Wildlife Gardening Advice

For those of us who have the privilege of having a garden, there is so much that we can do to encourage the wild birds. What we are able to do is only limited by the time that we have and the funds that we have to do it. There are many wildlife gardening books on the subject which one can read to get ideas, so rather than repeat it all here we hope to limit the advice to the more important basics. Help is given under each of the following months:

January

Can be one of the coldest months of the year with little to be done in and around the garden other than feeding the birds and keeping the bird baths ice free.

This is a good time to put up any nest boxes before the breeding season begins in earnest. There are a good number of nest boxes available on the market from very cheap ones to more expensive and in some cases rather whacky colours and styles. Our preference is for the more traditional coloured boxes made in wood. The CedarPlus boxes are excellent and will last considerable longer than the cheaper makes.

Nest boxes to consider putting up initially are for Great Tit, Blue Tit, Robin, House Sparrow and may be Wren.

February

February is the month when many birds are in the early stages of thinking about nesting. It is for this reason that there is the National Nest Box Week in mid February. So make sure your nest boxes have been cleaned out. Tits in particularly will be investingating nest boxes with a bit of pecking around the edges of the nest boxes holes. If they are interested both the male and female will spend some time investigating.

If you are keen on watching the progress of birds nesting in your nest box you can use of the nest boxes already kitted out with nest box cameras.

April

Once the soil has warmed up a bit, this is the time to scatter a packet of wildflower mix that will hopefully attract a mix of insects and birds later on in the year.

May

Garden nettles may not look attractive, but they do provide rich habitat for insects that birds can feed on.

July

During July and August it's a good idea to regularly check that your bird food is not going off in the summer heat especially if it's not being eaten that quickly. If it starts to go off, it's a good idea to clean it out and throw it away and I would suggest not putting so much out.

August

A time to start deadheading buddleia will keep it flowering well into the autumn. Allowing a number of plants to go to seed will leave some natural food for the birds and prevent your garden looking so bare. Remember to leave some windfall apples, pears and plums for birds to feed on. Soft fruits such as raspberry and gooseberry will tempt birds into the garden. But keep an eye on any netting you may have over your fruit as birds can get caught in it.

September

September is a good time to sow wild flower mixtures which an provide both seed and a source of insect food the following year.

October

November

Time to remove old nesting material from your nest boxes and give them a good clean along with your bird feeders before the colder weather sets in.

With all the leaves falling off the tray, don't compost them all. Leave some in a pile especially under any hedgerows as these can provide a haven of small mammals and insects as well as a source of food for earthworms. Then as the winter progresses blackbirds and thrushes will often rummage for food turning over the leaf litter.

December

If you want to improve the shrubbery within your garden, now is a good time to plant some whips of hawthorn, hazel, silver birch and crabapple. Other plants to consider for attracting fruit-eating birds include blackcurrant, elderberry, holly, rowan and wild strawberry - all of which can be planted at this time of year. Elderberry is particularly liked by thrushes including Blackbirds.