Why Bird Garden?
Pleasure begins, perhaps, with the simple appreciation of color and all the marvelous ways in which plumage details vary. Some birds are immediately striking, like a kingfisher or any of the woodpeckers, while others are more subtly attractive, like warblers and finches, or even (when you bother to look at them more closely) the more commonplace starlings and house sparrows. Then you begin to notice that birds move in many different ways: some hop, some run, others waddle. Some climb adroitly or, like tits, are accomplished acrobats. Some are very tame, even confident, while others are wary or unobtrusive. Once you have started to notice these things, you are already a birdwatcher. The next step is to learn which bird is which and to find out more about their lifestyles.
Learning your birds is a slow process of building up knowledge through experience, and a garden is one of the best possible places to start.
Note first the size - as big as a sparrow, smaller than starling, and so on; then the general shape—slender like wagtail, perhaps, or plump like a robin. Does the bird have a stout, seed-eater’s bill, like a sparrow, or a fine, insect-eater’s bill, like a warbler? How does it move? Does it run briskly and confidently, like a starling; hop in short spurts like a robin, or creep about rather furtively like adunnock? Once you have gained a general idea of the sort of bird you are looking at, you can then move on to note the more obvious plumage features and the main areas ofcolour. Begin by looking at the whole upperparts. Headland under parts: note particularly head and wing patterns, rump colors, whether or not the outer feathers in the tail are white—and so on. Once you have thoroughly mastered the most common visitors to the garden (and realized that even they might be tricky because of sexual differences, or seasonal plumages), finding that unusual or unexpected newcomer will be that much easier. You will also be much better equipped to start looking at birds away from the garden if as often happens, bird gardening leads on to a wider interest in birds.
There is no doubt that feeding birds, providing them with water and, perhaps, nest-sites enhances your general enjoyment, especially since these often allow you to watch them at close quarters. But is there any substance in the feeling that you are also being useful to them?
Most bird gardeners can do little to offset the loss of some habitats which affects so many of the more specialized species, such as those of wetlands andheathlands. However, a positive contribution can beamed towards the welfare of many woodland and woodland edge birds—birds of habitats which are fast disappearing in many areas. A carefully managed garden which caters for wildlife, especially if it can be designed to include plenty of trees and shrubs, is a positive asset. If you think of tens of thousands of sympathetically organized gardens as a great network of miniature nature reserves, your efforts begin to have real meaning—not just to you, but to the birds as well.
Feeding undoubtedly helps many small birds in winter, especially in very hard weather. In severe conditions it may become a significant factor in helping some vulnerable species to survive in reasonable numbers until the following spring. Even if it is not, it is, of course, totally justifiable purely as a humanitarian response - and there is nothing wrong with that!