All creatures need food, water and shelter. Providing these in the garden attracts and keeps birds visiting. A wide range of wild bird food, offered throughout the garden, means that your garden could become home to many species.

The backbone of any wild bird seed feeding system is a high quality general mix, such as Wild Bird Seed by Bird Care. The black sunflower seeds, corn and wheat mix contains no fillers that are unattractive to local bird species. A few feeders kept filled with this selection spoil the birds and keep them coming back for more.

Although a general wild bird food mix offers food to many species of seedeaters, other options attract even more variety of birds to the garden. You should feed smaller songbirds, such as Goldfinches, Linnets and Siskins separately. Chapelwood Niger Seed, in a niger seed feeder, protect these shy species from competition. Larger birds, that are happy to eat less expensive seed, cannot get the seed out of the special feeders designed to hold this seed.

There are birds that do not eat seeds, or supplement their diets with berries and insects. If you put suet feeders around the garden, these birds will have a steady supply of food.

Chapelwood Suet Balls are the perfect food to supply to the nuts and berry eating species. Suet balls are high-energy foods and you should keep them out in the garden year round. It supplies migratory birds with the energy needed to relocate and helps the birds to recover from a lean winter in springtime.

It does not take many different types of food to keep the wild birds happy and fed, but it does take a few. You need to figure out what birds you want to attract and then simply provide the food that they like. Once the birds discover that your backyard is a great buffet table, they will return for years to come. The parent birds teach the young to come to your garden. This creates generations of wild birds that consider your home to be theirs.

The final step to attracting birds to your garden is adding a few nesting boxes and water. This fulfills every aspect of the wild bird’s life. They will have shelter, food and water. These supplies help to preserve the natural balance in the garden.

• Bird Tables For Your Garden
• The Importance of Having a Bird Bath in Your Garden
• Bird Feeders

Bird watching is a favorite hobby for most people. You do not have to go to very far to watch birds. You can simply attract them to your home. Birds eat assorted foods depending on the type. However, all birds drink clean water. It is therefore a good idea to have bird baths in your home as well as bird feeders.

Birds not only use water for drinking but also for bathing in order to cool off their bodies. Bird baths are very essential especially during droughts when the birds find it hard to spot clean water and are stressed due to the heat. A bird bath will enable you attract many birds of assorted types. To make sure that they last in your garden longer, you can combine the bath with wild bird food, nesting boxes and some shrubs and trees where they can rest.

When placing the baths, it is important to place them in an area where the birds can easily spot them. Any predator pets like cats and dogs that you might have in your home should be kept away. Place the bath where the pets cannot hide in cover and attack the birds. An open place is the best for this.
The birds will no longer be attracted to your garden if you do not provide clean water. It is therefore imperative to change the water every two days to keep it fresh. During summer, the water should be changed on a daily basis. This is because the sun encourages quick growth of algae which use up oxygen in the water making it stale. The algae will also make the bath hard to clean.

There are several bird baths that you can buy. They are of different types depending on where they are placed. Hanging baths are placed high above the ground to prevent any chances of predators attacking the birds. The baths should be placed in a tree that has few branches to allow them enjoy a clear view of the surroundings. Solar baths use the sun to pump water and keep a constant flow of water. This keeps the water fresh and cool. You can decide to ground the baths. This will be a permanent position. Pedestal baths are very common.

Amazon.co.uk has some of these baths at an affordable rate. You can buy the Garden/outdoor wild bird water bath by OV, Gardman pedestal bird bath by Gardman and Stonetouch garden birdbath by Kelkay.

• Feed Your Garden Birds With Wild Bird Food
• Bird Tables For Your Garden
• Bird Feeders

If you’re anything like me you probably prefer making things instead of buying them. When it comes to bird tables and bird boxes, the prices can sometimes be pretty expensive.

The obvious solution is to make your own. That’s what we started doing. Our first attempts at making our own bird table and bird boxes weren’t very good. Although they did the job they weren’t vey pleasing on the eye. That all changed when we found some top notch bird table plans and bird box plans on the Internet.

