gb supp 2018 (1)

IN ASSOCIATION WITH 

CREATE THE 

PERFECT BIRD 

GARDEN 

l Tips to help nesting birds 

l Essential jobs for spring 

l Attract other wildlife

Size 24 cm; Wingspan 36 cm; Weight 100 g 

Food: Invertebrates, especially 

Clutch size: 3–4 eggs 

Incubation: 13–14 days 

Young fledge: 12–15 days 

O 

S 

A 

D J 

N F 

J 

J 

M 

M 

A 

population now found in urban and suburban habitats. Garden 

BirdWatch data show that Blackbirds use gardens seasona ly, with 

wider countryside. The rest of the year their diet mainly consists 

of insects and earthworms but they have also been known to eat 

newts and fish from ponds. 

Blackbirds build their untidy cup nests most often in trees and 

bushes but wi l also use a variety of other situations including 

ledges, log piles and even open-fronted nest boxes. Nests 

towns and vi lages are more productive than those in woodland 

and appear to begin their breeding season somewhat earlier. It is 

with other thrush species, such as Redwing and Fieldfare. 

FP_BIRDSPA4_BirdWatchiid3413147.pdf 16.03.2018 17:01 

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BTO GARDEN BIRDWATCH 

Do you watch your 

garden birds? 

Be part of the UK’s largest year-round 

garden bird survey 

JOIN NOW for just £17 a year, and receive Bird Table magazine and the 

fact-packed book Garden Birds and other wildlife, worth £14.99. 

Garden Birds 

Kate Risely and Clare Simm 

and other wildlife 

154 BTO Garden Birds 

Blackbird, by John Harding 

Blackbird 

Turdus merula 

One of our most familiar birds, the Blackbird is a species that has adapted particularly we l to the garden 

enviroment. Part of this success stems from the fact that the Blackbird is a bird of woodland edges, a 

habitat which our gardens resemble in many of their key features – such as scattered trees and bushes, 

and areas of lawn. 

Spotlight 

Green-listed 

A garden success 

Origina ly a woodland bird, from the 19 th century Blackbirds 

shifted into gardens and farmland, with a large proportion of their 

earthworms. Fruit taken in autumn 

and winter. 

a marked reduction in numbers in autumn due to secrecy during 

their moult, and then the search for autumn fruit and seeds in the 

Breeding behaviour 

Breeds: March to July 

are usua ly positioned within some cover to reduce the risk of 

predation and the impact of adverse weather. Birds nesting in 

Blackbird nest and eggs, by Herbert & Howe ls 

Number of broods: 2–3 per year 

Population: 4.9 mi lion pairs 

Max lifespan: 14 years, 9 months 

Typical lifespan: 3 years 

Garden reporting rate: 98% 

thought that the increased productivity in urban areas is due to 

the lower rate of nest predation in gardens (50%) compared to 

woodland (80%). They will have two to three broods a year to 

increase their overa l breeding output. 

Both sexes are territorial during the breeding season. They 

usually defend their territory through display and calls, but 

occasiona ly short, violent fights wi l occur. Birds from different 

pairs may be seen together in feeding areas outside breeding 

territories but even here there can be some degree of tension 

between individuals. In the winter, however, Blackbirds are more 

gregarious, often feeding together in sma l flocks and associating 

QUOTE ‘BIRDWATCHING’ 

01842 750050 

www.bto.org/gbw-join

WELCOME 

incamerastock/Alamy 

After what felt like a long, long winter, I’m sure I’m 

not alone in being relieved to be able to get back out 

into the garden, getting my hands dirty. After 

working hard to create a wildlife-friendly garden 

a couple of years ago, there’s plenty to be done to keep the 

birds and other creatures coming back. 

We hope this free magazine will help you do just that. As 

well as tips on high-priority jobs for spring, we’ve taken a 

look at some of the commonest garden visitors, and exactly 

what they need to survive and thrive. Two are of particular 

interest to me. I’m keeping an eye on the nestbox in which 

Blue Tits successfully raised a brood last year, and they’re 

showing every sign of returning. And I’m on tenterhooks as 

to whether House Martins will use the boxes I put up. They 

took a look last year – will they go a step further this time? 

