Most gardeners agree that attracting birds into your garden is a task that is worth the effort. Not only does creating a haven for birds in your outdoor space increase the value of the garden for humans but it will boost the health and welfare of the local bird population. That’s because keeping birds happy and giving them what they need to prosper is all that is needed to entice them into your garden.
Something as simple as throwing out scraps of food on a regular basis is an easy way to let the local birds know that your garden is a good place to feed and will have them returning on a regular basis. To make things as good as possible you’ll want to put in some extra work.
The first thing you can do is build specific areas in your garden where birds can come to feed in safety. You might want to buy or build a bird table, or you could use simple bird feeders in strategic positions. Feeding stations should be high out of reach of cats and if possible slightly covered to hide them from sparrow hawks.
Next you’ll want to decide what is best to feed the birds to keep them healthy. Seeds are a great choice as the birds love them, they are reasonably cheap and they store well. In winter you might want to include high fat foods in their diet such as fat balls or suet.
If you have got more money to spend you may want to look into getting live bird food which will do much to improve bird health. This method will take more time, effort and money and if you’re really serious you can even breed live worms yourself to use as feed. The birds will be thankful for your efforts.
Take care to clean bird feeding areas on a regular basis to decrease the chance of disease for the birds and wash your hands after feeding and cleaning.