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Watching wildlife in your garden

If you are new to wildlife watching, your garden may not be the first place you would think of starting off. It’s certainly true that you are unlikely to step out of your back door and spot some of the really big spectacles – a sky filled with wild geese, or a wild flower meadow in full bloom. But that doesn’t mean there’s nothing of interest – the secret to starting out at home is to delight in the detail.

Over time, what you are likely to see is a great deal more than you might at first realise. When was the last time you stopped and waited in your garden for more than a few minutes? Go on, have a try! Sit down in a quiet corner and look around you. At first you may think there’s nothing going on, but after a while the birds will get used to your presence and begin to return. A robin may hop across your lawn, blue tits visit the bird feeder, or a squirrel may appear on the fence.

Once you’ve begun really looking, start to tune your ears in too. What sounds can you hear? Traffic, a dog barking or an aircraft passing overhead? But as you filter these out you’ll hear birdsong, the buzzing of insects, or the rustle of a small mammal as it runs through the long grass.

Take a closer look: in spring or summer there may be butterflies or dragonflies; while even in autumn and winter there’s a lot more than you think, although you may need to do some searching under rocks, or lift a few logs to find it. Beetles, woodlice and larger creatures, such as newts and slow-worms, seek refuge in gardens during the colder months; while if you take a look inside the garden shed, you may even find a hibernating butterfly, wings tight shut against the cold.

Whatever the season, if you take just half an hour in your garden to look and listen, you’ll be amazed at what you discover. Think of it as a sort of Highway Code for wildlife watching – look, listen, then enjoy!

Bill's top tip

_ Keep a pair of binoculars easily to hand near your back window – you never know when you will need them in a hurry.

It’s also worth remembering that our gardens are arguably Britain’s biggest nature reserve. Together they provide over a million acres of land – an area the size of Suffolk – which can be home to some of our best wildlife. Also, you have a great opportunity to get to know your garden wildlife, and understand why it behaves in a certain way. After all, you probably spend more time at home than anywhere else.

But not all gardens are wildlife friendly. What you do in your garden makes a real difference to what you and your family will be able to watch and enjoy. And to be controversial for just a moment, all those makeover shows have not done us, or our wildlife, any favours. Wildlife likes your garden to be a bit rough round the edges, not all perfectly tidy. So if you’ve gone in for lots of slabs or decking, think about whether you have left enough places for wildlife to come and visit.

One good thing to come out of all those TV gardening shows, though, is the rise of the water feature. Now that is a good thing. Garden ponds are a great way to attract the likes of frogs, toads, newts and the occasional passing heron.

Attracting birds to your garden

You don’t have to transform your garden completely over to the wildlife, but with a few minor adjustments and additions you can turn a bleak desert into a real oasis.

There are plenty of manufacturers vying for your wallet with a huge range of bird feeders, bird-feeding ‘stations’ and numerous types of food available. Start simply and see how you go – one feeder might be quite enough for a small garden or balcony.

Think about where you will hang a birdfeeder or put a bird table. Do you need a stand? Can you hang it from a tree or bush? And, most importantly, work out the best site for them and then supply a variety of foods, ideally at different levels to attract a good range of species.

Bill's top tips

Here are five excellent ways to attract wildlife to your garden:

_ Put up a bird feeder.

_ Put up a nestbox.

_ Get a bird bath, and keep it filled with clean, fresh water.

_ Plant plenty of native flowers and bushes, which will attract insects and provide seed.

_ Keep a corner that’s a bit scruffy, with rocks and logs where small creatures can hide.

The same applies to putting up a nestbox, but don’t expect instant results. The best time to put one up is before Christmas, and you’re unlikely to see any interest until early spring at least. But by doing so you are providing an opportunity for a pair of birds to bring young into the world – a chance they may have lost without your help.

Another essential is a bird bath as, just like us, birds need water for washing and drinking. Make sure you keep it regularly topped up with clean, fresh water.

Providing food, water and homes for garden birds is, not surprisingly, a growth industry. The cheapest and easiest way to buy products is in bulk through mail order. Check out the various catalogues as many provide useful advice on different products – with top-quality, high-energy foods such as sunflower hearts providing the best all-round meal for birds throughout the year.

Other garden wildlife

Birds may well be the easiest kind of wildlife to watch, but let’s not ignore the other creatures that can come into our gardens. For children, these can be even more of a delight. The truth is that you will be lucky to see a fox or a badger in your garden, even if you are a bit of an insomniac. There are parts of Britain, though, where foxes are very common, especially in urban and suburban areas. Badgers really do only come out at night, or occasionally at dusk, and you’ll need to be close to proper woodland to stand a chance of seeing one of these visitors.

Bill's top tips

_ Butterflies and other insects love wild flowers – especially native varieties.

_ Butterflies love buddleia, too, also known as the ‘butterfly bush’.

_ Birds love berries, such as holly, ivy and mistletoe.

_ Climbers such as honeysuckle and clematis are ideal places for birds to roost and nest.

Squirrels – well, they are not everyone’s favourite. But surely everyone is entertained by the sight of a squirrel defying all claims that bird feeders are squirrel-proof. Their ingenuity is extraordinary. We have to accept that if we put up bird feeders, with them will come squirrels.

Many of us remember Beatrix Potter’s Mrs Tiggywinkle, and hedgehogs live on as a favourite. But if you do have a visiting hedgehog, put out dog or cat food, as bread soaked in milk will be too filling for it to cope with.

Smaller creatures such as bees, beetles and bugs are often forgotten by us adults – rather unfairly perhaps. Bumblebees are in decline and butterflies, too, need a bit more encouragement, which you can do by planting flowers that attract the bees to collect pollen and feed on nectar.

Water creatures are also fascinating; not only larger ones such as frogs, toads and newts, but also pond insects such as water boatmen and dragonfly larvae. By creating a pond, you will attract all kinds of wild creatures to even the smallest garden, especially if you vary the depth and put in lots of suitable aquatic plants, which will attract other wildlife.

Remember that wildlife ponds are better without ornamental fish as they tend to crowd out any native water creatures. And if you have children under ten, then it can be guaranteed that looking at frogspawn and watching tadpoles will provide hours of fun and an opportunity to learn from nature.

One final thought – make the most of your garden. By taking a bit of effort and providing food, water, shelter and perhaps a garden pond, you’ll make a big difference. It’s the easiest place to enjoy wildlife and, if you’re good to your local wildlife, it will repay you with hours of entertainment.