A beginners diary of attracting wild birds to the garden

We are always keen to ensure we provide the highest quality products and test out all products we sell. Our garden designer and photographer Nick was eager to see what wild birds he could attract and photograph by putting out our wild bird food. He set up a feeding station in our nature garden and kept it readily supplied with our wild bird food selection. Below, he details his successes and failures.

I initially set up the feeder in a garden space surrounded by overgrown grass in July. The feeder was filled with our own-brand peanuts, suet balls, suet blocks, and mixed wild bird seed.  I modified our shed so that I had a great, discrete spot to shoot from and invested in a decent lens for the front of my camera (Canon RF 600mm F11 on a Canon EOS R6).

It took just a of weeks before the first birds were attracted, and quickly, I saw we were attracting juvenile Blue Tits, and a couple of Great Tits.  As a novice ‘twitcher’ I was delighted with the quick response to our food.  I had expected that it would take time for the food to be found and the feeding station to be trusted; however, I was proved wrong. The same birds came back day after day and it was thrilling to see them return in larger numbers and to feast on the food.

I started with no knowledge of wild birds and how to attract them so it was pleasing to get such an early response.

I was eager to try and attract a broader range of birds, and so I started adding different foods, including our mealworms and calci worms alongside sunflower hearts.  I also introduced one of our bird tables as I read that different birds prefer different feeding platforms.  It took a couple of weeks, but then I noticed that large quantities of worms and sunflower hearts were being consumed, but I failed to spot the culprit.  With a bit of patience, I finally spotted a large magpie helping himself to the treats.  I didn’t actually mind the magpie and enjoyed watching him feast.

A couple of weeks later, I spotted a Robin who enjoyed hopping onto the bird table I had put out and helped himself to the worms.  Different birds enjoy different food and feeding platforms, so if you want to attract a broad array of birds, it is worth trying different foods to see what works in your garden.

I have now added a bird bath to the setup to give the birds somewhere to bathe. I hope that it will help increase bird diversity.

Capturing wild birds with my camera has proven to be easier than I hoped and is very addictive.  I am fortunate to have a mirrorless camera with a long lens as well as a great hiding place.  Patience is key to getting great results as is having a decent dark background to make the birds stand out.  If you shoot with the sky as your background you will see that the birds come out very dark in the images.

I would love to hear about your efforts to attract wildlife into your garden.  Please send in any images you capture and we can share with other enthusiasts.