Gardeners advised on how to keep their garden nature-friendly

Birdwatch Magazine has offered several tips to help gardeners encourage wildlife to their garden. The magazine stated that many birds and other wildlife end up being endangered accidentally through summer gardening.

Amongst the tips offered by the magazine were advising cat owners to provide their pet with a bell to warn birds and to delay trimming and cutting hedges so that any nests are not disturbed.

“If you have a pet cat, make sure it wears a collar with a bell attached so that birds get an early warning when there’s a predator about,” the magazine said.

“It is also good to delay hedge cutting and trimming until autumn. The main breeding period for garden birds is between 1 March and the end of August, so it’s best to avoid cutting trees or hedges during this time so as not to disturb any nests.”

The magazine added that care needs to be taken when cutting conifers, as they provide nesting sites for many bird species during the breeding period, including Blackbirds, Robins, Goldcrests, Goldfinches, Sparrowhawks and Crows.