Whatever happens, I’m looking forward to seeing what 

arrives next, and we’ve also got ideas from the BTO on 

putting your garden sightings to good use 

(on page 21). So, give wildlife gardening a 

try, and enjoy the results of your hard work. 

The birds will. 

CONTENTS 

P5 

Essential gardening tasks for spring 

P10 

How to help garden-nesting birds 

Matt Merritt, 

Editor 

CREATE THE PERFECT BIRD GARDEN 

is proudly sponsored by 

P17 

Give other garden wildlife a boost 

P21 

Making the most of a wildlife garden 

Main cover image: T.M.O.Birds/Alamy 

birdwatching.co.uk 3

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WILDLIFE- 

FRIENDLY 

GARDENING 

in spring and summer 

If you’ve already started to create a bird and 

wildlife-friendly garden, the arrival of spring is 

when it really starts to pay off 

With luck, your nestboxes will be 

occupied, and the insects that 

you’ve provided habitat for will be 

a vital source of food for the young 

birds raised in them. 

You’ll remember to keep your feeders and bird 

baths topped up throughout the spring and summer 

(this allows adult birds to spend more of their time 

finding food for the youngsters), and you can sit 

back and reflect on a job well done. 

Well, you deserve to relax, but May through to 

October is still a busy time for the wildlife gardener. 

Keep on top of the tasks below, and your garden 

will be a haven for wildlife throughout the year. 

Tomáš Florián/Alamy* 


MAY 

This is a busy month for any gardener, 

with frosts well and truly gone, and warm 

daytime temperatures. 

l Prepare your beds for planting flowers, 

shrubs and vegetables by digging them over, 

weeding and adding compost if necessary. 

This will have side benefits for garden birds that 

eat worms, as they’ll be easier to find. Robins 

are the best example, of course – their 

behaviour around gardeners actually mimics 

what they would do with Wild Boar as the large 

mammals turn over earth. 

l Try planting perennial flowers, which return 

year after year, to add colour and to attract 

insects. If you haven’t planted 

wild flower seed (some species 

need to be sown as early as the 

previous October), don’t worry 

– pot-grown wild flowers are 

available at many garden 

centres. Make sure you 

water them in well, and 

keep them moist. 

l Prune springflowering 

shrubs such 

as Forsythia after they 

have flowered. 

l Plant herbs, herbaceous 

plants, and container-grown 

shrubs, and make up your hanging baskets. 

l Sow salad vegetables, cabbages, etc., 

outdoors. If you have to take measures to 

prevent birds from eating too many 

(Woodpigeons can be very fond 

of peas, for example), don’t use 

netting that the birds could get 

their feet tangled in – 4cm 

netting should be fine, 

stretched taut, and you can also 

hang up old CDs to act as 

bird-scarers (the artist is 

irrelevant, of course, but we found 

Cliff Richard’s do the trick). 

Wiert Nieuman/Alamy 

Tim Gainey/Alamy* 

Anne Gilbert/Alamy* 

Arterra Picture Library; Rob James*/Alamy 

JUNE 

This is when you may start to notice insect 'pests' such as greenfly 

and other aphids on some plants. 

You need to avoid spraying them, as pesticides kill 'helpful' 

insects such as ladybirds (which are themselves great 

controllers of aphids and similar pests), and could 

also harm those bird species such as Blue Tits 

which feed on the tiny insects. 

If such pests are really damaging your plants, 

try washing them off with a dilute solution of 

washing-up liquid. You may need to repeat this 

from time to time, but it is a wildlife-friendly solution. 

JULY 

Water is vital for the summer garden, of 

course. Pot plants will need to be watered 

regularly – daily if there’s no rain – and 

borders will also need water, so this might be 

the time to invest in a rainwater butt. With 

water an increasingly precious resource, it 

will enable you to keep your garden green 

without guilt. Remember, though, to fit 

a lid (if your butt fills from a drainpipe), or 

a fine mesh, to prevent small animals and 

birds from becoming trapped in it. 

