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I try to encourage some wildlife in my garden. I wonder if I am consistent.
I try to encourage birds, except the magpie and the heron. I also try to discourage rats near my compost bin by putting out poison. Gray squirrels frustrate me as they destroy bird feeders by tearing off grills and I try to get rid of slugs by using liquid slug poison. Does this do any harm to birds or frogs, of which I have plenty?
How does one be consistent by encouraging some wild life and discouraging others?
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Its a good point you raise, wildlife comes in many forms...including rodents!
If you want to attract birds, continue feedings as you do with a variety of seeds, fat balls and nuts in small feeders. The magpies and crows will continue to visit but they will move on and the smaller birds will return and benefit from the food. Feed throughout the year and they will nest in your garden too.
Include berry shrubs and hedges like hawthorn in the garden to provide extra shelter and food for birds and insects.
Rodents are a worry, cats will control them (along with some bird casualties) or use rat poison. But as you say, it can have a negative chain reaction if not used correctly. If you have the space and live in a rural area, you could put up an Owl box and hope for the best!
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feeding birds all year round? do the parent birds not bring the feed back to the chicks and they can choke?
interested in this, thought you had to stop around now.
some of the birds visiting are taking a special interest in the feed right now.
ann
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It's been proven that mammy birds don't feed babies food that could choke them. I remember it was covered on The Mooney Show on RTE Radio1 last year.
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