Teds woodworking plans actually contains over 16,000 highly detailed woodworking plans. It includes plans for just about everything but most importantly, it includes loads of bird table plans and bird box plans. There are so many bird box designs to choose from, it’s incredible.

Ted woodworking plans is known as an ‘information product’. In the past your only option of getting hold of some bird table plans or bird box plans would have been to buy a book. Now though you can buy something like this over the Internet and instantly download it to your computer.

There’s nothing complicated involved. Once you’ve paid for it you just click download and you’ll instantly have 16,000 woodworking plans on your computer of which there are lots of bird box and bird table plans to choose from.

It’s great value when you think how much a book would cost with the same amount of plans!

 If you’ve never bought anything like this before, we can guarantee it’s 100% safe and you covered with a 60 day money back guarantee. All you need to do is go to the Teds Woodworking website to place your order and download the plans.

The only thing you need to bear in mind is that you’ll need access to a printer. Once you’ve chosen which design to build you will really need to print it out so it’s easy to work from.

As far as bird box plans and bird table plans go, these are best we’ve seen!

Highly Recommended!!

Go to the Teds Woodworking Projects website for more information

• Bird Tables For Your Garden
• The Importance of Having a Bird Bath in Your Garden
• Feed Your Garden Birds With Wild Bird Food

Where ever you live you will have birds in your garden. Hiding in the trees and bushes of your garden the birds of your neighborhood may need a little encouraging to come out where you can see and enjoy them. Bird tables offering their favorite foods are a sure way to observe the variety of birds that come through your area. Many will be yearlong residents. Some will be in the process of migrating.

A bird feeder will provide attractive ornamentation to your garden. It is possible to find a variety of styles from a cast iron pagoda to a rustic log cabin. Positioning the food near bushes or trees will provide security as the birds venture out to feed. To protect the birds while they feed some bird tables feature a mesh surrounding the seed that allows small birds to enter safely.

Additional feeding options such as fat ball holders will attract woodpeckers as well. Bird tables are available to be hung from branches or mounted on a pole. Special feeders for niger seed will attract the bright Goldfinch. Migrating birds are greatly helped by easily accessible food sources. For a closer look window bird feeders can be affixed with suction cups to the window of your home. A garden bird feeding station as is available on amazon.com.uk features multiple hooks and trays to offer your birds an assortment of treats.

Many other choices are obtainable depending on your preference. It is advisable to find one that is easy to clean. A mesh bottom is a feature that allows for proper water drainage. You will find yourself very popular particularly in winter when food sources are limited. Nothing cheers a dreary winter day more than the activity of finches and robins as they feast at your feeding station. You will begin to recognize the regular visitors.

In spring the proximity of food will encourage nesting. Fledglings will entertain you as their parents teach them to fly. Bird watching is one of the simple pleasures of life. You will be rewarded for the minimal effort it takes to attract garden birds with hours of enjoyment.

• Feed Your Garden Birds With Wild Bird Food
• The Importance of Having a Bird Bath in Your Garden
• Bird Feeders

Over the years we have produced many wildlife DVDs. Most of our DVDs are shot in the county of Dorset where we are based although we have some titles that are not just about Dorset or Dorset Wildlife. The Beautiful Butterflies of The British Isles was shot in various different locations throughout England and Scotland, while Kruger Park – My Way, was shot exclusively in the Kruger National Park in South Africa.

For out most recent Dorset DVDs we have moved away from the wildlife and focused more on the beautiful towns and villages found in this wonderful county. All our DVDs are available from Amazon.co.uk. Simply click on any of the DVDs to be taken directly to the Amazon online store.

• Dorset Coast
• Dorset Towns and Villages
• Bird Table & Bird Box Plans

What is a lovely garden without a few bird feeders to add warmth and creativity to the garden? The garden area will thrive when you have a number of birds visiting as they also enjoy eating bugs and insects that are harmful to your garden. Birds help to balance out your garden and keep it healthy. Birds will also keep you in tune to nature and will sing to you every day. Birds also play a big roll in helping you to have a healthy, green lawn, as they will dine on insects that are harmful to grass.