Looking further ahead, consider planting 

Mediterranean plants such as Lavender, 

Cistus, Helianthemum (Rock Rose), 

Rosemary, Spanish Broom, Salvias, Lambs' 

Ears, and Aubrietia – these are used to a 

drier climate, and cope well with drought 

and generally lower rainfall. 

Apply mulch to borders after rain – this 

helps retain moisture. 

LAMBS' EARS 

AUBRIETA 

SPANISH BROOM 

HELIANTHEMUM 

T-B: Christopher Burrows*; Geoff Smith; Wieslaw Jarek; flowerphotos* all Alamy 

Arcaid Images/Alamy* 

6 Create the Perfect Bird Garden 2018

AUGUST 

Shrubs and trees come into their own as the 

summer draws on, and provide colour as 

autumn arrives. The likes of Lavatera, Hebe, 

Viburnum and Escallonia flower in summer 

and are ideal here. 

Start to let flowers (especially wild flowers), 

plus a few vegetables, run to seed to provide 

food for birds, and leave any windfall fruit for 

Blackbirds and thrushes to feed on. 

You may have been doing so all summer, 

but leave a patch of lawn unmowed, as 

this will both help insects, and 

provide some seed food. If you 

choose somewhere next to a wild 

flower patch, sow Yellow Rattle 

along the divide between the 

flowers and grass – this grass 

parasite prevents it from spreading. 

ESCALLONIA HEBE VIBURNUM LAVATERA 

Clockwise from left: blickwinkel; imageBROKER*; Martin Hughes-Jones*; Rex May*; Stephanie Jackson 

- Gardens and flowers collection. All Alamy 

Right: RM Floral*. Above: EDMUND SUMNER*. Both Alamy 

SEPTEMBER 

Autumn is when gardeners traditionally do 

much of their clearing up, but if you’ve got 

a wildlife garden, try 

to delay things a bit 

(we often get good 

weather late in October, 

so there’s still time). 

Leave seedheads, especially 

on plants such as teasels, 

thistles and sunflowers, for 

species such as Goldfinches. 

Allow vegetation to die back 

naturally, as this can help birds to 

find food and shelter throughout 

the winter. 

Weeds and their seeds can be vital 

in providing food for species such as 

House Sparrows and finches, and 

many also have attractive flowers for 

pollinators, so try to avoid too much 

weeding, but you can pull out any 

particularly harmful ones by hand. 

Now’s the time to plan your 

borders for next year, and by 

the end of the month you 

should be planting any 

herbaceous perennials and 

container-grown plants – there 

should be plenty of rain, and the soil is still 

warm, giving them a chance to establish 

themselves before winter. 

Neil Walker/Alamy 

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Help your 

GARDEN 

NESTING BIRDS 

What some of our 

most common 

garden nesters may 

be up to this month 

BLACKBIRD 

Our most common and familiar thrush is 

so well known it doesn't even have 

‘thrush’ in its name. Abundant and 

present on just about every lawn. Males 

are black with an orange-yellow bill and 

eye-ring. Females are dark brown and 

a bit spotty, betraying their thrush genes. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Males sing one of the most beautiful 

songs of all British birds, especially at 

dawn and dusk. Fluty and rich, with 

complex phrasing (lacking the repetition 

of the Song Thrush’s ditty). Females may 

be seen gathering moss and small twigs 

to make a nest. 

NEST TYPE 

Classic cup-like nest of twigs and moss 

concealed in a bush or hedge. May use 

open-fronted nestboxes or equally use the 

nestbox roof as a platform for a nest. 

How you can help 

Don’t trim bushes or hedges during the 

breeding season. Keep cats indoors or 

away from the lawn and with no access to 

possible nests. 


ROBIN 

Everyone knows the Robin, our 

‘almost official’ national bird. Males 

and females look the same. It is only 

during the breeding season that you 

will see two Robins tolerating each 

other’s presence in the garden. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Though both sexes sing in the winter, 

it is just the males that sing their 

delightful ‘liquid silver’ song during 

the spring (including at night time in 

some cases). The pair will become 

defensive of the territory, seeing off 

intruders. You may even see some 

feeding of the female by the male on 

completion of the nest. 

