Most people have access to an area near their home where wildlife can flourish.  It might be a large mature garden, it might be a balcony.  Some people might be expert gardeners, some might just like to potter.  Whatever your circumstances, there is always something you can do to for wildlife.

Here comes the winter!

Birds and other wildlife will be on the look out for places to shelter and feed.  And where do they look but our gardens!

Why?

Gardens are very varied, contain a range of habitats and features.  This means there is a range of places to find different food.  In addition, many of us put out food for birds and nest boxes from them to nest in the spring.  Most birds have exploited the garden habitat as other habitats have become less attracted or simply because there is less of it – like woodland.  Most birds we call ‘garden birds’ are in fact woodland birds.

Some facts and figures

We know from surveys like RSPB’s Big Garden Birdwatch, just how important our gardens are for birds.  Did you know, three of our best known birds have been in serious decline?
• House sparrow, starling and song thrush are all birds we know well but they are now much rarer than they were 30 years ago when Big Garden Birdwatch started.
• Around three quarters of starlings and over half of all house sparrows have disappeared!  Although you may still see large flocks in many places across the UK, these are a shadow of their former numbers – that flock of 25 starlings would have been nearer 100 in the late 1970s.

These birds and many others need our help and there is so much you can do.

By putting out various types of food in feeders and bird tables, providing water and putting up nest boxes, we’ve made our gardens great for a range of wild birds.

Although some birds need our help, some are faring better but coming into our gardens more and more.  Long-tailed tits and goldfinches are two species which have found our gardens more to their liking in recent years.  So of this is to do with the variety of food you can now buy – goldfinches for instance, love nyjer seed and you can buy this alongside fat balls, sunflower seeds and even meal worms!

The more variety you create – different shrubs, different foods, water and cover, the more variety of birds and other wildlife will come to you.  And let’s not forget, the view you get from the comfort of your own home, is likely to be close.  A great show for all the family!

Get involved

• Take part in Feed The Birds Day 2009.  We have lots of examples of ‘slow’ food and ‘fast food’ in this site that will help the birds and other wildlife.

• We will be running over100 fun-packed events suitable for family during the weekend of 24-25th October.
• As part of Feed The Birds Day we are urging people to take part in our Homes for Wildlife project. Homes for Wildlife provides a wealth of information about how you can make your garden a wildlife haven – and it’s free www.rspb.org.uk/hfw