On song with the birds

10:39am Saturday 29th March 2008

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TERRY Millett touches my arm and points. "See! They're up there now," she says, indicating a tall sapling in the corner of her garden.

Three small black dots are perched among the topmost branches.

"There's a goldfinch there," Terry says, shading her eyes. "We're in their way. They want their nyjer seeds."

We are standing in Terry's small but perfectly formed garden on the edge of Strensall. Perfectly formed from the point of view of attracting birds, that is. There is a small pond for drinking water; a stone bird bath; a couple of leafy trellises; plenty of bushes and small trees for birds to perch in; bird feeders swinging from branches; and even a couple of nesting boxes fixed against the garden wall.

Birds do use these, Terry says. She has boxes with blue tit and great tit-sized holes, and both have been used in the past couple of years. The key is where you place them. "They have to be on north or east-facing walls," she says. "In spring or summer they get very hot on south-facing walls, and the little birds will cook."

I have come to visit Terry for advice on how to attract birds into the garden. The RSPB's latest survey has revealed that the number of birds seen in gardens has fallen by a fifth since 2004.

The blame is being laid at the feet of last year's wet breeding season - which, for British birds, is anywhere between early spring to September or October.

Blue tits were badly hit by the severe weather last year, the RSPB says. And overall, the number of birds seen in gardens during this year's survey was the lowest for five years.

Having birds in your garden can be a real joy, Terry says. They are a bit of wild nature right on your doorstep. Birdsong greets you first thing in the morning and you soon recognize favorites, such as the Robin with its distinct falling note, Terry says, giving a decent imitation.

Then there is the pleasure of watching birds go about their lives. Starlings are squabblers, she says. "They're always squabbling over their food. They can't help but fight."

Goldfinches can be argumentative, too - although in a less obvious way than noisy starlings. "They tend to fly up at each other, and tell each other to go away so they can get on to the feeders."

It is also fascinating to see the way birds in your garden deal with the threat of a cat, Terry says. "They will scold," she says. "They will call if a cat is around, you can hear them. They will give alarm calls, and they'll stay up in the trees until the cat has gone."

You don't need to be an expert, or to know the names of all the birds, to enjoy the colour and life they bring to your garden, Terry says.

So what can you do to encourage them to visit?

You don't need a big garden, but you do need to think about what the birds are likely to need. The basics are simple: food, water, somewhere for birds to hide and perch, and somewhere for them to nest.

How to attract feathered friends

Hedges, shrubs and bushes
THESE can be among the most important garden features for all wildlife, the RSPB says. They are homes to insects - which provide birds with food - and berries. A thick hedge or bush can also be an ideal nesting or roosting place, as well as providing cover from predators.

Many hedges are a single species only, but one made up of many different species is better for birds.

Feeding
BIRDS need to be fed all year round - although they need more food in winter, to help them survive the cold. In severe weather, put food out twice daily if possible, morning and early afternoon.

Different bird species have different feeding habits - so you will need to sprinkle food on the lawn (away from cover where cats could lurk) for ground feeders, and put some on bird tables and or in bird feeders.

A good food to start with is bird seed mixtures. Good quality mixes contain a range of foods that appeal to a number of species. Avoid cheaper mixes with too many larger peas, beans or lentils, because these can only be eaten by larger birds such as doves.

It is essential to clean feeders and tables regularly, especially in spring and summer, to avoid birds spreading infections.

Water
BIRDS need water just as much as they need food, for both drinking and washing. A pond is ideal, but a small bird bath is a good substitute. This can be as simple as an upside-down dustbin lid or large dish.

The bath should be cleaned regularly and the water changed. Location is most important.

Birds using the bath need to have clear lines of sight to check for predators. They will only use it if they feel safe. Try different parts of the garden to find the most popular site.

Cats
CATS do kill garden birds. There is no evidence, however, that cats in gardens have any real impact on bird populations.

Predation is a normal part of the natural world. Millions of birds die naturally every year through starvation, disease or predation - and there is some evidence that cats tend to take mainly weak or sick birds which might not survive long anyway.

Put food and water in areas away from shrubs and bushes, where birds have good visibility - and if there are cats around, raise food from the ground to tables.

The survey

THE number of birds seen in gardens has declined by a fifth since 2004, according to the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch.

The survey, held over the weekend of January 26 and 27, revealed the number of birds seen in our gardens was at the lowest level for five years.

Last year's wet breeding season appears to be partly to blame.

The survey results indicate that blue tits were particularly badly hit by the severe weather. In North Yorkshire, the average number of blue tits seen in gardens dropped from 2.93 per garden in 2007 to just 1.43 this year.

The birds, which normally have only one brood per year, experienced their worst ever breeding season last year, with just over half of young blue tits fledging. Heavy rain washing caterpillars off leaves and the later emergence of caterpillars are likely to have caused a food shortage.

Although still one of the commonest birds in UK gardens, fewer house sparrows were also reported from many areas of northern England, and the RSPB is concerned by the evidence of continued decline. Nationally, numbers have decreased by almost two thirds since 1979.

Matthew Capper, of the RSPB Northern England region, said: "The survey findings help us to understand more about the population trends of UK garden birds. We predicted that last year's terrible weather would be reflected by the Big Garden Birdwatch, and this seems to be the case, especially for blue tits."

The news was not all bad, however. While overall bird numbers were sharply down, the survey revealed that four colourful species of finches are visiting our gardens more often. Siskins, bramblings, redpolls and goldfinches were all more common.

In North Yorkshire, house sparrows were top of the garden bird league table, followed by starlings in second place and blackbirds in third position.

The official Top Ten for North Yorkshire is: house sparrow, starling, blackbird, blue tit, goldfinch, chaffinch, long-tailed tit, collared dove, great tit, Jackdaw.

• The full UK-wide Big Garden Birdwatch results are available on the RSPB website. Visit www.rspb.org.uk/birdwatch