Help birds stay safe in your garden

I had an email this morning from Birds and Bees which made very interesting reading.   It was all about keeping birds safe in your garden from predators.

Now before I go on, I will say that I absolutely love cats.  When we lost our beloved moggie, Trouble, it took me a very long time to get over him.   But nonetheless, according to Birds and Bees, about 55 million birds are killed every year in the UK by pet moggies.

So here's a great tip on keeping your birds safe from cats and other predators:

Hanging feeders should be put at least 1.5 metres from the ground, preferably near the cover of bushes or trees - we hang ours from a tree branch.  This means the birds can approach the feeder, do a quick check for predators, nip in to feed and find cover fast if predators such as cats or sparrow hawks appear.

If you haven't got a tree, find places where birds can perch - give them a perching point.  This again means they can sweep the area (i.e. glance around) and then feed when they know it's safe.

Birds and Bees sell hanging hooks (from £3.99) so that you can make sure your feeder is at the right height