How to Attract Birds to your Garden

Whether you have a small city garden or a large lawn overlooking natural landscapes, there’s no doubt you will have seen the odd bird scoping out your space. There’s a variety of wild birds that your garden could become home to, so if you’re wondering how to attract robins to your garden, for example, you’ve come to the right place.

Bringing them to your natural nook more regularly is simple to do. Naturally, birds are attracted to gardens where there is plenty of food and water available. However, there are a whole host of other things you can incorporate to encourage them to return time after time.

One of the most common ways to attract birds to your garden is with a bird feeder or a bird table. Hanging a bird feeder in your space provides a designated space for your new feathered friends to rest and have a bite to eat, whilst you can sit back and enjoy the view.

When choosing your perfect bird feeder, it’s important to consider other interested creatures that may try to gain a nibble or two of the seeds designated for birds. Squirrels are commonly known to try their luck in eating bird seeds from the feeders and the Peckish All Weather Large Seed Bird Feeder is the perfect way from preventing any unwanted visitors. Or why not try, the Peckish Sunflower Hearts Wild Bird Feeder, which is a great simplistic option.

It's important to note that you may have to wait a short while before birds are attracted to your bird feeder, but once they know where the feeder is, there’s no doubt they will return.

If you’re open to attracting different type of birds into your garden, it’s worth placing more than one bird feeder in your space. Hanging one in a tree and attaching another to a fence will naturally encourage more visitors to your space. More feeders means more food and more room for more feathered friends to visit!

Trying a bird table will also help to increase the chances of wild birds seeing their next meal in your garden. The Cheeko Ashford Deluxe Bird Table is great for this; the scrap table makes it easier to lay their bird feed out and the roof ensures their food stays dry in the wet weather. This type of feeder is also handy for birds who struggle to use a traditional nut feeder as tables are much easier for birds to perch on.

Water is essential for a healthy bird, particularly wild birds. Providing a constant supply of fresh water for drinking and bathing is a key answer to the question of how to bring birds to your garden.

The Savic Aviary Drinker, Bird Water Feeder is a great outdoor option. Its special design prevents algae growth and reduces the risk of water contamination to ensure they’re receiving fresh water each time. Birds will appreciate there is somewhere to have a dip too! The Happy Pet Multi Bird Bath ensures they have a designated area to bathe and potentially cool down in the warmer weather.

There are various ways you can provide your bird with potential nesting areas, including plants, which is touched upon in more detail later in this article. The simplest solution to a lack of nesting areas is by identifying the more sheltered spots in your garden that are safe from predators and placing nesting sites and boxes.

As the joy of spring arrives, as does the urge to fill your garden with blossoming flowers, but have you ever thought about particular plants that attract birds too? Here are our selection of attainable plants you can introduce into your backyard to help you  

·      Holly plants attract the most feathered friends in late winter, with visitors like blackbirds and redwing enjoying the berries!

·      Ivy flowers attract insects which make tasty food for robins, and once they grow berries in winter, they’re attractive to a wide range of birds. Their leaves offer nesting opportunities too!

·      Hawthorn trees are home to blackbirds’ and redwings’ favourite berry, and are a caterpillar food source which provides more meals for baby birds.

·      Honeysuckle not only provides food for birds in autumn, but shelter too! In the warmer months, its appealing scent attracts insects which is another food source for our feathered friends.

·      Rowan plants are all perfect in attracting birds to your garden, whether they grow crab apples or berries, whilst the seasonal colours are a gorgeous visual addition in your garden.

If you’re searching for new additions for your bedding area, planting wildflowers will also help to attract insects, which birds seek to feed on!

Wild birds are often drawn to foods with various types of seeds. The type of food birds are likely to be drawn to are:

·      Suet or Fat Balls – Perfect for winter to provide birds with the extra calories they need in the colder months.

·      Sunflower Hearts or Black Sunflower Seeds

·      Crushed or Grated Peanuts – avoid salted or dry roasted peanuts and never use loose peanuts, as they are a choking hazard.

·      Mealworms – either dried meal or live!

·      Nyjer Seed

These type of seeds or fat balls can easily be added to existing or new bird feeders or scattered on a bird feeding tray, as some birds such as blackbirds and chaffinches like to eat from the ground.

Once you’ve accessorised your garden to welcome wild birds, finding the perfect feed is essential. The Jollyes Wild Bird Food is one of the best choices to ensure all their favourite seeds are included, increasing the chances of them landing in your outdoor space for a peck!

For an indulgent type of bird food to attract birds to your garden, the Basics Dried Mealworms and Shrimp is another great option. Set out as a treat or as a snack to encourage birds such as robins, wrens, blackbirds and many more. This mouth-watering treat will keep them healthy and their stomachs full!

To hit the ground running, the Peckish Peanut Ready to Use Feeder is also another great purchase. This feeder already contains delicious peanut snacks for wild birds, packed with nutrients and essential oils to support a healthy diet. It can also be easily refilled with more snacks such as the Harvest Suet Fat Balls for Wild Birds, perfect for the cold winter months.

Once you’ve filled your backyard with food source and fresh water opportunities, and shelter (makeshift or otherwise) is present, your urban garden will become attractive to receiving feathered visitors too!

Whether you’re new to feeding wild birds or searching for fresh fun ways to encourage their presence in your garden, it’s never been easier - and you’ll have a new feathered friend visiting in no time! Now you’ve learnt how to encourage birds in your garden, shop any other feeders or foods you may need from our wild bird range in store or online today.