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How to attract birds into your garden

Nature is a wonderful and joyous thing. There is nothing more calming or relaxing than enjoying your own garden. Whether this is whilst you are working from home looking out the window or sitting in your garden enjoying the summer sun. One gardening question I get asked a lot is how to attract birds into a garden. I am blessed to have a beautiful array of birds in my garden. I have everything from the common robin to the not-so-common buzzards and sea eagles.  


I must preface this with the fact that my garden backs onto beautiful Scottish highland mountains with miles and miles of untouched land behind it. Which is as beautifully ideal as you can imagine. With roaming deer, rolling mountains, lochs and so many different varieties of wildlife.


I have had the pleasure of watching a sea eagle hunting out of my window as I work one day. I have wild deer and stags who like nothing better than eating my grass. I am very blessed. 


I might not be able to help you with attracting the bigger birds they are all due to my location but I can give you tips on how to attract birds into your garden. These tips can be used no matter where you live provided you have a garden area. 


wild birds eating suet ball in bird feeder

1. Get some bird feeders 

This is a really simple but effective way to get more birds into your gardens. Yes, it can be that simple. But you have to think about which birds you would like to attract as different species like different foods. 


Here is a little breakdown 


Right now I Buy Suet Balls for Birds.  These are perfect for winter conditions and will attract smaller birds like Blue Tits, Robins, sparrows and blackbirds. These are a great source of fuel for them and will keep them fuller for longer. This makes these the perfect wintertime bird food. 


I also buy niger seeds for the finches. These have their own special bird feeders as the seeds are so small. These seeds are best for the smaller birds as the bigger birds can't access them so easily. 


As we move into spring and warmer weather. I tend to buy mealworms, which are a big hit with Blackbirds and Robins. 


It is worth noting to check your bird food if any of your family has a peanut allergy some bird foods have peanuts in them or use peanut oil. 


When adding bird feeders to your garden, do not get disheartened if you do not attract birds overnight. This is more of a long-game project. Sometimes it can take a few days or weeks for your bird feeder to become a hit with the birds. So do not feel disheartened if it takes a little while for your first visit. Your scent or presence can make birds a little wary. But they will come.

ivy plant growing up white wall

2. Plant some bird-friendly plants


There are lots of plants that actually attract birds to your garden. It sounds like common sense right but birds like particular plants and flowers. 


Planting wildflowers in your garden encourages insects which birds love to eat.


Whereas shrubs provide great shelter and nesting sites for birds. Plants like rowan and Hawthron and holly provide shelter and a great source of berries too. 


Sunflowers are popular with us all for their sunny disposition but they are an even bigger hit with birds. Birds like goldfinches adore the seeds of sunflowers and can often be seen grazing on their seeds. Plus these are great flowers for bees too so win-win. 

blue and green bird flying toward nesting box

3. Nesting boxes


Installing some nesting boxes in your garden gives birds a safe place to nest without the work of having to build a nest. Just make sure to put thought into where you place your nesting boxes. You do not want the local cat or mouse getting into them and causing damage. You also want the nesting box to be safe from the elements too. As protected from any winds, rain and direct sunlight too. 


There are many variants of nesting boxes available. You can buy the classic small hole-closed style boxes great for blue tits and tree sparrows. Open-fronted nest boxes are favoured by robins and wrens. So it is always worth seeing what birds are around before ordering nesting boxes. 


brown small bird bathing in bird bath

4. Water 

We all need water and birds are no different. Providing them fresh clean water will attract them to your garden. This can be in the form of a bird bath or even just a bowl of water. I have watched birds ignore my bird bath in favour of my dog's bowl. Make sure to place the bird bath somewhere safe from predators and not too deep around one inch deep you don't want more than two inches of water. 


Buy following these tips you will attract more wild birds into your garden. 




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