NEST TYPE 

They nest in concealed hollows in 

natural spaces or any cavity they can 

find (in an old boot or kettle!); though 

will take to open-fronted nest boxes. 


Don’t disturb nesting Robins. As with 

Blackbirds, try to prevent cats from 

attacking the youngsters. Keep providing 

bird food and water. 

Dave Watts/Alamy* 


HOUSE 

SPARROW 

The abundant, ubiquitous sparrow is not 

quite as abundant and ubiquitous as it 

once was. They are still very common 

birds, though, in many gardens. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Now, male House Sparrows are looking at 

their brightest, with a larger black ‘bib’ 

and cleaner white cheeks. Contrary to 

many people’s expectations male House 

Sparrows do have a sort of ‘song’; though 

this consists largely of repeated chirrups 

with the head and tail somewhat cocked. 

You may see them gather nest material 

such as straw to take to a nest cavity. 

NEST TYPE 

Concealed within a roof space or nest 

box. Will sometimes take to nest boxes 

with hole fronts. 


SWIFT 

One of our strangest and most exotic 

birds is also one of our most ‘domestic’, 

in that nearly all nest sites are in 

buildings. Unlike most of our garden 

breeders, the quality of the roof (or 

nestbox) is much more important than 

the available food in the garden (Swifts 

will forage a long way from the nest site). 

SPRING ANTICS 

The mad screaming of chasing Swifts is 

one of the great evocative sounds of a 

British summer. Pairs will flirt and mate 

on the wing; after all, Swifts do just 

about everything in their lives (apart 

from nesting) in the air! 

NEST TYPE 

Concealed within roof space (with 

enough space for the adults to come in 

and out), or will use suitable Swift nest 

boxes, which are deep cavities with an 

open sideways letterbox type of opening. 

Toby Houlton/Alamy* 

One reason mooted for House Sparrow 

declines is too efficient insulation and 

sealing of roof spaces. So, perhaps tolerate 

small gaps in the roof. Or, provide nest 

boxes, which are similar to Great Tit boxes. 


Put nestboxes under the eaves; if there are 

Swifts checking out your area. You could 

play Swift calls on a loop to attract birds; 

but you'll need tolerant neighbours! 

George Reszeter/Alamy* 


HOUSE MARTIN 

Like the House Sparrow and Swift, the 

House Martin’s nests are nearly always 

on human buildings. Unlike the former 

two species, though, they don’t require 

cavities in roof spaces, but just an 

overhanging eave or similar on which 

to build their dome-like mud nest. 

SPRING ANTICS 

House Martins nest in loose colonies, 

often near where there is plenty of easily 

accessible soft mud for nest-building. In 

spring, you can see them gathering 

gobbets of mud from the edge of muddy 

pools etc., to plaster onto the wall. It can 

take a week or two to make a nest. 

NEST TYPE 

Although they prefer sites near to 

accessible mud supplies, House Martins 

will also take to ready-made House 

Martin nestboxes, placed under eaves. 


COLLARED 

DOVE 

Gracing UK’s suburbs and rural 

communities since arriving naturally in 

the 1950s, the Collared Dove is now 

ubiquitous and common across the whole 

of the country. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Males produce the three-note cooing 

song, often for extended periods. Pairs 

may ‘bill and coo’ and bow to the other 

prior to mating. Twigs are gathered to 

build the nest. 

NEST TYPE 

Collared Dove nests are among the most 

flimsy and pathetic-looking structures, 

being rather loose associations of twigs. 

May be concealed within a tree (eg a 

leylandii), but often reasonably obvious! 

Mark Bretherton/Alamy* 

Put up nestboxes. Encourage your 

neighbours to welcome House Martins 

and under no circumstances put up those 

terrible spikes some people place under 

their eaves to stop House Martin ‘mess’! 


Try not to disturb nesting Collared Doves 

and certainly don’t trim their nesting trees, 

during the breeding season. Keep an eye 

on your local pair and work out where they 

are trying to nest; then leave them space. 

