Inspired by David Attenborough in my youth
I have been an organic and wildlife gardener since about 1986. I would have been one earlier but did not have the opportunity. I can say it has had an enormously positive effect on my life. Living on the outskirts of Liverpool city centre with just a small backyard amongst 1000s of other terraced houses, a vast expanse of brick houses with little or no grass, trees or flowers anywhere. Seeing a young TV presenter, David Attenborough, along with other wildlife TV programmes made me realise what I was missing. Keeping spiders in tins and ants in an ant hotel was just not the thing to do in Liverpool, most other people had other means of enjoyment! I decided from an early age that when I was an adult I wanted wildlife in my very own garden!
Wildlife Gardening. The beginning
In 1986 I was fortunate enough to buy a house with my very first garden. I was made up. Now I had an opportunity to catch up with other people who grew up with real wildlife instead of TV or tinned wildlife! But where do you start? Then I came across a book, “How to make a Wildlife Garden”, by Chris Baines. who built the first ever wildlife garden at Chelsea in 1985 and is certainly a leading advocate or perhaps even the founder of the wildlife gardening concept. Even better I had the great fortune to meet up with Chris, who at that time lived just down the road with his own wildlife garden. I became a regular visitor, I mean what better advice or inspiration could I receive! Now I could learn, ask and experiment. I so much wanted people to share the same experiences and pleasures that it gave me, I wrote a book myself Gardening For Wildlife
Bird feeding
The simplest thing to start off with is to put a decent bird feeder out for the birds. You don’t even need a garden for this, although you may be limited in the birds that may use it as you need them in your area or at least to pass through it.
Birds are amongst the first wildlife you can attract. It’s amazing the range of birds that will use bird feeders, table and ground feeding tables. A decent bird feeder is a good investment and can last many years. They make great Christmass or birthday presents, much better than socks believe me!
A selection of my garden bird visitors
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For birds, I can recommend that you visit websites of such organisations as the RSPB or the BTO Garden BirdWatch scheme.
Better still if you join the BTO Garden BirdWatch scheme you receive a free copy of the acclaimed 220 page “Garden Birds and other wildlife” (RRP £14.99) which will help you understand your garden visitors, both birds and other wildlife.
For more generalist wildlife gardening information see the Wildlife Gardening Forum
Wildlife Gardening Books
“How to make a Wildlife Garden” by Chris Baines
Now Updated RHS “Companion to Wildlife Gardening” by Chris Baines
“The Wildlife Gardener” by Kate Bradbury
“I hope you enjoyed this article and found it interesting and useful. All my articles and videos, available free, are funded by my teaching and sales of my award-winning bumblebee nest boxes, solitary bee nest boxes, peanut bird feeders and other wildlife gardening products. Please help by spreading the word and forwarding this link to your friends and colleagues. https://nurturing-nature.co.uk Thank you. George Pilkington
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