So you can use different aspects, such as overgrown facades and high and low vegetation to create, what they call at the bird protection "layering. And in addition, you make our feathered friends very happy with a branch ledge or even a special bird forest.

Layering

Different types of planting in the garden (variety)in the form of trees and shrubs, and tall and low plants offer birds food and safety and a good nesting place (reproduction). So in terms of greenery, by choosing enough variety and both tall and low species, you are already providing a lot of the four Rs. Many birds feed on insects that can be found near the flowers in your garden during the flowering season, and later under fallen leaves or in messy corners. They also like to eat berries, fruits and seeds. Thorny and/or dense shrubs provide good refuge and nesting sites.

But you can also layer the garden in a different way; namely, in the form of garden construction. Then you think in terms of an overgrown fence, wall or facade, a pond or pile wall, for example. Sparrows like to scratch around on the ground in search of insects, and an empty, sandy patch, preferably in a sheltered spot, is used as a dust bath. A pond provides drinking water and attracts insects. An overgrown garden wall, for example with ivy and bramble, is an ideal nesting place for, among others, blackbirds and provides a source of food. A branch ledge is also appreciated by many bird species. Remember that the more variety you add to your garden, the more birds will feel at home!

Branchril

As a garden owner, you obviously need to prune regularly and then you have to decide what to do with the trimmings. A branch trellis is an ideal solution for this. You don't have to shred or dispose of the wood. It offers birds and other animals a hiding and feeding place. A branch ledge is a kind of rampart created by stacking the prunings between vertical posts driven into the ground. The branches and leaves left on them attract insects, fungi and fungi that slowly digest the wood. And so the rill forms a diverse, ever-moist habitat that provides a food source for a variety of bird species and is attractive to smaller birds, for example sparrows, robins and wrens, as they like to nest in it. The rill is also a good shelter for other animals. Think, for example, of amphibians or hedgehogs who find a good place to hibernate there.

Construction and maintenance

To make the embankment accessible, it is important that it has and maintains an open structure. You achieve this by starting with some large branches and trunks that form a good, solid base when building. Make sure the rampart is sufficiently large; so between 75 and 100 cm wide, 150 cm high and at least 3 meters long. Due to the digestion process and gravity, the rill will collapse over time and without maintenance will eventually decay. Therefore, the rill should be regularly raised with new prunings. But do this with caution so that you disturb as little as possible, especially during the breeding season.

Bird Grove

If you have enough space in the garden, you can create a special bird forest. Plant taller, slimmer tree species such as rowan, alder and birch and alternate with lower shrubs, such as hawthorn, hazel, blackthorn and guelder rose. Provide groundcovers or herbs on the ground. This way you create a very varied habitat that attracts a variety of bird species; robins, blackbirds, chiffchaff and various species of tits and finches will love to visit.

The bird grove requires very little maintenance because it is good to let nature do its own work as much as possible. However, if one of the fast-growing species starts to dominate, you have to intervene. Leave fallen leaves on the ground and, of course, put any prunings in your tree trunk!

More birds in your garden

If you take the above factors into account as far as structure is concerned when you start designing or redesigning your garden, it is not difficult at all to get the four Vs done and you will soon find that many more birds will come into your garden!