Garden prepared - feeding table positioned, hanging feeders in place...... and now we watch and wait!!
Along with half a million fellow participants in the RSPB Big Garden Birdwatch we will also be hoping that our feathered friends will stop by to enjoy the delicious buffet we have provided..
Looking out onto the garden and knowing that the selection of carefully considered delights of mixed seeds, peanuts, fruit and fat balls will help many more birds to survive this winter brings a sense of joy.
But have you considered just how amazing your helping hand really is, how important that carefully positioned bird table may be ....... how worthwhile your deliberation over which feeders and fruit you should buy will prove to be.......have you ever looked at it from a Bird's Eye view!!
......Food is scarce - the Waxwing knows it will not survive the winter and sets off for the Uk on the 800km journey from Scandinavia. Arriving on our shores to again face a scarcity of food as the berry bushes are already bare. They move inland in a hope to find food - the dark winter nights are harsh and these wonderful birds have travelled far in a hope to survive. Exhausted and starving they happen upon a small garden and tentatively approach, they watch and wait and then come to rest upon a wooden table - drinking the fresh water from a bird bath and joyfully feeding on the array of fruit loving placed beside it.
And we have been watching and waiting from the warmth of our home - through the polished glass of the kitchen window - we see a reddish-brown bird with a yellow-tipped tail and a black mask around its eyes resting on the bird table that we so carefully positioned for the perfect view.. We are filled with joy that this beautiful bird has chosen our garden!! But we could not have even imagined just how extraordinary our efforts have really been to that small tired and hungry bird finding food and safety on a bitterly cold winters day.... in our garden!!!
Bird mortality is high in the winter months and our help can mean the difference between life and death. The rspb.org.uk have a full guide to help make your garden a safe place for birds to visit and lots of advise and helpful information. You can also make some changes to your outside space to encourage birds to visit regularly and help them to survive as more and more of their natural habitats are lost. You can design and create a safe haven that will encourage a wide variety of birds into your garden fo enjoy it as much as you do!
This is a great time to be thinking about redesigning your garden and if you are thinking of including some bird friendly plants, trees and shrubs that will provide food and shelter for our feathered friends.... you still have time!
So if you are starting to plan your garden for the year ahead you could consider Holly which will provide birds such as blackbirds, redwings, song thrushes food in late winter, Ivy will provide black berries and the leaves will attract insects for the birds to feed on in addition to providing shelter for the birds. Hawthorn also provide berries and attract caterpillars of a variety of moth which is a fantastic food source for baby birds in spring. Honeysuckle, Rowan, Cotoneaster to name a few all provide an abundance of berries to help the birds survive the winter months. The cheerful sunflower will brighten your day but also provide seeds that will nourish seed-eating birds throughout the autumn and including teasel or shepherd's purse will also attract insects in addition to providing seeds.
If you are considering having a lawn laid this year or already have one - small or large its amazing how simple bird friendly management can encourage birds into your garden all year round. By simply raising the height of your lawnmower blades or leaving an area slightly longer throughout the summer can really make a big difference by creating a more favourable environment for insect which will be very much welcomed by hungry chicks. Even in the smallest of gardens the grass could be left from September right through to April when your garden will be in less use which will provide a good food source for the birds when it is needed most.
So have a look out of your window and if there is snow on the ground go out and clear an area of the lawn to help the birds to hunt for insects and top up your feeders with some delicious delights while their natural food supplies are so low. Then have a good look around and get creative and start planning for a garden that not only looks beautiful all year round but encourages birds to visit. Find joy in knowing that your garden will be a wonderful space for them to thrive and enjoy as much as you do.
Please get in touch or visit our website if you require any help to create your perfect outdoor space.. We offer an extensive range of fencing and landscaping services providing specialised and innovative solutions to meet your individual needs and help you to create your perfect garden design. squirrelfencing.com
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