- Don't be too tidy. Let nature take over a little around the edges of your garden. Leave seed heads on flowers for instance.
- Encourage more native plants rather than imported foreign species.
- Create a pond. Even the tiniest one will attract birds.
- Put up several nest boxes. Birds like a choice. I have five in my small London garden and in any year only 2 will be used.
 
- Place several feeders and try to make one of them squirrel-proof (usually a cage within a cage). It might cost £20 ($30), but it will give the birds a chance.
- Don't just feed birds in winter - feed all year round, especially when it's very wet or very dry.
- Put out different types of food - seeds, peanuts and, if you can bear it, meatworm. They're dry maggoty things, but they're not good climbers and if you put them in a bowl, they won't climb out.
 
- Get a simple bird book with clear illustrations.
- Invest in a decent pair of binoculars. Don't just go to the chemist or a camera shop - buy a copy of any birdwatching magazine and get the number of a specialist optical shop. You'll be able to buy a good pair of binoculars for under £100 ($150) - which will be ideal for the job.
- Oh . . . and it really does help NOT to have a pet cat.
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