Give birds a helping hand by putting food and water out for them in your garden. Whether you have a big or small garden or not one at all there are ways to attract birds to your outdoor space.
Feed your feathered friends
The best way to attract birds to your garden is to put food out for them. Winter is the best time to leave food out as natural food sources are harder to find. You can put food in bird feeders, tables or even a feeding tray on your windowsill. It’s very important that any feeders you have are kept clean to prevent build-up of bacteria or fungal spores as these can be very harmful, spreading infection among birds.
Feed for different birds
Birds have different feeding habits and food preferences, for example, blue and great tits prefer to eat out of a feeder whereas black birds will tend to eat off the ground, we have included a chart below to show what feeds attract which type of bird. 
The perfect place
When deciding where to put your feeder(s) we would suggest you consider 3 things:
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- How quiet is the area? – Birds can be spooked easily so ideally, you want to put your feeder in a spot that doesn’t get disturbed.
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- How safe is the area? – Try and choose somewhere where the birds and easily dart back and forth. If there is any danger of pouncing cats lurking around, consider not putting the feeder close to a bush.
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- Is the area sheltered enough from harsh winds?
Oh, and don’t forget to make sure you can see it from indoors so you can enjoy watching birds come and go.
Quench their thirst
Be sure to put out water for the birds, you can use a bird bath or even a plant pot tray. Make sure you keep these clean and put out fresh water every day. During the winter to stop the water freezing over you can add a small ball in the water such as a tennis ball.
