Tips for Bird-friendly gardening in your apartment

If you own a garden and would like to have some feathered friends to visit from time to time, you would have to make your backyard or garden inviting enough for them. Having a birdbath or two won’t keep the birds home, rather a bird-friendly landscape should be made that would fulfill a bird’s needs, like food, water, shelter and nesting sites.

Let’s look at some of the ways to get birds flocking into your garden.

Native Plants and Birds

It’s always helpful to learn what types of birds frequent your locality and what type of plants they are attracted to. Getting to know the native residents will help you understand their habitats and nesting habits.

Having exotic plants in your garden may make it look more beautiful, but the birds needn’t necessarily like them. Regional trees and local shrubs and bushes will be recognized by birds as food source and shelter.

Moreover, having the natives thrive in the garden is advantageous to you as they won’t need special care. Since they are already adapted to the local climate, they will require less water, fertilizer and maintainence.

Layered Vegetation

Have your garden planted with different layers of plants and trees to cater to different birds. Each species of the region would pick out specific areas of the same habitat; while some birds like high branches, others would like foraging on the ground for food while yet others would fly in and out of shrubbery. Some birds nest in the trees, while others look for bushes to nest, so consider the species frequenting your garden and their habits to provide the adequate vegetation for feeding, roosting and nesting.

When setting the garden, go for plants that grow to different heights and space them accordingly so you get a tiered effect. Tall trees, moderately sized shrubs and bushes, tall grasses and flowery plants can be planted accordingly so that the birds visiting your garden won’t feel too crowded.

Dense Plants

Adequate shelter will also provide the security that birds need from predators. Dense areas of vegetation will act as a hiding place for small birds, allowing them to nest and hide from cats, hawks and other predators. Moreover, dense vegetation could turn out to be a permanent roosting place for some birds, making your garden more of a home than a rest house.

A long narrow bed filled with rich plants can act as a better corridor of security than small, widely spaced beds. The best spots to create dense vegetation are the corners and borders of your garden.

Diversity

Like mentioned before, different birds like different vegetation, so having a wider range of flora will get you wider range of bird species. If you favour having certain species of birds home, then you can create the appropriate vegetative habitat that is unique to those bird species. Also, keep in mind the seasons when these plants would thrive and provide beneficial to the visiting birds.

Evergreen trees and shrubs are excellent for nesting through the whole year, while seasonal shrubs and bushes would act as a food source.

Keep it Thick

Reduce the open areas in your garden. Birds like thick vegetation as open spaces reflect less food, shelter and minimal security. Fallen leaves, twigs and grass are sources of nesting materials and food, so don’t keep trimming and manicuring your garden all the time.

But take care not to grow it into a jungle. You can trim and keep certain areas of your garden clean while allowing other areas to grow in a natural state.

Also use only natural and organic fertilisers so that the birds are not harmed by the chemicals, and it is also best for your plants. Minimise the use of pesticides as the bugs are a rich source of food for the birds.

Once your garden is thriving with vegetation, have the bird baths, feeding stations and birdhouses installed to attract the feather folks.

Things to keep in mind

• Ensure a bird-friendly garden or landscape to attract birds to your garden.
• Learn what types of birds frequent your locality and what type of plants they are attracted to.
• Every bird needs -food, water and shelter
• Birds look for shelter that provide scurity from predators. Dense Plants will act as a hiding place for small birds.
• Planting regional trees and local shrubs and bushes can attract birds to your garden.
• Have your garden planted with different layers of plants and trees to cater to different birds.
• Keep scavengers out of feeders. You can scatter food on the ground but beware it can become a messy.
• Where to place bird feeder- birds feed at different levels, so try various heights.