Few sounds are more pleasant to wake up to than birdsong. Seeing a host of chirpy, playful wild birds enjoying your carefully planted shrubs and filling your garden with life is bound to bring happiness year-round, but how do you convince wild birds that your garden is a great place for them to be?

We have a few tricks up our sleeves for turning your garden into a haven for all sorts of birds. Read on to discover how to attract birds to your garden, and let the birdsong begin!

What kinds of birds can you attract to your garden?
It mostly depends on where you live, but there are a few common garden birds found in most Irish gardens. Birds to look out for include:

       

- Blue Tits, Coal Tits and Great Tits

- Chaffinches
- Goldfinches
- Starlings
- Wrens
- Robins
- Blackbirds
- Song Thrushes
- Collared doves
- Wood pigeons
- Siskins
- Dunnocks
- Magpies

5 TOP TIPS ON HOW TO ATTRACT BIRDS TO YOUR GARDEN

When it comes to attracting birds to your garden, there are a few tips to follow to guarantee they visit you:

1. Install a bird feeder (or several)

Food is perhaps the number one thing that will bring birds to your garden all year round. Installing a bird feeder will provide constant food for your new avian friends to munch on, and keep them coming back time and time again for more.

Hang more than one feeder around the garden
This helps all the visiting garden birds get a chance to feed, as some tend to bully others away from the feeder. Plus, the more food you put out the more birds that are likely to visit your garden!

Keep the feeder clean
Just like everyone else, birds don’t like eating from a dirty container, so it’s important to regularly clean out and wash your feeders to keep birds coming back for more.

Use the right food and top it up often
Make sure you use bird food specifically made for wild birds in your feeders. You’ll want to make sure feeders are filled regularly, so check it every couple of days to see if it needs topping up.

 

BONUS TIP: RODENT-PROOF YOUR BIRD FEEDERS

You might find your bird feeder attracting rats or squirrels if you’re not careful. There are a few steps to take if you suspect rats or other rodents are entering your garden:

 

- Buy a feeder pole instead of hanging feeders on a tree branch
- Buy a rodent-proof feeder
- Make sure no feed is spilling out
- Keep the feeder as clean as possible
- Place the feeders away from areas where rodents can climb or jump from
- Place a baffle over the feeder: this is a dome-shaped piece of plastic that stops rodents getting to the feed, but birds can fit past

  

 

2. Place a bird bath in your garden
Of course, birds need water too. Although the name doesn’t give it away, most birds will use bird baths for cleaning, but also for drinking, so installing one in your garden is a great way to attract more of them.

Although any bath will help, the best bird baths for attracting birds are those with moving water; birds simply love the sound, and it tells them that your garden is a place they can bathe and hydrate themselves. If you’re looking for sounds to attract birds to your garden, this is the answer!

If you need something more temporary, you can invest in a hanging bird bath that you simply fill with water, and allow your garden birds to bathe and drink to their hearts’ content. We recommend changing the water daily so it’s as fresh and attractive as can be.

3. Add plants that attract birds
The right plants provide a natural habitat and food source for garden birds. Look for plants that produce seeds and berries. The more there is to eat on it, the more attractive a plant will be to wild birds. Apple trees, holly, skimmia shrubs and raspberry plants are all great choices. It’s best to look out for plants native to Ireland, as they’ll appeal the most to our native birds.

Choose plenty of bright colours
Birds simply love bright colours, so it’s a good idea to include plenty of plants that will flower in your garden. Gardenias, daffodils, clematis, hellebore, and lavender plants are all excellent choices.

Plants trees and shrubs for birds to nest in
Plants that attract birds to your garden can also convince them to stay long-term. Nesting birds will look out for climbing plants (like ivy), pyracanthas and bramble bushes to build their homes in, as well as lofty, dense trees.

You could also try installing a birdhouse in your garden; some nesting birds are glad to have such a safe, ready-made environment for rearing their young.

4. Create perches for them to enjoy
Finally, adding some perches and tables to your garden for birds to perch on will not only attract them, it could convince them to pause a moment and sing for you. Branches, bird tables, and stands with bird houses on them all make for excellent bird perches, and will quickly turn your garden into the place to be for all the local wild birds.

Now that you know our top tips and tricks for attracting birds to your garden, you can shop for everything you need with confidence; if you have any more questions on garden birds, our team is always happy to help!

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