[mandycharlie]

I love birds me..

thats why I have a few chooks in my back garden, but because of that, hubby (and probably quite rightly) doesn't let me entice birds into the back garden anymore.

So, I was a wondering..

If I enticed the smaller birds into my allotment, with a small bird bath, nesting box on the side of the shed (when its built) and possibly for the blue tits a few bags of peanuts hanging from a make shift bird table.  

Would I be setting myself up for trouble with regard to my veg, or would it be okay.

[richyrich7]

Go for it, but don't feed tit's nuts ( can't wait to see the reply for that comment   ) this time of year as the babies can choke on em.
Birds are an important part of the ecosystem many are predators of caterpillars aphids etc. Not only that their song is lovely  

[WG.]

We have dunnock, robin, blue tit, coal tit, great tit, long-tailed tit, siskin, goldcrest, wren, blackbird, thrush, greenfinch, goldfinch, woodpecker, spotted flycatcher, grey wagtail, treecreeper, warblers - all seed eaters or insect eaters.  We feed nuts and seeds year-round to encourage them.

The only problems come from pheasant, partridge and wood pigeon.

[mandycharlie]

but don't feed tit's nuts ( can't wait to see the reply for that comment   )

Did you not notice how carefully I phrased my question,,, LOL.. it had taken me three attempts...  Trust a bloke      

[mandycharlie]

Whisky Golf,,... alll on your plot.. ?

[muntjac]

absolutly go for it and i have chooks n the birds agonna come in anyway n i cannot be bothered to worry about   it my feeders are full of seed for the tits  etc. pheasants can do no real harm if you put flappers up as can pigeons and air rifle sorts them out  

[frazzy]

yes i totaly agree but watch you dont encourage pidgeons or ya greens will disappear

[Annie]

Towards the end of last summer I found lots of broken snail shells near some stones inthe herb bed.I`ll be putting a few more stones around the plot for the thrushes this year.I even let some thistles flower as goldfinches love them(I may regret that this year but it was abeautiful sight at the times).I do put CDs up at the beginning of the season to detere birds from pulling out the shallots but I think they ignore them.

[WG.]

Whisky Golf,,... alll on your plot.. ?

It is a large garden with lots of varied habitats - beech hedge, pond, lawn, mature tree.   We are also in a sheltered glen between higher hills and so the bird life is concentrated.  There is a stream runs a few yards away.

The hills have grouse, buzzard, kestrel, lapwing, curlew, oyster catcher, pheasant, partridge, peregrine falcon, kittiwake, duck, heron, dipper (a personal fav of mine).  There was even an osprey nested less than a mile away last year.  It is bird heaven.

[frazzy]

plant a few sunflowers as well . i love to watch the finches and tits eating the seeds

[mandycharlie]

thank you all,

I shall continue to work on my plans. I was thinking of sunflowers for seeds as well, so I'll carry on with that idea.  

Just got to convince hubby I'm not a batty old fruit cake..

[clive f]

WG your garden is a bird is a bird watche's paradise

[king cauli]

WG your garden is a bird is a bird watche's paradise

nice quote,is a bird is a bird is a bird is a bird

[shaun]

make a few bird boxes there is a pic on here somewhere that i posted i while back,you will have to be quick though as now is the time of year when the birds are looking for them

Make sure that the entrance hole is at least 12.5 cm from the floor of the box to keep the young chicks safe from predators. A hole diameter of 25 mm will allow blue tits, coal tits and marsh tits to enter the box. Use 28 mm for great tits and 32 mm for house sparrows, tree sparrows and nuthatches.

[WG.]

I should have mentioned.  I don't grow soft fruit.