Feeding the Birds - Advice from Bill

Nest Boxes

There are few things more satisfying or entertaining than having birds take to a nest box that you have put up. There a few rules about where to put boxes. Not where cats or squirrels can easily get at them. Not in full sun, where the chicks might literally bake. And not too close together, if you are putting up more than one. In fact, I would recommend that you do give the birds a choice. Put up two or three boxes round the garden. It is unlikely that all of them will be occupied, but it certainly improves the chances of something moving in. I would also very much recommend the open sided Robin boxes. I know Robins have a reputation for nesting in old kettles and the like, but they really do seem to like the custom built homes. If you are even luckier, a Spotted Flycatcher might move in.

Just one "warning": if you also have lots of feeders in a relatively small area, it may be less likely that the birds will use the nest boxes. The coming and going may well be an invasion of territorial space that potential nesters simply won't put up with. Certainly don't put feeders and boxes alongside each other!

Watering the Birds

I like to think of the birds in my garden as every bit as important as the flowers and plants. They all need regular watering! Always leave a bowl out somewhere and change the water regularly. Best of all, of course, is to have a garden pond. It doesn't matter how small it is, it will certainly be appreciated by the birds, both for drinking and bathing. Whilst I am thinking about it, a little wildlife gardening can be very successful for attracting birds. Planting native flowers, bushes and trees, growing a mini wild flower meadow, leaving a few messy corners ... it all helps.

"My Birds"

People often talk about "their" birds. "My Robins have been coming back for ten years now." "My Blackbirds are here again." But are these really the same individuals that keep turning up year after year, possibly nesting in much the same places? Well, the sad fact is that most small song birds don't last very long. Probably two or three years is an average lifespan. Some individuals do live much longer, but the truth is that it would, for example, be pretty amazing for your Robin to survive a decade. What does happen, of course, is that subsequent generations appreciate the same attractive habitat in your garden, and therefore keep using it to either breed or feed. Which is almost more satisfying: they are continuing a family tradition, encouraged by you.