Wildlife
Gardens

Wildlife Tips

Wildlife
Gardens

Bird Bath And Pebble Pools

Bird Bath

Birds need water all year round for drinking and bathing. You can help them out by providing a bird bath.

The best type is a simple stone or plastic bath with gently sloping sides and a shallow area where small birds can drink and bathe. Avoid some of the fancy models which have slippery surfaces or bright colours.

If you want a cheap and easy option , try adapting a seed tray or just use a dustbin lid inverted in the ground

Marshy Area And Pebble Pools

Creating a marshy area or wetland area is a great way of offering  patches of water which will be greatly used by the bird life visiting your garden to drink or bathe. Start out as if you are making a pond but fill the lined hole with earth and water. Its best to use rainwater that you have collected rather than tap water , which tends to be too rich in nutrients. plant some native species , there are lots to choose from , including purple loosestrife and marsh marigolds and you will attract a variety of insect life and mammals to this area as well as the birds. For a pebble pool , fill the space with pebbles and water rather than earth.

In hot weather the water might need to be replaced with collected rainwater as evaporation might be quite high if the pool is in a sunny location.