Bring in the Birds

I am a realist, in most respects. I love to see birds in my garden. I do all I can to encourage them.

But I accept that sacrifices must be made, and compromises sought. I don’t appreciate finding my cabbages stripped to skeletons by pigeons, although I do welcome the voracious removal of cabbage white caterpillars by the garden birds. I am not too chuffed (or should that be choughed?) when my strawberries are reduced to husks. The fruit cage I had to invest in last year hurt me in a most painful place – my wallet. But even as an Aberdonian by birth, I had enough of struggling with tangled netting over hoops of fencing wire. And anyway, that sort of netting results in birds becoming entwined. I really don’t like that. The investment was necessary.

The garden just wouldn’t be the same without the birds. Robins breed successfully here every year. Blackbirds nest in the thick shrubbery I have created to protect me from the constant winds.

Wrens multiply in crevices in the Caithness flagstone wall. And in a small hole above my kitchen window, house sparrows make use of my roof-space every year. Watching them fly out and in at such close quarters makes doing the dishes almost a pleasure.

Perversely, perhaps, I also enjoy watching the buzzard, which perches regularly on a fence post behind the house. Yes, it does take the occasional bird, and then I feel guilty for attracting so many of them to one place, and creating the equivalent of a fly-thru burger bar for buzzards. But the buzzard perches on that particular fence post because the field behind is rich with voles, and those are the preferred snack. Double vole, please and hold the mayo. We have to live and let live, and not interfere too much with nature.

There are two main ways to attract birds to your garden – by planting food sources, and by using bird-tables and feeders. Each merits a whole book, and many good ones have been written. This article is intended only as a brief guide, which I hope will inspire you to read further, and learn, and do more.

Undeniably, native plants are the best food sources for our native birds, but a great many of our ornamentals are also of enormous benefit to our wildlife. Many ornamental shrubs produce fruits and berries in abundance, but so do many native species which are not out of place in a garden. Hawthorn, elder, dogrose and bramble (wild blackberry) are especially valuable. But the strength of our natives is perhaps less in the fruit, and more in the insects which they support. Many of our wild birds require aphids, grubs and caterpillars in their diet, and I believe that the oak is host to the greatest variety of insect life of all our trees. It makes sense that our native birds need native insects, hosted by native trees.

Even if you can’t accept native plants invading your pristine patch, or you feel you don’t have room for them, there are two small sacrifices you must make. You must leave the dead and dying flowers in your herbaceous borders over winter, and not clean up until spring. And you must favour spring pruning of your garden shrubs, rather than your usual autumn blitz.

After flowering, your herbaceous plants produce seed heads which are a valuable source of food for garden birds throughout the winter. Red Hot Pokers and Pampas Grass are prime examples. And don’t forget your roses. Allow them to set fruit. Rose hips are a gourmet treat for birds. By all means make syrup and wine, but take no more than your fair share. Leave as much as you can for the birds.

Many ornamental shrubs provide a fruity meal, and the berries will stand long into the winter if you don’t dive in with the hedge-trimmer in the autumn months. All varieties of Cotoneaster are valuable, as are Chaenomeles, Viburnum, Pyracantha and shrub roses, especially those of Rugosa parentage.

So much for natural food. We can also do a great deal to help our garden birds in artificial ways. Are you seeing fewer birds in your garden these days? If they’re not it your garden, it may be because they’ve found richer pickings elsewhere. Or it may be that there are simply less birds to go round. Believe me, many of our once common garden birds are in decline. We gardeners can do a great deal to help our feathered friends throughout the year. I favour feeding all year round, but the greatest need is in the cold, hungry days of winter.

If you don’t feed all year, November is the most important month to start feeding, when nature’s autumn harvest is beginning to wear thin. But if you start then (and I hope you will, if you don’t already feed all year), you must continue until at least April, when they tend to disperse to their favourite breeding places. Meantime, they have become dependant on you. Once accustomed to feeding stations, birds will congregate there out of habit. So once you have started, you must carry on. Don’t let them down.

It is now generally recognised that feeding beyond April is important, and indeed there is much evidence to support year round feeding. Supplementary food in the breeding season can sometimes prove vital.

In winter, if the weather is harsh, it is best to feed both in the morning and the early afternoon. Adjust the amount you provide to the demand, and don’t allow uneaten food to build up. In spring and summer, you need to take a little more care in what you offer, avoiding peanuts, fat and bread. These can harm the babies if taken back to the nests.

Traditionally, birdfood has been scraps and wasteproducts. But more recent research has shown just how harmful this can be. Some bird-food products which used to be sold were toxic to birds. I hope that, with current knowledge and legislation, even the cheapest bird food is safe. But I don’t know for sure, and therefore I suggest you buy from a reputable source. There are several excellent mail order companies. I don’t seek litigation, so I won’t cast aspersions on the cheaper products of  certain supermarkets. But our feeding must emulate nature as closely as possible – ie natural products without chemicals which are already doing so much harm to our native bird population.

Good quality bird food from a reputable source is ideal, and you can supplement this from the kitchen. Cooked rice without salt is good, as is pastry, especially if made with real fat. Ironic, this, as we humans are advised against consuming it. Fat is welcomed by many species – wrens, thrushes and tits for example. Grated cheese and all sorts of dried fruits will be appreciated, along with cut-up fresh fruit. But avoid the temptation to shove all the left-overs on the bird-table. Be discerning. Many elements of our diet are unsuitable for birds.

When feeding, in practical terms, remember that there are two distinct feeding types. Clinging feeders, like tits and finches, and ground feeders like thrushes, blackbirds and robins. Obviously, then, you need to provide for both – by  scattering food on the ground, and providing hanging feeders for the “clingers”.

A compromise is the old traditional bird table, which offers a platform for ground feeders (above cat height, which is an advantage!), but is also accessible by virtue of height, to clingers. Mind you, tits and finches will feed much more readily from nut feeders and seed hoppers. And never serve up peanuts in anything other than a mesh nut feeder – whole peanuts are dangerous to many species. String-mesh bags of nuts, as often sold in supermarkets, are not ideal either. They can trap unwary feet or break legs. Transfer the nuts to a proper feeder.

A useful point to remember, too, is to site your bird table in an open location, not within the spread of shrubs or trees. Birds will feed more happily in an open location, where they can keep one eye out for predators. But the site should be near enough to cover to make the birds feel secure in the knowledge that cover is close by should danger, eg that buzzard of mine, loom.

Hygiene is often overlooked, but is very important. A concentration of birds feeding in one place, coupled with stale food and accumulating droppings, constitutes a health hazard. Clean out the feeders regularly, and ensure that the food is fresh. If possible, move the feeding station around the garden periodically, to reduce the build-up of droppings. Salmonella is always present at low levels in wild bird populations. It is transmitted via the droppings of an infected bird. Bear this in mind, and do all you can to reduce the risk of an outbreak.

Finally, don’t forget that birds need water too. If you have a pond, make sure that part of the side slopes gently, and always thaw out or break up ice when it freezes. No pond? A shallow water container will serve the purpose, but change the water regularly to keep it fresh.

I was about to write – I hope I’ve killed two birds with one stone. Then I realised how utterly inappropriate that would be! But I do hope I have encouraged you to take two approaches in the quest to help our garden birds. Plant native shrubs if you can, and if you are short of space, choose ornamental plants which produce seeds or fruit. And hang up a few feeders, replenish them regularly, and give you feathered friends a helping hand.

They need your help, and they will repay you in their own way.

© Mike Clark 2007

Published in Organic Gardening December 2007