Attracting Birds to your garden and tips for plants they like:

TOP  10 BIRDS, most common birds in UK
​ (From: The Big Garden Birdwatch 2020)

1. House sparrow
2. Starling
3. Blue tit
4. Woodpigeon
5. Blackbird
6. Goldfinch
7. Great tit
8. Robin
9. Long-tailed tit
10. Magpie

As I live by the coast my most common bird is the seagull! I would add in the crows that nest in one of the trees next to my house. I then do get a smaller selection of the top 10’s.

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Robin, Wild Birds/Alamy

Birdfeeders & Bird Boxes: What birds need in your garden: It is great to regularly supply a good variety of suitable bird foods like raw unsalted peanuts, seed mixes and fat balls.
Be aware of the placement of the feeder- in an open area, on a paving or grass is possibly best if you can*
Birds like to feel safe from predators, so for any placement of feeders or bird boxes they need to be safe from the local cat population and sparrow hawks or at least be able to see them coming.
Place bird boxes as high as possible, face the box between north and east, thus avoiding strong sunlight and the wettest winds. Make sure that the birds have a clear flight path to the nest without any clutter directly in front of the entrance.
Avoid having feeders over garden beds and borders as many of the spilt food will start to sprout and you’ll have the extra job of weeding them out, which takes longer than sweeping up.

Natural feeding & foraging habits: Birds are also attracted to eat more in your garden than just the bird food-. This is a fantastic way to help for pest control- they will dig for worms and chafer grubs & leatherjackets in the lawn, they will forage for aphids and other insects in perennials, shrubs and trees. A real treat is berries in the autumn and winter.
They also love to have a wildlife pond, big enough with shallow areas with flat rocks to drink easily from, bird baths with clean water to drink from and clean themselves in
Not tidying too much and leaving cutting back old growth & seed heads, leaf litter etc until spring is also a great way for leaving habitats for birds to forage and as a bonus are places for beneficial insects* to overwinter in, remaining in your garden to emerge the following spring.

*Beneficial insects are those that help to not only pollinate, but to help control or eradicate excess harmful insects like aphids.Eg ladybirds, lacewings & hoverflies. (I will do another article soon on these.)
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Plant types to attract birds & other wildlife: Creating biodiverse habitats

1. Flowers that produce seed for the birds to feed on: sunflower, echinacea, cornflower, rudbeckia, lawn daisy, aster, marigold, teasel
2. Shrubs & climbers that produce autumn & winter berries: Ivy, hawthorn, cotoneaster, honeysuckle ( variety that has winter berries), elderberries, roses with good rosehips, guelder rose. Holly berries are often ripe by autumn, birds such as song thrushes,  blackbirds, fieldfares  and  redwings don't usually feed on them until late winter.
3. Hedges, dense shrubs and trees are all perfect natural nesting places for birds, making sure they are only prune / coppiced in winter/ every 2-7yrs to allow birds and other wildlife a shelter belt / corridor. You may be lucky enough to also attract other amazing wildlife such as hedgehogs & bats
4.  Using native species where possible is a great way too to help local wildlife if you have the space.

If you would like more information on having your own wildlife garden designed, with a tailored planting plan that can include multiple ways to attract an abundance of wildlife, please get in touch: info@plantpeople.org
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