When the Winter months are upon us, its important not to forget our feathered friends and place a few well stocked bird feeders in the garden area. This can mean life or death to a feathered friend. These feeders are going to help our friends, through the worst of winter days. When you decide that you want to place feeders in your garden and the birds discover what you have done they come to rely on your generously and goodness. Make sure that the feeders are well stocked, cleaned every few months and are placed in a quiet place.

There are numerous ways in which to get seed to our bird community, and believe it or not the birds do not care what we put their food into as long as they are able to get to it. However, our personal tastes and human nature will generally bring out our creativity and decorating skills in making our garden look wonderfully appealing to the eyes, through just what kind of a feeder (s) we put in our garden.

There are bird feeders that come in an array of bright cheerful colors. A bird feeding station can be made out of tin, brass, steel, wood, plastic, ceramic and glass. A bird feeding station can be a bowl set upon a pedestal or some sort of holder. They can hang from the branches of a tree, off a fence or from a Sheppard’s hook or arbor. They can come in numerous styles.

Just as numerous as the style of feeders is the type of bird feed available. The most liked by birds is black oiled sunflower seeds or peanuts in the shell. Safflower seeds are also well liked. Thistle seed is popular; however you will need to purchase a thistle feeder, because the seed is very small.

• Feed Your Garden Birds With Wild Bird Food
• Bird Tables For Your Garden
• The Importance of Having a Bird Bath in Your Garden

The Arne peninsula is situated on the edge of Poole harbour and about 4 miles from the ancient towns of Wareham and Corfe. Along the southern and western sides of Poole Harbour are extensive marshes, reed-beds and lowland heath which have been designated as internationally important wintering sites for waders and wildfowl. From the lookout hill near Shipstal Point there are extensive views from the Arne peninsula across the harbour to Upton and Hamworthy in the north, Brownsea Island in the east, Corfe Castle and Purbeck in the south.

Arne is  incredibly rich in wildlife, with many species found here being rare and endangered. This DVD takes you on a timeless journey through a year in the life of the deer and other wildlife found within the Arne peninsula.

Arne is a haven for wildlife and is managed by the RSPB. Many birds are to be found on the reserve, The Dartford warbler seen at all times of the year especially in the early Spring. Usually found perched high on the magnificent gorse, which abounds in the early part of the year. Woodpeckers, hobbies, cuckoos and nightjars can be seen on the Arne peninsula. Reptiles can also be found including the sand lizard, also our three snakes, which include the illusive smooth snake. During the autumn the Osprey can be seen around the harbour dropping in to feed on their way back from Scotland before wintering in Africa. Waders boost the population on the Arne peninsula during the winter; these include the Avocet with flocks of up to a thousand, which can be seen on the lagoon, on Brownsea Island. The Spoonbill is also a winter visitor and odd ones can linger on throughout the year. Arne is also known for its Sika Deer where close views can be had at all times of the year. September and October are perhaps the best times to see the deer at Arne, when the rut takes place. At this time they become very vocal and can be heard from a great distance away.

• The Isle of Purbeck
• Wildlife DVDs
• Dorset Towns and Villages

This DVD contains all fifty eight species of British butterflies, all beautifully filmed in their natural habitat, with accurate and informative facts and figures narrated throughout. Including flight times. The fifty eight species are divided up into five sections: ‘woodland’, ‘hedgerows’, ‘chalk downland’, ‘grassland’ and, ‘mountains, wetlands, heath and bog’. All stunningly captured in digital quality on this 58 minute DVD.

