Helping birds in the garden with kids
Dig It!
Wednesday, 4 November 2026 - 3 minutes
Birds are a gardener's natural allies against aphids, beetles, caterpillars and even slugs and snails. In this week's Dig It!, Hester Macdonald explains how to support them through the colder months, when food and water are scarce, so that they repay the favour by eating pests in the spring.
Even a balcony is enough: a flat, easy-to-clean saucer with a rough surface and a solid rim makes a safe spot for drinking and bathing, as long as the water is changed daily. Hester also suggests fat balls, a window feeder with suction cups, and the Vogelwarte.ch identification tool.
For a fun, if messy, project with kids, she shares a recipe for homemade bird cakes made with lard, seeds, oats and raisins, set in old yoghurt pots.
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