There is nothing more stress relieving than sitting at a window watching the antics of our feathered friends as they forage for food, preen their feathers or chatter among themselves.  Birds don’t need a garden to make a happy home –  whether you have a window box, a yard or an acre of land, here are some tips to easily attract more wildlife into your garden:

Use high energy seed

In colder months birds need additional nutrition, add variety with suet balls, pellets or mealworms.

Just remember that the food you put out won’t only be tempting to birds, but domestic pets and other wildlife too.

If you’re intending for it to be just for the birds, ensure that they are either put into a suitable feeder or at height & distance that other animals will not be able to reach.

Increase the number of feeders

As natural sources of food become depleted, increase the number of feeders to ensure birds get adequate food. Don’t forget to top up regularly.

These are the easiest and most cost-effective way to encourage birds into the garden as they can be made from almost anything. From the creative and innovative to the simplest, the majority can be made from household items.

As long as the item can hold seeds, has holes for distribution and drainage and can provide a perch for birds to land on, it can be used as a feeder. A biodegradable idea is to use an unbroken half of an orange peel, hung up with string and filled with seed.

Maintain a clean supply of water

Water is vital to birds and can be delivered by drinkers or bird baths. Remember to keep them ice free during the colder months.

It is essential for birds to have access to a clean, fresh supply of water for drinking and cleaning in. This can be created with a birdbath or even a shallow dish filled with water and raised off the ground.

To avoid the water freezing in winter, place a small plastic ball on the surface and the movement in the wind will prevent it from freezing.

Provide birds with shelter

Finally, you can encourage birds to your garden by providing a safe place for them to roost and nest. Hedges and trees provide beautiful, natural shelter with foliage camouflaging the roosts and reducing the risk of other animals, domestic or wild, from hunting or scaring the birds.

If you have less space, you could add a bird box to a wall or patch of ground in a quiet area with no danger of squirrels, cats or rats from getting onto/into them.

Site nest boxes early

Birds will spot nest boxes during the winter before nesting in the following spring.