including beautiful field mice to visit your garden to get a feed also. A bonus all round for you and nature!
Have lots and lots of bird feeders of different types and in different locations all over the garden. WE have loads more species visiting now.
I feed them all year round, peanuts in a feeder, mixed seeds and in the winter fat balls and fat with seeds. I also make sure they have drinking water. I get so much pleasure looking out of my kitchen window and seeing the Great Tits and Blue Tits constantly eating the peanuts.
Grow plant that produce thick foliage and berries or fruit then place the feeders nearby.
Being consistent in your efforts – keeping feeders stocked and replenished daily – and offering a good mix of food (inc water) is the key (but simple way) to attracting birds to your garden. When I moved here there were no visiting birds, but now I have seen over 15 different species in my garden including nesting coal tits, blue tits and blackbirds.
When the peanut butter jar gets to the end there is still loads in there. I hang it up on it’s side and the bluetits love it!
Why not rub some suet in the bark of a tree in your garden…the smell will attract woodpeckers, and all manor of birds…watch them peck it off the bark…
Plenty of cover at all levels but clear flight space round all feeders so that the birds feel safe from predators , but don’t discourage other wildlife
Shoot cats
Leaving the fur from my dogs coat around the garden for the birds to collect for their nest building
Leave out a variety of birdfood – unnetted fat balls, mealworms, niger seeds, sunflower hearts, peanuts (in a holder, not loose) and general bird seed. Also bowls of water for both baths and drinking. Place the feeders near trees or bushes to enable the birds to take cover. Well it works for us.
Robins, Wrens, Blue Tits, Coal Tits, Great Tits, Long Tailed Tits, Goldfinches, Chaffinches, Greenfinches, Thrushes, Blackbirds, Starlings, Collar Doves, Wood Pigeons, Hedge Sparrows, House Sparrows and Field Fare, plus others.
Place bird feeders in a quiet and safe part of the garden and never let them go empty.
Provide fresh water
Ensure your bird feeders are kept full at all times and if on holiday ask a neighbor to keep them topped up.When the berries are over look out for ‘Out of date’ apples in the supermarket – the birds love these!
Make sure you always have a variety of bird food available to attract the widest range of birds & keep it stocked all the time, even in the Spring & Summer.
We leave fat balls, peanuts, niger seed & mixed seed & attract woodpeckers, jays (new this spring), robins, great tits, blue tits, goldfinch, siskins & blackbirds.
We have two feeder stands, one in the front south facing garden & one in the back north facing so the birds get a choice! You could say they are spoilt for choice which could be our tip!
A variety of foods in a variety of feeders at various levels.
Since using sunflower hearts in my bird feeders & bird table all year round, I have attracted blue tits, bull finches, robins and even two Jays! It’s lovely to see these birds enjoying their food all day in our garden. Thanks to Garden Wildlife Direct for their suggestions.
Ensure total absence of cats and feed the birds all year round.
Have two feeding stations and one bird table, two ponds and lots of trees and shrubs all add up to an abundance of birds that I can relax and watch from a window. So nice at this time of year.
Just buy your best value bird food from Garden Wildlife Direct and you can afford to put loads of out to attract loads of birds…it works for me !
My best tip for attracting birds to the garden is positioning the bird feeder as far away from my cats as possible & a regular supply of food variations.
plant bird attractive trees, they can have cover , shade and somewhere to perch, keep feeders clean and have a variety of food to attract various birds to your garden. The joy you will have is well worth it.
A variety of top quality food supplied in clean feeders. They should be placed close to coverage for safety but away from cats and other predators. A supply of clean water is vital for drinking and bathing.
Very simple. Put out a mix of seeds.Nuts. Fat balls. Fresh water at a variety of locations in the garden. We have such a massive array of feathered visitors from Robins to Jays, from Bullfinch to Wagtails and the tiny Firecrest to the Buzzard!
Putting out the correct seed for the different breeds attracts birds into the garden.
Have a Garden Wildlife bird Feeder Station and always keep it replenished throughout the year, then the birds will know where to come.
Food
simple, buy good quality feed from you and send hubby out to fill the various feeding stations regularly throughout the day.
