Attracting wildlife - is it even possible?

trailingspouse

After spending 4 years renovating the inside of our house, we are now starting on the outside. Ultimately I would like to attract wildlife, or at least birds, to the garden - but I'm wondering if we're on a hiding to nothing?

So - we only have a front and side garden, nothing at the back. When we moved in it was basically just a lawn area surrounded by a very high, very wide hedge along the whole of the perimeter (30 metres), and a dilapidated wooden decking area at the side of the house. Nothing grew under the hedge (not even weeds!!). So far we've removed the hedge and replaced it with railings, and we've replaced the wooden decking with a paved area. We're on a busy main road, just outside the centre of a small town.

I've planted clematis and honeysuckle which will eventually climb through the railings and give us a bit of privacy, and a selection of perennials (Vinca Minor, dianthus, allysum) - there is space for more.

I have had bird feeders out since we moved in, stocked with nuts, sunflower hearts, and fat blocks. We get no birds.

I hoped once the hedge had gone, and they had a better line of sight to the feeders, we would get more - but nothing!! Well, not quite true - we had a female blackbird who learnt she could swing on the sunflower hearts and then pick them up off the ground (but she was only around for about a month), and there's a woodpigeon that rocks up if I put bread out. But that's it!!

I clear the feeders when they go mouldy. But even when the seeds etc are fresh, there are no takers.

Could it be because of the main road? Are we just too urban? Should we blame next door's cat? Should I just be patient until the new planting is more mature?

Or should I just give up and spend my seed money on something else?

thriftylass

Hello,

I don't think it's the cat anyway. We live in a greener area but also have loads of cats and birds. Are there any trees nearly or anything natural the birds could nesting in or sitting on. If they can't live nearby I guess they won't come to feed I guess. Also is there anywhere they could retreat to in short distance from the feeder in case a cat does scare them.

Check out those tips from the RSPB http://www.rspb.org.uk/community/wildlife/b/notesonnature/archive/2015/11/26/how-to-attract-birds-to-your-garden-ten-top-tips.aspx

margaretclare

Check out what David Lindo - the Urban Birder - writes. http://www.davidlindo.com/

andrewf75

Seems unusual to me. You should be able to attract birds anywhere. I would keep trying, just put less seeds out until they are actually coming for it.

Farway

I suspect your first error was removing the hedge. It was an ideal nesting home, plus plenty of spiders & creepy crawlies in it

Does your garden or nearby area have somewhere, like tree or bushes, that birds can sit or hide while they sus out the area?

Try either building a shallow pond, or buying a bird bath they can splash in or drink from. Water attracts most wild life, but make sure it is not where cats can hide waiting for lunch

HonourlessWeasel

I'm with those who said removing the hedge probably didn't help. Lots of small birds love hedges, birds like Dunnocks, Robins and Wrens will nest in them. I even once had a pair of Robins nest on the ground sheltered by a big hedge-like bush. And, if you don't have any trees nearby, then there's nothing for them to perch on and watch your feeders from a distance to make sure everything's okay before approaching.

I used to live in a top-floor flat in London, but it was sheltered by trees that were taller than the building, so the bird feeder we had outside out bedroom window had regular visitors. Now I live in a terraced house with a massive line of trees at the back and we're swamped with Starlings, Sparrows and Tits among others.

Birds do like cover so that they can be safe and have somewhere to retreat to in the event of emergency. My parents have a completely concrete urban garden, no trees or hedges and they have no birds.

Do you have a bird house/table type thing? Could you put something with lots of foliage back? Birds need somewhere dark, leafy and full of branches to hide in, especially the smaller birds. Without that you're probably on a hiding to nothing

trailingspouse

Hmm - lots of thoughts

Re the hedge - it was leylandii, it sucked all the goodness and sunlight out of the garden, nothing grew under it (meaning the garden was literally just lawn and hedge, no flowers, no weeds). It also started damaging the wall, so it had to go.

We have huge trees across the road from us, and next door have a large lilac, so that should be OK.

We're not far (100 yards) from a canal which is a bit of a wildlife haven - I do wonder if all the birds just prefer being over there!!

I'm planting lots of flowers which hopefully over time will encourage insects, which in turn should encourage the birds, and I'm going to make some bug-hotel type additions to give them a further boost.

This is the first time I've lived so close to a town centre, and I miss seeing birds in the garden!!

tiz

Don't worry, they'll turn up eventually. You might find you get more in winter. At the moment there is a lot of natural food around (insects/seeds) so they rely less on feeders. When late autumn/winter arrives then your feeders will be more popular as they are a reliable source of food.

Once your garden matures, you'll get more insects and then more birds to eat them too. Wildlife tends to move in gradually so don't be disheartened if you don't get much this summer.

Adding water is a good idea - doesn't have to be anything fancy just a washing up bowl buried with pebbles in to make sure hedgehogs etc. can easily climb out.

A few small trees might be good for them to gather in. Check carefully sizes and shapes and pick something that suits the garden. For example a small cherry flowers early so can be helpful for insects.

Cotoneaster is more bush than tree but very popular with bees and then blackbirds when the berries develop in winter. You can prune it quite flat too so it would be ok in front of railings.

Silvertabby

Further to tiz, try a holly or two. They don't mind being cut back hard, and so won't get out of hand. The birds love ours - they seem to know that their nests are safe because of the prickly leaves.

malebolge

I've been growing blueberries for years and the birds always seem to eat 3/4 of them. Same with cherries. Perhaps decide to grow fruit and birds will be a natural consequence... Have you looked at repositioning your bird feeders? I know small birds in particular like somewhere near that they can fly to safety easily. I wouldn't give up - when my daughter's garden was new, she had virtually no birds but now, only a few years on, lots happily come & feed.

margaretclare

I hate Leylandii!!! Anyone who gets rid of them is my friend for life.

According to David Lindo, the decrease in the numbers of house sparrows has been down to many people replacing privet hedges with fences. Fences don't require cutting. It was the privet, not the leylandii, that the sparrows liked. It's possible to plant other kinds of hedging - privet can be very decorative, or consult a local garden centre about suitable hedging. Holly is nice - the possibilities are endless. I have myrtle and it's full of small birds.