Keep feeding garden birds. 

Buiten-Beeld/Alamy 


GREAT TIT 

The ubiquitous Great Tit is one of our 

most familiar garden birds, as well as 

one of the easiest to attract to gardens 

to nest. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Males can be told from females in 

being slightly brighter in colour and 

with a black belly stripe which is wide 

and reaches down to the lower belly. 

The female's is narrower and it fizzles 

out on the belly. In spring, males 

produce a variety of repetitive 

‘two-note’ songs roughly transcribed 

as ‘teacher teacher’. 

NEST TYPE 

Great Tits nest in cavities in trees and 

readily take to nestboxes with a hole 

front (diameter of hole: 28mm). They 

will also nest in any concealed hole 

they can find and get into. 


STARLING 

The Starling is another bird which 

has undergone dramatic national 

population declines in the UK, but is 

still going strong in some areas. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Males (pale blue base to bill; female’s 

have a paler, pinker bill base) sing 

their incredible songs in spring. Full of 

clicks, mimicry and wizardry, the 

complex song sounds like more than 

one bird must be producing it. Often 

sung from a rooftop or aerial. Starlings 

gather ‘straw’ and other material to 

build the nest which is within a cavity. 

NEST TYPE 

Starlings nest ‘colonially’ in roof 

spaces and holes in trees etc., or in 

open fronted nestboxes, even taking 

over ones provided for Swifts! 

Genevieve Vallee/Alamy* 

Put up suitable nest boxes. As with other 

garden birds, Great Tits respond well to 

extra feeding, throughout the year, not 

just the winter. Don't feed them on foods 

such as stale bread, though. 


Put out suitable nest boxes. Keep feeding 

your garden birds. Traditionally, Starlings 

were regarded as 'bullies' of the bird table. 

But with hugely declining numbers, 

remember that even these garrulous 

garden birds need a bit of help. 

Mats Lindberg/Alamy * 


BLUE TIT 

Rivalling the Great Tit for the easiest 

bird to attract to a garden nestbox, the 

Blue Tit is a familiar character across 

most of the country. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Males can, with care, be distinguished 

from females by having a reduced blue 

cap, with more white on the forehead. 

They perform a lovely ‘parachuting’ 

display flight after a brief trill, seemingly 

flying in slow-mo and gliding on spread 

wings to impress his mate. The pair 

spend a lot of time adding moss, etc., to 

the nest, which is most frequently in a 

hole-fronted nestbox in gardens. 

NEST TYPE 

Most garden Blue Tits nest in nestboxes, 

with a 25mm diameter hole. They will, 

however, nest in any suitable cavity. 


GREENFINCH 

Sadly, partly due to the spread of 

a disease which has been linked to 

unclean feeding environments, 

Greenfinches, like many smaller birds 

in the UK, have undergone a big 

population crash. Once very common, 

now they are more localised. 

SPRING ANTICS 

One of the great treats of a sunny spring 

day in the suburbs is watching the 

‘butterfly’ display flight of the 

Greenfinch. Only the males do it, while 

singing their twittering songs. They also 

produce a wheezy, drawn-out nasal note, 

often from a high tree or roof. 

NEST TYPE 

Greenfinches make a cup-like nest 

of twigs and grass lined with fur 

within a dense bush or shrub. They 

nest ‘colonially’. 

Wildscotphotos/Alamy* 

Put up suitable nestboxes! Though 

they will find thousands of caterpillars by 

themselves (which they need to feed 

the youngsters), a bit of supplementary 

feeding for the adults is, as usual, 

recommended. 


Provide suitable nesting shrubs and, of 

course, don’t trim your bushes during the 

breeding season. And, as usual, keep 

putting out food for the birds (but keep 

the feeding area clean and disinfected). 

Richard Pittam/Alamy 


DUNNOCK 

The unobtrusive Dunnock is legendary 

for its breeding antics. Having spent most 

of the winter hopping around being 

ignored, their complex sex lives come to 

life in a big way in the spring. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Dunnocks employ as many strategies 

for pairings and beyond, as you could 

imagine. In spring they seem to spend 

an inordinate amount of time chasing 

each other and flicking their wings, 

not to mention males pecking at 

females' cloacas! The males make a 

pleasing warbling ditty, often from the 

top of a hedge. 

