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requesting feedback on garden setup for birds (given limited resources in pics)

hi all, we are a family from kent and we like to try and help the birds here. the birds we get are mainly those little brown house sparrows and some pigeons. theres a dove couple that comes here too sometimes.

unfortunately our garden is a bit of a dump. we have no grass. a big ugly garage. and my dad owns next door of which he is renovating, resulting in rubbish and rubble left in the garden. in addition, the other neighbour's gardens are equally as bad - one looks like a landfill.

given these limitations, we have setup bird feeder points containing both seeds and balls, a garden bath we got from our neighbour befospare they sold their house to us, and we have put up two bird houses in the hope the birds will have a place to stay. the bird houses were bought from our local wilko shop.

we notice the birds tend to go to the feeder at the end, not the middle one. i think this is because the middle one is new, the other one we've had for awhile. we tried switching them over but the sparrows still go for this one. the seeds tend to go quickly - mind you, lots of it end up on the floor. the sparrows love the balls though.

we are surprised no birds has gone for the water though - either the bird bath stand or the plastic tray we left on the floor topped with water? what can we do about that?

finally, how can we attract the birds to the bird houses? they have been up for a few weeks now. the one you see on the left, the dark red one, was made by my dad. but he drilled something in front of the hole as my mum thinks the birds will like it. we like feedback and ideas too on this if possible.

unfortunately i dont think the bricks and rubbish you see arent going away anytime soon! we live in a grotty neighbourhood, but we do hear birds even at night, i guess because they're in the trees.

also, sometimes we have the neighbours cat come in our garden and we're concerned it might attack the birds? it certainly is pooping alot here!

we would be grateful for feedback in what can we do to improve the setup - houses, water, and food, for the birds.

thanks.

pics:

  • It may be a bit open for some birds. may be some bushy plants in pots, plants that produce seed heads or attract insects might help. Robins love flower beds especially when they are being dug over. Is there any unpaved ground at the other end of the garden?
  • Thanks for posting, it's great that you're doing all you can for wildlife in your space! Penny has a great point about it maybe being too open for birds (they like places to hide from predators), so adding plants if you can is a great step. I've found lots of cheap outdoor pots on Facebook Marketplace.

    With the birdhouses, birds often start scouting quite early in the year for places to nest, so it's possible they've already found nesting spots for this year. If you make sure it's nice and clean going into autumn though, you may spot birds using it for shelter throughout the colder months - they'll then be more likely to use it when spring comes around, because they'll know it as a safe space :)
  • As previous two comments stated it maybe a bit open or close to the roof, fence panel and bird bath - it will give the cats platforms to pounce from?

    Maybe move them slightly away from the house so nothing can climb up to the feeders. Hope that helps with feeders.

    Also it can take a few years for birds to settle with bird boxes, they seem very close to a doorway and they will not be comfortable with lots of human traffic past them. Likewise don't put them where predators can climb up... maybe the other side of your window to the right?
  • As the others have said, the birds require greenery, to give predator protection./

    I'm guessing with the rubble in the garden there is some ongoing work, and if its possible to include some small trees or bushes, then that will help to draw the birds nearer.

    As for the water, we have water in our garden, which has lots of trees and shrubs close by, but the occasions that the water is used is quite infrequent, so that may not be anything to worry about. However, when they do want water, they're there....