Feed all year round and keep the cats out!
experiment with the positioning of feeders until the birds are happy to use them
Put a variety of bird seeds and water so they can have a drink especially in the warmer weather, And it’s a good idea to have a tall multi feeder in the garden to attract all birds so they don’t miss out, And make sure the feeders are always filled up,
Good quality range of food – including peanuts, sunflower seeds, suet balls, mealworms etc. etc. Various bird baths around the garden for birds to drink and have a bath. Plenty of shrubs, trees and good planting so birds feel safe whilst feeding. I also put out leftover scraps of meat, bacon and ham fat etc. to attract larger birds like crows, jackdaws etc. I also put out chicken carcasses and lamb / beef bones with scraps of meat on from our sunday roasts which bring in red kites which is an absolute pleasure and a real treat for us to watch and photograph.
Our various nest boxes around the garden always have breeding birds in – especially the blue tits which we wait with anticipation to watch the babies fledge.
A beautiful garden is not the same without wildlife and birds !
Best tip for attracting birds to the garden: meal worms sprinkled on the feeding table, and also in an upright feeding tube with suet pellets.
Shoot the cat from next door
Use as many different foods as you can to attract different species.
to stop squirrels getting too you nuts and bird feeders etc,use chilli powder on them but dose wash off if it rains
so leave more food for the brids
feed the birds EVERY DAY not now and again, give them water every day, winter or summer, look after them and they will look after you with their wonderful songs and their friendly play to watch and enjoy.
Forgot to leave a photo
Get rid of the cat. (only joking)
Garden wildlife birdfeed does the trick every time.
I feed a variety of different foods sunflower hearts for the finches, live mealworms and suet pellets for robins thrushes and blackbirds,in a ground feeder.also bird frendly peanutbutter (no salt)for blue, coal,and longtail tits
Use sunflower hearts, they don’t grow and most birds love them. Also make sure you put out fat blocks for starlings!
Feed the birds at your bird table all year so they stay in your garden during the summer months when they will also eat your garden pests.
Although the feeders are highly important; we believe the positioning of the feeder is vital. Next to hedges and under trees to give the birds security and somewhere they can dart to quickly when necessary.
Clean, fresh water – in a shallow dish or a pond with a shallow shelve for easy access.
To stop squirrels eating all the bird food on your feeders and tables, rub Vaseline on the bird support pole. It stops them climbing up the pole and eating all the nuts/coconut halves, etc. and you will find more and more birds come to feed knowing that the squirrels cannot jump up.
If you have a few bird houses up with some bird feeders a couple of meters away that does the trick. Also it needs to be a calm and quiet garden so no loud noises. Also get you bird food from garden wildlife direct they do the best and the birds love it.
We make a bird mix consisting of lard, grated cheese, stale cake crumbs or scones, dried fruit, grated apple, ground peanuts. Mix together and form a ball or the shape of your container which you hang out for the birds. We have a lot of birds visit our garden in Winchfield, Hampshire. Our garden does back on to a woodland. Visitors include, blue tits,great tits, coal tits, woodpeckers,blackbirds,robins, tree creepers, wrens.
We feed our birds everyday of the year on a ‘feed tree’ which allows for small birds to feel protected and larger ones to scavenge on the garden below. We mostly use sunflower hearts, peanuts and suet balls on the main feeder with peanuts available beyond the (general) reach of squirrels on a separate station and poultry corn on a corner of a shed just above the house(prevents the garden borders becoming full of wheat). The main feed station is sited next to a spring which provides all year round, clean water.
The layout of the garden means that we can have birds all around us when they are feeding, the regularity of the feeding means that we have a regular resident population of great variety, our wooded valley gives an enormous range of shelter, nest sites and protection from predators.
My tip – be a reliable, regular provider of good quality food and clean water and you will be well rewarded by your own family of birds.
I have feeders placed all over the garden, including ground feeders and bird baths. My garden attracts loads of harden wildlife as I keep them fed all year round and bring in the changes to keep them happy.
Ensure there is a variety of food and plenty of water.
No cats!
stick to the feeds that work best in your area but with multiple feeders and locations for shy birds
Put out lots of different types of food, suet blocks, seed, fat balls, Niger seed, meal worms flutter butter and fruits 365 days a year, peanuts June_ Feb ( choke hazards to babies). Ensure you provide fresh water if using a bath create a ladder for safety. Jan- May I put out raw wool & oyster grit. I live in a noisy urban area but still get tits, wood pigeons, collared doves, sparrows, black birds, starlings & gold finches to name a few!
Have a selection of a variety of feeds, and find a way to keep the neighbours cats in their own garden !!!
Always have lots of water as in hot weather the birds need to drink and bathe!!