NEST TYPE 

Built by the female, the best is a cup 

made of twigs and moss, lined with hair, 

within a dense bush or hedge. 


WREN 

The UK’s commonest bird is abundant 

wherever there is suitable cover, though 

it is not always obvious (as it is tiny, 

quick and finds cover easily). If you 

know its voice, though, you will notice 

them everywhere, probably even in 

your garden. 

SPRING ANTICS 

Wrens produce an amazingly loud and 

powerful song for such a small 

creature! Males blast out their ultra-fast 

ditty made up of fast trills and warbles 

with increased frequency in spring. As 

they sing, you may see them wagging 

their tail slowly from side to side. 

NEST TYPE 

Males make a ball-like nest within a 

cavity in a shed or a hole in a wall or 

a tree. They will also take readily to 

nestboxes either of the open-fronted 

type or the hole-fronted tit-box style. 

FLPA/Alamy * 

Don’t cut back hedges during the 

breeding season. Dunnocks do much of 

their feeding on the lawn or at least at 

ground level, so make sure that cats are 

kept under control, especially during the 

breeding season. 


Put out nestboxes. Also don’t make your 

garden too tidy, as Wrens like nooks and 

crannies. Wrens will feed on food such as 

mealworms put out for them. 

FLPA/Alamy* 


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1 MAKE A BEE HOTEL 

Help our pollinators by 

putting up bee homes. 

Those for solitary bees, 

consisting of tubes and 

tunnels within boxes, 

work particularly well. But 

you don’t even have to 

buy one – cut the top off 

a plastic 2-litre pop bottle, 

then stuff it with 

corrugated cardboard, 

twigs, bamboo, etc. 

South-facing positions, 

hanging at chest height or 

above, are best. Bees 

usually colonise these 

homes in spring. 

Arterra Picture Library/Alamy 

CREATURE COMFORTS 

and how you can provide them 

To attract more birds to your garden, a holistic approach, encouraging all sorts of 

wildlife, pays dividends. During spring and summer, there are plenty of things you 

can do to improve your garden for all sorts of creatures 

Jerome Murray - CC/Alamy 

2 

HELP A 'HOG 

Hedgehogs need your help even during the warmer months. For a start, they have 

young to feed, and also need plenty of food themselves as they forage. Don’t put out 

bread or milk, as people often used to – good quality cat or dog food is far better, or raw 

minced meat mixed with raw egg. 

Paul Cumberland/Alamy 

3 

CREATE A WOODPILE 

These give shelter to small invertebrates 

such as centipedes and ground 

beetles, which then eat 

slugs and other garden 

pests at night. Even 

a small pile of 

twigs can pay 

off. Start 

building it 

early in the 

spring, and 

by the end of 

the summer 

you’ll also 

have a habitat 

in which insects 

can shelter during 

the winter. 


4 

ENCOURAGE INSECTS 

Hoverflies and ladybirds are good garden ‘pestcatchers’, 

and hoverflies do not sting even though they 

look similar to wasps. Marigolds can be planted to attract 

them. But wasps themselves can also play a part – they 

are good controllers of many garden 'pests', including 

flies and grubs, as well as being useful pollinators of flowers. 

5 

BUILD A BAT BOX 

By June, bats will be 

breeding. While eaves and fascias 

are used, you can help them and 

your house by putting up bat boxes 

(south-facing locations work best) 

as early as possible in the spring. 

Lorraine Yates/Alamy 

6 

TOLERATE A BIT OF MESS 

Mowing your lawn half as often, or leaving a 

patch completely unmown, helps insects, while weeds 

only need to be removed if they’re actually harming 

your other plants. 

Andrew Greaves/Alamy 

The Hawke Endurance ED 12-36x50 spotting scope 

is the perfect compact scope, offering excellent 

optical performance in a small and lightweight 

package – perfect if you're planning to do some 

birdwatching abroad, or if you're also carrying 

photographic gear. 

