Tips on garden design for birds??

[Stuart]

Im hoping to spend some time and energy making the garden a bit more bird and wildlife friendly.As its just a grass lawn and not much else, I was after some tips and ideas, or web sites that offer help and advise on what plants to use,layout, maybe a pond etc etc....

Anybody got any tips , apart from not mowing the lawn for a few years and letting nature take its course??

Cheers B (:

[Jane Turner]

No pesticides, no weedkillers and get some flowing water are my tips.

[DavidJJones]

Im hoping to spend some time and energy making the garden a bit more bird and wildlife friendly.As its just a grass lawn and not much else, I was after some tips and ideas, or web sites that offer help and advise on what plants to use,layout, maybe a pond etc etc....

Anybody got any tips , apart from not mowing the lawn for a few years and letting nature take its course??

Cheers B (:

Are you talking about quick solutions or are you taking a longer term view?

Grow some decent sized thorny shrubs (eg Berberris), or trees (eg Hawthorn)especially around any area you would like to set up a feeding station.

If you put up trellis for climbing plants try to include a gap of a couple of inches between it and the wall, and perhaps include a couple of nesting platforms or boxes in that gap for possible use by a robin in the future once the plant cover has developed.

I had a sickly conifer in my garden when I moved in. Instead of cutting it down I stripped it of all the thinnest branches and then trained ivy up it. I now have an 'Ivy tree' that is used for nesting every year by various birds, including Blackbirds, Dunnocks, Robins, Wrens and, at the moment, Collared Doves.

The Ivy also provides a great source of food for insects when it flowers in late Autumn, followed by lots of berries for the birds in late winter

[weather]

This site on Enature has a lot of advice...

http://www.enature.com/backyardwildlife/

Mike

[Stonechat2]

I say plant as many native species as possible . Let them grow wild and definateley create a pond. Also try a little flower meadow.
Anything you do to help the wildlife in your garden will be rewarding.
It is for me that's why i'm going to college to study a course mainly based on Habitat management.
All the best
Steven

[snowyowl]

I've been trying to do the same thing. There are lots of apples and so forth near the house so I don't need to plant anything of that sort.
I've stopped mowing about half of the area and am planting berry-bearing shrubs. In the wilder areas I've put half-a-dozen Highbush Cranberrys and some Red Elderberry. I got them free from a friend who has long established shrubs. I'm leaving the currents, gooseberries and grapes to run wild. I have Hawthorn growing wild on my land and I'd like to move some into the garden area so that I could see what feeds on their berries but I don't think that will be easy so I may go and buy somefrom a native species nursery. The wild roses seem to be dying off so I may have to do something about that. There are lots of Mountain Ash growing around the perimeter of the garden. Sumac is another one I'd like to get but can't decide where to put one where it won't interfer with the septic system.
In the part of the garden that I'm still cultivating, I'm planting hollies, barberries and that sort of thing.
The only birds that go to my pond (9"x9') are the Rock Pigeons and House Sparrows so I've made a new bath by hollowing a shallow bowl in a large piece of sandstone. The level keeps going down and I keep cleaning feathers out of it but still haven't seen a bird go near it. I'm beginning to think that the owls must be using it.
I'm looking forward to seeing if there is any difference in the bird mix and populations over the next couple of years. I really would like to have a bird paradise but I suspect that I'll never do as well as nature has done in other places. ;)

[Bluetail]

Essential plants (if you can find room):

Berberis darwinii (the Blackbirds have already stripped the berries off mine)
Pyracantha (go for a variety with red berries)
Hawthorn (habours a wide range of insects which attract birds and has berries in winter if you don't prune it hard)
An apple tree (I've got a dwarf one because my garden is tiny, but it's great for hanging the feeders in and the birds love it)
A willow tree, if possible (great for early insects and maybe early warblers)
Buddleia (for the butterflies rather than the birds!)