The birds will always flock to thee, if you get their grub from GWD
Top tip for attracting birds to nyour garden..Buy a TALL Multi feeder and keep filled with “gardenwildlifedirect products to suit the season AND OF COURSE FRESH WATER..
We hang big seed trays under the feeders so the birds have a second chance of the sunflower hearts
Best tip from experience to attract wildlife is continuity of feeding and to place feeders near hedge and trees for protection with the smaller birds and spread of seed on ground for larger variety. The pheasant always comes to feed at same time every day now
Compliment your seed feeders with a water bath for drinking and bathing. Birds can eat and drink in the same area and is well worth their visit.
I think the key to attracting bird to your garden is variety! I offer a range of different food and feeder types and in return see some very interesting species visit the garden.
Feed them and put plenty of water to drink and bathe with.
Always make sure that the feeders have food in them. Word soon gets around.
lots of different seed and feeders
lots of different foods in various places round the garden
fat balls and birdseed do the trick
Create different feeding stations for different birds. Starlings/Finches/Robins/Blackbirds/Sparrows etc all feed at different stations and levels. They also eat different foods. Also create a safe area for smaller birds so that Pigeons/Magpies etc can’t bully the smaller birds off the food.
I always keep the bird bath full of fresh water ,Spring ,Summer ,Autumn ,and Winter ,I am amazed at the variety of birds who call in for either a drink or a bath and of course I serve them the best of bird food supplied by Wildlife Direct at prices that can’t be beaten.
I have a lovely bird station with various holders which I have filled with seeds, nuts and sunflower hearts from Garden Wildlife Direct. Because the food is so fresh and of such good quality, I have all kinds of birds flocking round it every day from morning till evening. The biggest attraction has to be the sunflower hearts. Blue tits, great tits, coal tits, long tailed tits, gold finches, all do their acrobatics for the sunflower hearts, and robins, chaffinches and dunnocks all wait underneath hoping some seeds will be dropped for them.
I have to say the sunflower hearts are the major attraction, but I also get seeds, peanuts and peanut butter from Garden Wildlife direct and I can look out of my window any time during the day and see a great display, not only of birds, but also squirrels and even rabbits which seem to have taken a liking to peanuts. I believe it is all down to the quality of the food I’m providing for them thanks to Garden Wildlife.
Keep our “feathered friends ” fed & watered all the year round . Like us they need nourishment all the time !
Hide the cat!
I have strategically let the shrubs in my garden grow large so that the birds can find nest sites as well as shelter (especially from sparrowhawks). It’s nothing to do with no-care gardening!
A variety of seeds plus suet pellets,fat balls,dried mealworms (soaked in hot water to soften when the babies are feeding). Fresh water for drinking and bathing. Protect the feeders as best you can from predators and the weather.Trees & Bushes.
Clean feeders at the end of the day and remove all traces of food .They will be waiting for you in the morning.
Create a wildlife pond.
variety, and patience, they will come!
Sunflower hearts. Works for me every time, they attract so many birds. Also a water bath.:-)
Put hanging feeders near a shrub or small tree so birds have cover from predators, also have a bird bath with fresh water daily near by
Always keep your feeds full and put the feeders if possible close to a hedge, so the birds have the protection of the hedge against preditors. Ie sparrow Hawks.
Fill up the feeders regularly and make sure there is ALWAYS water for both drinking and bathing. Keep a whether eye open for CATS!!
Make sure that the birdfeeders are cleaned and filled often and make sure they have plenty of space under the birdfeeder to rummage for small bits of food
Make sure feeder is close but not to close to bushes as the smaller birds like to hide, fly to the feeder and then back to safety. The only thing to be aware of is cats hiding in the bush, try a cat repellent around the bush to deter the cats.
I have the radio on in the garden and the birds love it
Place feeders and food carefully not to close to doors so not to disturb birds. If they feel safe they will feed like crazy:)
A yellow hanging feeder with red tape around the top and bottom filled with nyjer seed attracts gold finches all year round
I now try and attract the birds as my cats have passed away. I have 2 feeding stations and 2 bird boxes. I have plastic plant pots with large holes where they love to shelter. I have a nest in a bush i have let grow. The birds that come are just normal birds, nothing unusual, but i love watching them
Dot the bird food around your garden, preferably near bushes or trees so birds can escape from predators and use different feeders from hanging to ground and bird tables
a range of different fee