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 Jacques Deval once wrote: “God loved the birds and invented trees. Man loved the birds and invented cages.” There is however a way to indulge a little human nature and bend the natural world to our own aesthetic whims without having to endure the pang of guilt inflicted on us by eighteenth century French playwrights – the answer is the bird garden.
Birds and gardens have always been inextricably linked. In any depiction of the idyllic garden setting from Eden to the hanging gardens of Babylon, birds will inevitably make an appearance. Birds bring life to a garden, creating movement, sound and interest.
 Milton Keynes has an abundance of birdlife with our 4,500 acres of parks and green spaces comprising ancient woodlands, river valleys, meadows and lakes to attract them to the area. The city’s parks even offer a sanctuary and breeding sites for a number of the U.K’s most threatened bird species and thanks to the efforts and initiatives of the Milton Keynes Parks Trust, many different species will no doubt continue to be attracted into the future. So the potential for an impressive and diverse bird garden certainly exists, the question is how do we get our feathered friends to decide that our backyard is the perfect place to visit or even move into.
 The answer is of course to lure them in by providing them with what they need, namely food, water, shelter and nesting sites.
So what do birds eat? Well the types we are trying to attract to our backyards in Milton Keynes are mainly looking for seeds, insects, berries and nectar. So obviously the plantscape of your garden will play a major role when it comes to the number and variety of birdlife you are likely to attract.
The first thing to consider is that if you are trying to attract native birds the best plants to choose from will be native species which are suited to the area.
When choosing plants which provide food for birds it is important to not only choose plants that offer direct sources of food such as berries, fruits and seeds but also those with nectar and pollen which will attract insects to the garden thus indirectly creating another food supply.
To attract a variety of different species it is also important to take into account their different eating habits. Some birds feed in the lower parts of shrubs, others in the canopy of trees, while others prefer to feed on the ground. Therefore the greater the range of different shapes and sizes of plants you are able to accommodate the more successful you are likely to be in bringing a number of different birds into your garden. Proper application of this principle is a more important factor in attracting birds to your garden than the size of the space you are working with.
 It is in these transitional areas where two or three types of habitat overlap, for example where meadow merges with water and wood, that you will find the greatest convergence of bird species in the wild and the garden provides an ideal opportunity to mimic these conditions on a smaller scale.
Ideally you should aim to create a structured habitat consisting of four layers; ground, field, shrub and canopy, this will not only provide a varied habitat for feeding but also optimum conditions for shelter if dense foliage is created through the use of close planting.
There are any number of plants that will fit the bill, the nurseryman at a well stocked nursery will be able to point you in the right direction, here are just a few suggestions;
The Ground Layer
 If possible the ground layer should consist of things such as moss, leaf litter and fungi
The field layer
The field layer contains shade loving flowers such as Woolly Foxglove (Digitalis Lanata) and Red Campion (Melandrium Rubrum) and ornamental grasses such as Globe Thistle (Echinops Ritro).
The Shrub Layer
 A hedgerow of native shrubs is an excellent solution for this layer as it will provide great nesting sites where birds can shelter and feed. There are two species which are typically used as the framework for native hedges, these are the Hawthorn (Crataegus Monogyna) and the Blackthorn or Sloe (Prunus Spinosa) these are then interplanted with other shrubs such as Hazel (Corylus Avellana), Alder Buckthorn (Rhamnus Frangula), Wild Privet (Ligustrum Vulgare) and Crab Apple (Malus Sylvestris). One option is to use the hedgerow as an attractive boundary to your property, in place of a fence.
Shrubby Honeysuckle (Lonicera Fragrantissima) is also an excellent choice providing good shelter and has the added advantage of flowering into winter.
The Canopy Layer
Obviously not many people have the space to plant something that is going to become, for example, a towering oak, so alternatives should be sought for the tree layer from smaller natives and ornamentals. Some options are Bird Cherry (Prunus Padus) – provides white flowers in spring followed by small black fruits, Common Holly (Quifolium Llex) - provides shelter and nesting sites and the berries will provide a food source through the winter if both sexes are planted and Mountain Ash or Rowan (Sorbus Aucuparia) – yields a large amount of red berries in the autumn.
Water
 The provision of a permanent source of water is possibly the single most important factor when it comes to attracting birds to your garden; ideally aim to provide several different permanent water sources around the garden. Initially it can be difficult for birds to become aware of water sources in your garden so if you can create a situation where water is dripping into the pond or birdbath this will help guide them by creating ripple patterns and a splashing sound to attract their attention. This can be achieved by a slow dripping can of water overhanging the water source.
Many seed eating birds need to drink hourly to aid with the digestion of dry food, in hotter months birds will use the water source as a way of cooling down and water is also important for grooming or ‘preening’.
Birds’ feathers become bent and disarranged through daily activity and must be periodically tended to and also waterproofed to keep them fit for flying. Birds will usually bathe prior to preening; this activity involves a lot of splashing, wing flapping and feather ruffling which is exactly the type of behavior which attracts predators. For this reason ponds or baths need to be placed close to nearby dense bushes or overhanging branches so that birds have easy access to cover and can therefore approach the water in safety.
The addition of nesting boxes to walls away from direct sunshine (avoid having them facing south) and prevailing winds, as well as the introduction of hollow logs (at least 20 inches long) secured high up in trees will also encourage birds to move in and make your garden home.
Once birds have been attracted to your garden and are aware that food sources are available they will begin to frequent it on a more and more regular basis and this will foster a certain amount of dependency on the recourses your garden supplies. As this happens you will begin to appreciate the new mood and vibrancy which will emanate from the space as the garden begins to resound with bird song, robins flit between trees and perhaps a swallow dances about in a bird bath.
Many people have gardens that are beautiful, inviting, stylish or unique, far fewer people have a garden that could be described as enchanting – for this you need birds.
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