Also, something bushy that birds can hide/roost/nest in. I'd be interested in suggestions here since I'm looking for something myself and haven't a clue what would be good - I want to avoid a leylandii.

[Surreybirder]

We found The Wildlife Pond Handbook by Louise Bardsley, published by the Wildlife Trusts, ISBN 1 84330 111 3, very helpful.
The more you can encourage invertebrates and native plants, the more birds you'll get. There are lots of good plants to attract ladybirds, hoverflies and the like. Sedums, buddleia, hawthorn, pyracantha, berberis, evening primrose, pot marigolds, field scabious, the list is endless!
We dug as big a pond as we could manage (only this Easter) and we've been fascinated (and delighted) by how quickly dragonflies, pond scaters, various water beetles etc have flourished. We had two grey wagtails the other day.
Good luck,
Ken

[Bluetail]

I'll second the Evening Primrose. We've some of those and in autumn and winter the Goldfinches go mad over the seeds.

[Johnny1]

I think the best thing any birder can do to attract birds to their garden is to build a pond. Birds will come to drink and to bathe. Secondly plant as many berry bearing trees/shrubs as possible...crab apple trees are also great in the Autumn/Winter.

[snowyowl]

Essential plants (if you can find room):

A willow tree, if possible (great for early insects and maybe early warblers)
Buddleia (for the butterflies rather than the birds!)

Also, something bushy that birds can hide/roost/nest in. I'd be interested in suggestions here since I'm looking for something myself and haven't a clue what would be good - I want to avoid a leylandii.

The birds seem to like hiding in our large lilacs. They used to like the willow until Hurricane Juan reduced it in size.

[Surreybirder]

Yew often seems to hold quite a few birds, but I believe it's rather slow growing.

[Mary]

A great tree for the small garden is Amelanchier canadensis. It has white flowers in April, berries to die for (so the finches and blackbirds tell me!) in June, then lovely autumn colours. Our is about 8 feet after 12 years; we clip some of the new growth each year.
A good climber for providing nest sites is an evergreen honeysuckle such as Lonicera japonica 'Halliana'. Beautiful scented flowers into the bargain, loved by moths. We were lucky to get a Hummingbird Hawk moth on it last year.
Cheers
Mary

[Allen]

Start from the bottom of the food chain and work up!! Buddleia, honeysuckle, lavendar have been successful in mine for insects together with Apple and Wild Cherry for the birds. Also Cornflower, Rudbeckia, Cranesbills, Sweet William (in the borders) provide colour and nectar and Pyracantha, Cotoneaster and Rowan for berries. Should be able to get these in a standard suburban garden.
Also patience....I started with a 11m x 11m patch of earth in a new housing estate and it took 2-3 years to get much more than Woodpigeons and Magpies. Once the cover has established though you are on a roll!! Good luck

[Bluetail]

Oh yes, and with shrubs like Elder, Cotoneaster horizontalis and Hawthorn make sure you get the native (or bog standard) varieties. Our garden centres round here prefer to stock fancy versions (e.g. with variegated leaves or different coloured berries). I've always found these completely useless.

[Surreybirder]

Ivy is also very good, both for providing nest sites but also berries and nectar. As Bluetail says, probably best to go for the native plant. I don't think his/her point is always true, though, we had a buddliea Black Night (or some such--very dark) and it still attracted lots of butterfies and moths.

[snowyowl]

A great tree for the small garden is Amelanchier canadensis. It has white flowers in April, berries to die for (so the finches and blackbirds tell me!) in June, then lovely autumn colours. Our is about 8 feet after 12 years; we clip some of the new growth each year.
Cheers
Mary
I had to look this one up! Common names are given as Shadblow or Shadbush. It sounds interesting but I don't recall seeing it in any nursery.