It boasts dielectric coatings designed to increase 

light reflectivity, fully multi-coated optics to produce 

sharp images, close focus down to 2.5m, BAK-4 porro 

prisms for intense colour and contrast, a dual focus 

knob to achieve ultra fine focusing, a stay-on soft 

scope cover for maximum protection, twist-up eye 

cup and pull out sunshade, and digi-scope 

compatibility for use with your camera. And it all 

weighs in at just 700g, and costs just £299.99. 

For further details on it and Hawke's other 

scopes, go to hawkeoptics.com 

hawkeoptics.com 

Yon Marsh/Alamy 

7 GIVE REPTILES 

A HIDEAWAY 

Corrugated iron or plastic laid 

flat on a sunny border can 

provide hiding places for 

reptiles. Don’t be tempted to 

disturb them, though. 

Oliver Smart/Alamy 

Tim Gainey/Alamy 

8 

LAST, BUT NOT LEAST, CREATE A POND! 

l Give at least one side 

of it a long, shallow slope, to 

allow easy access for wildlife, 

and on steep sides place 

wooden or stone ramps. A few 

large, flat stones on the sloping 

side will create a perfect 

habitat for amphibians/insects. 

l Shading over part of the 

pond helps reduce problems 

with algae, but too much shade 

is not good for wildlife, so keep 

an eye on overhanging 

vegetation. 

l Mid-spring through to 

early summer are the best 

times for planting your 

wildlife pond, as the water 

will have warmed a little 

and plants will have started 

growing. Early autumn, 

though, is the best time 

for maintenance, before 

amphibians go 

into hibernation. 

l Don’t be too hasty 

about topping up the pond 

during dry weather, but if 

you do, try to use rainwater 

from a butt. 

l Around 25-35% open 

water is perfect for a wildlife 

pond, so don’t clear too much 

vegetation or algae. Barley 

straw is the best way to keep the 

latter under control. 

l Let the plants at the side 

grow unhindered so that 

frogs, toads and newts have 

safe hiding places. 

Take extra care when working 

or mowing there. 

The National Trust Photolibrary/Alamy* 


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MC 52103 297x210 Cherry Bush Porthos.indd 1 21/03/2018 12:57 

FP_BIRDSPA4_BIRDWATCHIid3421619.pdf 21.03.2018 12:59

GET THE BEST FROM YOUR 

BIRD-FRIENDLY GARDEN 


Watching your garden birds? 

Make your records count! 

WHY MONITOR GARDEN BIRDS? 

By sending your garden bird records to the 

British Trust for Ornithology, you can make a 

difference to its understanding of how birds use 

our gardens, and how changes in our cities and 

countryside are affecting birds. 

The BTO Garden BirdWatch Survey has 

been running since 1995 and has charted the 

decline of House Sparrow, has linked garden 

feeding with the increase in wintering Blackcaps 

in the UK over the last 30 years, and has helped 

us understand how birds choose between natural 

foods and garden bird feeders. 

Monitoring and recording your garden wildlife 

also gives you an opportunity to watch more 

closely, and understand the changes and 

differences across seasons, as well as interesting 

behaviours which you may, of course, have 

previously overlooked. 

A MESSAGE FROM THE BTO... 

We are asking people to join our community of 

more than 11,000 Garden BirdWatchers, and 

send in simple weekly lists of the birds in your 

garden. We are interested in all garden types, 

from small to large, from urban to rural. By 

recording on a weekly basis we can see 

patterns of garden use and how it changes 

depending on the time of year. 

For example, we see a clear dip in Blackbird 

sightings in the late summer and early autumn. 

This is a time when they are most secretive, 

while going through moult, and there is also a 

lot of available food in the wider countryside. 

The time that you spend doing the survey is 

up to you, and it can fit into your schedule. You 

might wish to record all the species you see 

throughout the week, or you might wish to 

dedicate a set time every Saturday morning. 

Whatever time you can give is fine, but all we 

ask is that you are consistent from week to week. 

