By Gail Kavanagh
If you love to wake to the sound of the "dawn chorus" in the morning, or sit on your patio watching the antics of visiting and resident birds, you need to cultivate the kind of backyard birds love.Just take a good long hard look - would you live there, if you were a bird? Are there places to hide, places to build nests, places where they feel safe raising young? Food will attract birds long enough to peck at it, but just like you, the bird population looks for more than a handy store when choosing a place to live.
If your garden is very bare of trees and bushes, and you want to attract birds, you need to start planning the kind of environment they are looking for. It can be fun to plan a bird garden. Draw up a plan of your garden and look at it as if you were planning a bird city. Which would be the best area for a small thicket of trees? It is better to choose a number of small trees rather than one or two large trees, not just for the birds, but your garden comfort as well. A number of smaller trees, especially if they are fruit trees, will give you shade and shelter as well without the fear of growing too large for your garden.
Among the fruit trees, lemon, orange, crab apple and cherry are good choices. Bird love them, and so will you, when the branches are covered first with sweet blossom and then with fruit. Of course, if your plan is to attract birds into your garden, you are going to have to share the fruit! Birds love figs, and even in a small garden you can plant a dwarf like the Ficus Petite Negra Dwarf, which gives sweet black fruit.
If you want to encourage birds to nest in your garden and raise their young, think compact, dense trees that will not take up too much room, but which will provide a feeling of safety and security for the nest builders. Evergreens, which provide privacy for your backyard and shelter for the birds all year round, are the most popular for nesting. Plant compact evergreens such as the bristlecone Pine, which can survive almost anywhere, or the Arborvitae Pyramidalis and Techny, the latter being a fast grower.
Flowers, with their sweet nectar, attract lovely birds like humming birds, so be sure to plan some lush flower beds. Cottage garden type flowers, such as asters, poppies, marigolds and sunflowers (birds love sunflower seeds) will bring them flocking. Where you can, add flowering vines like wisteria and honeysuckle, especially around the outdoor entertaining areas, if you want birds to make up the guest lists.
Water is very important in a bird friendly garden, so plan a water feature in which they can bathe as well as drink. The feature should include some running water and a shallow area for splashing. If you have the room, a larger pond surrounded by shrubs will have the added benefit of attracting water birds.
Bird feeders are a good idea, as they will bring the birds to your garden while you are waiting for your "bird city" to mature. Seeds are not the best thing to put in a bird feeder or on a bird table, as they will also attract less pleasant visitors like rats and mice when they scatter over the area.
Instead, make up this recipe - birds love it, and it's not as messy: Mix some suet (available from suppliers of wild bird food) with sunflower seeds and some peanut butter to hold it all together. Form into balls or cakes (you can flour your hands to make this easier) and place in the fridge until they are firm and solid. You can keep them in the freezer if you make a large quantity.
Don't forget, while you are planning your bird garden, to map out little spots where you can sit and enjoy watching your new neighbors!
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