[Mary]

Hello Dan,
The amelanchier is quite common in UK nurseries, but I don't know about your neck of the woods, sorry.
cheers
Mary

[snowyowl]

Hello Dan,
The amelanchier is quite common in UK nurseries, but I don't know about your neck of the woods, sorry.
cheers
Mary
No reason to be sorry, Mary. I learned something. One of the things that I learned is that I have Amelanchier in the garden. I have A. alnifolia, known as Saskatoon Berry. The birds love them and so do we for making pies, jams etc. What got me on track to identify this is an article in the current Bird Watcher's Digest on trees for birds. It mentioned Amelanchier arborea and canadensis and referred to them as Service Berries. I knew that Service and Saskatoons were almost identical, so my little puzzle was solved.

[ravenx]

I am not much of a gardener but we have red hot pokers in the garden and the goldfinches love them.

[bubobubo]

another great thing my little visitors like is when i throw bird seen straight on to the ground. The seed that is not eaten grows and i just let it grow. The amount of birds it attracts is incredible. I am also lucky to have planted a huge row of 'thuya' sorry guys not sure of it's scientific name, it is an evergreen. the birds love it and it looks like little appartments. I have put up a fence to protect my flower garden and it's residents from cats dogs etc. The birds enjoy this protection aswell, they also like to sit on the fence to make sure all is safe before dropping in. yesterday morning i had over 30 sparrows on the seed patch on the floor with two collard doves. In november i am going to pick up my 'ecological hedge' (around 12-15 bushes and trees, if i find my list i will note down the species but i will have to give the scientific name as the names i have are in french and i am not too acquainted with the english name (shameful i know). They will provide shelter and berries for them through the winter times. I can't have a pond as i have young children who are accident prone so i would rather not run the risk. But i have built up a pile of rocks and placed a big bowl with different size rocks inside to create different depths and the birds are always in there. As the house is very very old, and it underwent a little renovation on the outside, quite a few bricks are still missing here and there so there are holes in the wall. (the walls are almost 50cm thick). I checked on all the holes and they are all taken up and can see nests in nearly all of them. cute ain' it.
but i definately believe that shrubs and bushes are a brilliant alternative to fences.
bubobubo

[A CHAPLIN]

Bubobubo your garden sounds like heaven, you must let us see a photo of it, I am always looking for ideas.

Ann

[humminbird]

I say plant as many native species as possible . Let them grow wild and definateley create a pond. Also try a little flower meadow.
Anything you do to help the wildlife in your garden will be rewarding.
It is for me that's why i'm going to college to study a course mainly based on Habitat management.
All the best
Steven
I'll second the idea of diversity ("plant as many ...species as possible) and the emphasis on NATIVE. Nothing is more frustrating to me than getting a call from someone asking why they have nothing but "nuisance" birds and then, when I start exploring the idea of a garden with them hearing of nothing but exotic plants. Native plants are always the best choice in habitat restoration.
A good MOVING water source is a great idea too.

Mark
Bastrop, TX

[Nina P]

Can I make a reccommendation too, clip back fairly hard some hawthorns as they then become very thick and offer protection to tits, sparrows and wrens and robins, I have one I really cut back hard to provide dense thorny cover to protect all the little birds from cats and Hawks, it is constantly moving with life all day long.
I also planted many different hebes clost to feeding tables and they are alive with movement as I go out to fill the tables with food, I keep them well clipped too to make them bushier, and each year I cut out half the old wood to keep it within reach, and the flowers are particularly favoured by a little blue butterfly, I had twenty of them this year on one bush!
My favourite part of the garden is densely planted with many natives and a few exotics, with a grapevine growing through it, that seems to be the most popular bird environment all year round despite the lack of foliage during the winter, as then it has only vibrnum tinus and bowdennii and two hebes with cotoneaster joining it with one christmas tree, which gets covered in lights and food over the christmas period. The bullfinch loves to top that one and sing to his mate every spring. There is a pond there too but in dense growth it is rarely seen and access is near impossible, (kiddi proofed by thorny growth) so murder to cover in winter.
Good luck in choosing but most of all enjoy use too!