My private nature reserve

I don't know about you, but with the excitement of Christmas and New Year celebrations over, January can seem to stretch out with not much to look forward to.

However, one look out of my window and January doesn't seem so bad after all; whether it's a mixed flock of tits hanging in a tree, a blackbird trying out bits of his song and the wren angrily moving him along, or the local starlings looking for tasty grub in the lawn, I could look at their antics in my garden for hours.

I enjoy watching wildlife, and being lucky enough to work on a nature reserve I get more than my fair share of wildlife fixes. However, when wildlife vists my garden it always feels somehow more special. The birds are visiting my garden because they like what it offers - the shelter it brings, the plants that I'm growing, or maybe the water and additional food that I put out for them.

How cool - my own personal nature reserve, and right outside the backdoor. And the best thing is, you don't have to have acres of space to make a difference for wildlife, either.

I'm lucky that I have a decent-sized garden in which there is already a good variety of plants for wildlife (more by accident than design, mind!) - we let nettles grow in amongst our flower borders (great for attracting butterflies), have plenty of bushes that provide both shelter and juicy berries for the birds to eat, and even have a spot of dead wood lying around (great for mosses, lichens and insects).

However, this weekend as I helped prune the hazel - getting in before the birds start nesting - I got to thinking that there was probably still a lot more I could do in the garden to attract a greater variety of birds and other wildlife.

The great thing is the changes can be as huge, or as small, as I want - I could let parts of the lawn grow longer before mowing, maybe I'll get really ambitious and create a pond for dragon- and damselflies to visit, or I could put up a hanging basket or plant out a window box with a variety of wildflowers that'll not only look pretty, but be great for insects and the birds that eat the insects!

Like the blackbird practising his song in the hope of attracting the best mate he can, I am reminded that maybe this year I should try a few new things in the garden in the hope of attracting the best mix of wildlife I can.

What can you do?

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