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is host to a pair of blue tits and a pair of great tits. While they never nest in the garden, they use it to find food for themselves and their young. These birds have been doing this every year for the past four years now and, with the exception of last

I have cats. Every so often I have to live with the guilt that they kill the local wildlife. It's usually one of the mice breeding in the compost heaps or a blue-tit fledgling. The main hunter is the black and white one; lovely and soft and over

the right sized holes in which the birds nest, but they're probably using them as vantage points. I first saw them in Beckenham, about 10 years ago, when a large gang of upwards of 20 were making a rowdy display near a children's playground. They

quick, I only caught a glance of it out of the corner of my eye, and it had gone by the time I had turned my head. I'm not a birder, so I was not at all confident what I had seen then, but now there was no mistaking this large, handsome bird. I've seen a

and watch. As soon as I spot a robin I try to stand motionless (well, it does provide a break from digging and leaf gathering). Hopefully the robin knows I'm not a threat. They are such trusting birds, unlike so many others. Perhaps it's simply their need

bucketBuilding a bug box for insectsBuilding a hedgehog houseMaking a bird boxInstalling a window bird feederMaking a bat boxBrowse a variety of plants that are attractive to wildlifeView a selection of spring flowering bulbs

, there is still dense thatch in the clematis, ivy, and acacia—enough to shelter birds, insects and other wildlife.But things are already planned for 2009, starting on 24-25 January with the Big Garden Birdwatch.

A plaintive mewling took me to the end of the garden a couple of days ago. At first I thought a cat had caught a bird or had cornered a fledgling. As I got closer I realised it was coming from a tree and wondered if some strange seagull was lost

landscape.Native plants are much better for our wildlife than introduced ones. A native tree (such as oak or hawthorn) might provide food and shelter for 150 insects, birds and other animals, but an introduced one (such as Japanese maple) is often devoid

their acrobatics.It is a strange habit of these endearing and pretty little birds that, come winter, they congregate together in mixed-species flocks. And sure enough, as I struggle to adjust the focusing to keep up with their quick movements, I can make out a