The Beautiful Butterflies of the British Isles

“To have seen all of the British butterflies is for any naturalist quite an achievement – but to have recorded them in such a closeup and comprehensive manner is no less than a remarkable feat. This DVD contains some beautiful images of some of our most attractive insects, all free and in their natural environment. If Fritillaries, Skippers and Blues excite you then you should take a look at this DVD”

Chris Packham

Having spent the last several years trying to get decent stills of our UK butterfly species, I was curious to see how a fellow enthusiast, Rodney Goodhand, had faired in trying to take such an aspiration to the next level – by photographing all of the species on film! Having watched this 58 minute DVD a number of times, I have to say that I’m extremely impressed with two specific items. The first, as you’d expect, is the quality of the footage – it really is first class. The second is the information that goes along with the footage – which seems to “go deeper” than other videos I’ve seen, with accurate and informative facts and figures narrated throughout. Even the flight times appear up-to-date in our ever-changing climate. In terms of footage, the highlights for me were the Large Blue (the quality of the filming is top notch!), seeing a persistent male Heath Fritillary attempting to mate, the stunning underside colours of the White Admiral, and footage of the valesina form of the female Silver-washed Fritillary. All in all, I really enjoyed watching this DVD and would consider it the closest experience to seeing our UK butterflies, other than getting out there and seeing them for yourself!

Peter Eeles www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

• Wildlife DVDs
• Arne Peninsula
• Dorset Towns and Villages

Located in the south eastern corner of Dorset, Purbeck is roughly 60 sq. miles of land that is surrounded on almost all sides by water. The coastline of Purbeck is part of Doret’s Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site andincludes some breathatking scenery. The word “Purbeck” is actually a saxon word that translates as “beak-shaped ridge which is home to bittern or snipe”. Purbeck compromises of Poole Harbour, including Brownsea Island which is part of Studland and therefore part of Purbeck. The harbour links to the English Channel at Sandbanks. To the south you find Studland Bay, Swanage Bay, and Peveril Point. To the west there is Durlston Bay, Anvil Point and the Lighthouse, while to the south you can find St. Aldhelms Head.

A swing north and west further along the coast takes you past Chapmans Pool. Next is Kimmeridge, overlooked by Clavells Tower. Another mile away is the village of Tyneham which has lain abandoned since the war. Close by is Worbarrow Bay, just short of Lulworth and close to the tank firing ranges, where a swing inland takes you to Luckford Lake which is presumed to be the western boundary to Purbeck leaving most of Lulworth to the west. Further north at West Holme you join with the River Frome which meanders easterly, passing the ancient town of Wareham to flow into Poole Harbour.

Purbeck Through The Seasons

Purbeck has a wealth of wildlife few other places in Britain can match. This DVD takes you on a journey of discovery, uncovering the delights of this enchanted corner of England. From the heathland home of the Dartford Warblers, Hobbies and rare reptiles to sheer sea cliffs, the haunt of Peregrines and numerous sea-birds.Over open downlands, where orchids and blue butterflies abound, to the rivers and and wetlands inhabited by Kingfishers, Curlews and Dragonflies… This DVD has it all and much more.

• Arne Peninsula
• Dorset Towns and Villages
• Dorset Coast

Dorset is famous for its striking scenery, patchwork fields, small country roads and dramatic coastline. Dotted around within this lovely county are some of England’s most beautiful towns and villages. This DVD takes you on a journey through some of these wonderful places including East & West Lulworth, Corfe, Milton Abbas, Tolpuddle, Wareham, Kingston and Worth.
This is our first DVD shot totally in true 9:10 widescreen

Towns and Villages vol 1

In volume 1 of this series we sped an hour taking a look at some of the beautiful towns and villages which are found around Dorset. Tolpuddle, with its quaint thatch cottages that date back to the doomsday book and probably most well known for being the home of the Tolpuddle Martyrs. Wareham, the saxon walled town built between two rivers. Corfe with its lovely purbeck stone cottages and the famous ruined castle. Milton Abbas with its spectacular Abbey. Kingston & Worth which are set high up in the Purbeck Hills close to the cliffs and finally East & West Lulworth with the famous Lulworth Castle and the spectacular cove to which thousands of tourists flock each year.

• The Isle of Purbeck
• Arne Peninsula
• Dorset Coast