The 10th May marks one of our oldest environmental movements: Hungary’s Birds and Trees Day. To celebrate the movement, whose aim is to call the attention to the importance environmental protection and safeguarding our closes neighbours (trees and birds), we sought advice from an expert in the field. He also shared some tips on how to shape our garden to make it more bird-friendly.
According to Dr. Csaba Tölgyesi, researcher at the University of Szeged, there are three main criteria that can create a bird-friendly environment in our backyard: food, water and a place for hiding and nesting.
In winter, the most important thing we can do is to feed the birds – we can use seeds, fat balls, or suet feeders. However, we better stop this by the springtime, as the nestlings need insects and worms. That is why we should avoid spraying during breeding season – or at least use substances of organic gardening instead of chemicals.
We can also encourage birds to choose our garden as their home by enhancing the diversity of our plants and flowers. Impeccable lawns might be beautiful, but is not good for birds who prefer gardens with various kinds of bushes, trees and flowers as these attract more insects.
Installing nestboxes can also boost the birds’ mood to take a liking to our garden. There are four different sizes – based on the size of the birds they are meant for. If we are aiming at bigger species, we should leave holes on the attic door uncovered to attract owls.
However, the fastest way to attract birds is to make some drinking water accessible to them. Even a small pot with a diameter of 40-50 cm is fine – just make sure it is not too deep (no deeper than 5-7 cm) to prevent smaller species from falling in. Installing a twig can be helpful, too. We should change the water on a daily basis.
With only a handful of small, almost effortless actions, we can attract these flying gems into our garden making it more diverse and peaceful. Let’s give it a try!
Dr. Csaba Tölgyesi is an adjunct professor at the Department of Ecology at the University of Szeged. He is also the Lead Scientist of the MTA SZTE “Lendület” Research Group of Applied Ecology.