Birds in the garden

Following on from Eleanor's post about nesting birds in the garden, we've noticed that despite having quite a small garden, three different birds are nesting! We have a blackbird in the Ivy, and some sparrows & a wren in the honeysuckle.  

I can't take pics because I don't want to disturb them!

We posted pretty much the same topic at the same time!

Looks like the blackbirds are going to nest in the ivy next to our door again! Daft birds!

I have a small garden too, but despite all my welcoming attempts (thick shrubs etc) I have yet to have a bird's nest actually inside my garden.

However, there is a huge leylandii type thing which overshadows my garden and I wish would just die which again has a wood pigeon's nest in it   

Oh dear! Typical wood pigeon!

Have you tried buying or making bird nests? Little ones that you can hang up around the garden, usually made of either wood or woven sticks. Birds often prefer these, especially when they're sheltered by plants.

Also, maybe you could try planting a climbing plant and trailing it up a trellis. We have honeysuckle, which has almost taken over the end of our garden (in a nice way). It climbs up the trellis, then over the top of the garden along beams that go from one side to the fence in the middle. Makes a really lovely canopy for birds!

I would love a little garden. My mum lives out in the countryside so I'll have to ask her about any birds she has nesting there.

I love cosy, sheltered gardens. None of this sitting in the sun with every neighbour watching from their windows!

I keep threatening to move into my mums garage lol. Her garden is quite open but she only has three neighbours who are friendly but more or less keep to themselves.

Do it - just don't tell her until it's too late!

Eleanor wrote: Oh dear! Typical wood pigeon!

Have you tried buying or making bird nests? Little ones that you can hang up around the garden, usually made of either wood or woven sticks. Birds often prefer these, especially when they're sheltered by plants.

Also, maybe you could try planting a climbing plant and trailing it up a trellis. :)We have honeysuckle, which has almost taken over the end of our garden (in a nice way). It climbs up the trellis, then over the top of the garden along beams that go from one side to the fence in the middle. Makes a really lovely canopy for birds!

I do have a cosy sheltered garden which is pretty private - it takes quite a lot of effort to see me! However, it doesn't get a huge amount of sun because the giant conifer wood-pigeon haven is positioned south-west so blocks the sun for much of the day    and now the new Kuchar-proof fencing blocks off more sun!

Yes, I have all sorts of bird-friendly shrubs and climbers and once had a honeysuckle until a gale blew it off the fence!) which made a heeeuuuuge bush but still the birds didn't nest in it!

I've seen those little "bird pouches" but I always thought that birds preferred to build their own nests - for example they won't re-use a nest (unless for a second brood in the same year) . Have you tried them?

We have a small garden, and not noticed any nesting birds but we do get a lot visiting despite the boys coming for the food

LyndaW wrote:

I do have a cosy sheltered garden which is pretty private - it takes quite a lot of effort to see me!  However, it doesn't get a huge amount of sun because the giant conifer wood-pigeon haven is positioned south-west so blocks the sun for much of the day    and now the new Kuchar-proof fencing blocks off more sun!

Yes, I have all sorts of bird-friendly shrubs and climbers and once had a honeysuckle until a gale blew it off the fence!) which made a heeeuuuuge bush but still the birds didn't nest in it!

I've seen those little "bird pouches" but I always thought that birds preferred to build their own nests - for example they won't re-use a nest (unless for a second brood in the same year) .  Have you tried them?

Luckily, birds don't pay too much attention to sunlight when they're nesting - they'll just find a nearby sunny spot for sunbathing every now and then!

Are the bushes, shrubs and plants high off of the ground and dense? Small birds such as wrens seem to prefer that in our garden, rather than stuff close to the ground.

As for the nest building, very often they'll still want to 'build' their own nests, but you can work your way around it. The pouches provide the basic shell of a nest, which the bird can then fill with nesting material. This is also something that attracts birds. If you leave a hanging basket or net full of nesting material such as moss, birds will use it - keep it away from your path though, as it makes a hell of a mess when the blackbirds find it! After birds have left the nest, you can clean it out or replace it for next year!

It also helps to leave out a variety of food, depending on the birds you want to attract:

Dunnocks, sparrows, and other finches love seeds

Tits, woodpeckers and some finches love peanuts and sunflower seeds, although you'll need to adjust the size of the chunks according to the time of year

Robins, blue tits, wagtails, sparrows and blackbirds love mealworms. These can be a bit expensive to buy live, so you can get bags of dried meal worms or farm them yourself

Mixed seeds are great for gardens, as they can attract a large mix of birds. Wood pigeons and starlings will hoover these up though, sorry

Bear in mind that leaving food out may also attract other animals! This can be good or bad, depending on how much you like this.

ella wrote:We have a small garden, and not noticed any nesting birds but we do get a lot visiting despite the boys coming for the food

Looks really cosy and comfortable!

I once tried dried mealworms (closing my eyes - ugh) hoping to get my then already pretty brave robin to love me even more.

The magpies hoovered them up grrr!

Yes, the magpies do like them, and so do the starlings!

Starlings have dropped off drastically locally, not sure why, but Bovver boys - both species!

We have a couple of magpies here, but they don't come down in the garden much. But the starlings come down in force, with their young, every spring/summer! We have to time putting the food out to late evening so that it'll be there first thing in the morning for the little birds!

Exact opposite here. Until about 10 or so years ago there were masses of starlings in the meadow opposite my house. Now there are only a few, a very few, and I've no idea why their numbers have decreased so dramatically.

Whereas the magpie population has exploded beyond belief - they are, after blue tits and wood pigeons, probably the third most common bird around here and are a royal pain.

Magpies are a pain, although they're very beautiful! They raid nests, for a start, and have been known to kill baby squirrels.  

In our local park we have a nice variety including Jays, Tree Creepers and Green Woodpeckers, but they don't come to the garden.

LyndaW wrote:I once tried dried mealworms (closing my eyes - ugh) hoping to get my then already pretty brave robin to love me even more.

The magpies hoovered them up grrr!

Yes, they'll do that! That's why I find it's best to leave a large variety of food out, so that other birds can get a look in!

LyndaW wrote:Starlings have dropped off drastically locally, not sure why, but Bovver boys - both species!

They can be a pain, but it's a shame they're declining. Quite pretty birds!

LyndaW wrote:Exact opposite here.  Until about 10 or so years ago there were masses of starlings in the meadow opposite my house.  Now there are only a few, a very few, and I've no idea why their numbers have decreased so dramatically.  

Whereas the magpie population has exploded beyond belief - they are, after blue tits and wood pigeons, probably the third most common bird around here and are a royal pain.

Same with sparrows, sadly. Over here, the wood pigeons and crows are very common. We get quite a few magpies as well. Not as many chaffinches, pied wagtails and long-tailed tits as we used to get though.

Caryll wrote:Magpies are a pain, although they're very beautiful! They raid nests, for a start, and have been known to kill baby squirrels.  

In our local park we have a nice variety including Jays, Tree Creepers and Green Woodpeckers, but they don't come to the garden.

We used to get a pair of jays in the garden, but not for a few years now.