Many Garden BirdWatchers also want to record 

other wildlife and there is an option to record 

butterflies, dragonflies, bumblebees and 

mammals. You can send us your counts on paper 

forms, or on our simple online system. 

GET INVOLVED 

You can get involved by signing up online at 

bto.org/gbw or by contacting us via email 

(gbw@bto.org), or phone (01842 750050). 

The administration is supported by 

participants through a yearly subscription of 

£17, and for this you receive a free 'Garden Birds 

and other wildlife' book which provides a 

fantastic handbook for a garden birdwatcher, 

and quarterly magazines, updating you on the 

progress and results of the survey. 


Time for 

a coffee 

So, you've done the hard work, and now 

you want to sit back and enjoy watching 

your garden birds with a cup of coffee and 

a biscuit or two. Bird & Wild coffee means 

that you can enjoy your break while actually 

helping bird conservation. 

The company is on a mission to help 

protect migrating birds and support the 

RSPB, while giving you a great tasting 

Fairtrade Organic coffee. 

For every bag of Bird & Wild sold, you 

are helping the RSPB, the Smithsonian 

Migratory Bird Centre and the 

Fairtrade Foundation. Bird & Wild only 

roasts seasonal coffee certified as Bird 

Friendly and Shade-Grown by the 

Smithsonian Migratory Bird Centre and 

contributes to support their research and 

conservation programmes. 

Working in partnership with the RSPB, 

6% of sales is donated to the RSPB to help 

give nature a home, as well as being 

Certified Fairtrade and Organic. 

The coffees are naturally grown under 

the rainforest canopy, a haven for birds and 

other wildlife and ideal conditions for 

nurturing deliciously different beans with a 

taste of the wild. 

Under the shade of tropical highland 

rainforests, coffee is allowed to grow slowly 

in wild conditions to develop complex, 

distinctive and smooth flavours, on forest 

farms that provide a haven to threatened 

migratory birds, insects and other wildlife. 

For more details, visit birdandwild.co.uk 

Splash out on your garden 

We can't repeat too many times just how 

important water is in any wildlife-friendly 

garden. At the very least, birds need 

somewhere safe to drink fresh water, every bit 

as much as they need the seeds, suet and fat 

balls that you put out on your feeders, but 

somewhere to bathe, and best of all a pond 

that will increase your insect-life, are also great 

ways of helping the birds and other wildlife. 

Water Gardening Direct is a specialist in all 

types of water features for gardens of all sizes, 

offering a range of solar-powered birdbath 

Cat deterrents 

CATWatch, the Ultrasonic cat deterrent, is the 

only cat deterrent scientifically tested and 

approved by the RSPB. 

When the CATWatch unit is triggered, it 

emits ultrasonic bursts which cause the cat to 

retreat. The longer it is in place, the more 

effective it is, so if you want a humane way of 

keeping cats away from your birds, this is it. 

Inaudible to humans and harmless to all 

species, it operates day and night, and can cover 

an area of around 125 sq m using a single 9v 

battery, or a mains supply. There's a two year 

warranty and a 90-day money-back guarantee, 

and for every one sold, Concept Research will 

make a contribution to the RSPB. 

CATWatch can be moved and positioned at 

ground level in seconds or secured at the base of 

walls, fences and 

trees. For more 

details, visit 

conceptresearch. 

co.uk 

fountains, among other products. It also stocks 

a range of feeders and bird foods, too, so you 

can get everything you need to keep your 

garden birds happy. 

From Bird Watching's next issue, Water 

Gardening Direct will sponsor our new regular 

garden pages, so look out for ideas on how to 

add water features to your garden that will 

actively help increase its biodiversity and value 

for all sorts of wildlife. 

For further details on its products, visit the 

website at watergardeningdirect.com 


FP_BIRDSPA4_Birdwatchiid3398646.pdf 06.03.2018 11:47 

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NATURE ON YOUR DOORSTEP. 

VISION ACCOMPLISHED 

www.hawkeoptics.com/nature 

Born in the UK 

Available at all good camera and nature shops, for your nearest stockist visit the website.

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