If you’ve enjoyed watching your feathered friends this spring, then share the joy by creating spring watch for birds. Anyone that loves a garden and nature will love seeing the birds frolic and feed in the garden. A bird feeder at feeding time can be more entertaining than some soap operas, as the birds jostle for the prime spot to feed and perform mid air acrobatics in front of your eyes.
Perfect present
- Are you stuck for gift ideas at any time of year? Then a bird feeder and a pack of bird food is an excellent present for friends and family. Bird-watching is a perfect hobby and a great way to get everyone outside and engage with nature. Signs of spring life helps to lift the spirits and bring joy to the hearts of so many people.
- Giving bird food, a bird feeder or a garden nest box as a gift really helps to support our garden birds. Spring is a busy time for our feathered friends and they need all the help they can get.
- Most children love animals and enjoy learning about birds. It’s a great way to spread the love of nature and to educate the kids too. A bird feeder is an inspired present for children of all ages and might just nurture a spark of interest that will change their lives. Plus it may encourage them to walk away from their devices and phones and give them a reason to go outside.
Freshen-up the garden
- Make your garden a haven for the birds and they will repay you, not just with their lovable behaviour, but also by clearing the garden of caterpillars and aphids when these pests start to multiply. A flock of blue tits will quickly clear an aphid infestation on the roses.
- Freshen up the garden this spring with some new bird furniture. A decorative birdbath would make a fabulous Father’s Day present and an attractive focal point in the garden too. Imagine his face when the birds arrive for their daily dip.
Feed the birds
- Add a new bird feeder (one is never enough) and try one that will offer peanuts or energy balls as well as just seed. Different foods attract different birds and it will amaze you to see the new species in the garden.
- Place a low feeder out in the open to feed the ground feeding birds. Add ripen fruit and bird food mixes for robins, blackbirds and thrushes.
- With nesting season underway any new nest boxes installed now probably won’t support a brood of chicks this season, but never mind, put one up now and the birds will get used to it and will hopefully check it out and use as a potential nest site for future. Some birds will also use empty nest boxes to roost at night.
- Try some new bird food. Different birds prefer different ingredients; some bird foods are specially tailored to attract specific species, whereas others are designed to be suitable for a wide range. Put something new out and see what happens, you might be surprised.
- Keep feeding the birds, if you are planning a holiday ask someone else to top up your feeders. Once the birds know about your food source they will keep coming back for more and if the feeders are empty that’s wasted precious energy.
- Keep an eye out for fledglings. If you’ve got a bird’s nest in your garden remember to look don’t touch. Enjoy watching the parent birds foraging for food and returning to the nest and in time you will be rewarded by the sight of baby birds learning to fly and leaving the nest. It’s another great lesson for the kids and a proud moment for you too, knowing that you have done something good to help these birds raise their chicks and survive.
