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other calls they make (listen here) - pretty nondescript to be honest.Finally, as my friend will hopefully now be able to identify the voice of his tormentor, so should our beloved garden birds. The sparrowhawk's call is shrill and cold, though may also

of the reasons cited for such declines is a lack of insect food. While sparrows and starlings have adapted to use garden bird feeders, insects form a large part of their diet and their young are almost exclusively fed on insects. And you'll never find swifts

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

bumblebees to nest in my garden, despite providing them with a good source of food throughout the year. Last summer several bumblebees grew fond of one of my bird boxes and would pop inside to shelter from the sun, so I’m hopeful some might nest

I recently had the pleasure of meeting Europe’s smallest bird. I would have expected such an occasion to take place in a pine forest or a large rural garden, but this chance encounter occurred on a scrubby piece of park just behind the Hackney Road

, such as clover. Many pesticides just kill them.Our gardens are fast becoming refuges for bees - especially some species of bumblebee, which are happy to nest in wild corners, bird boxes and under sheds. Many also come into our gardens to feed. Sadly some species

plant of local provenance has grown in its locality for a long time. By definition, it's a wild, native plant and has evolved over hundreds, even thousands of years in tune with its local environment. Self-seeded by wind, or spread by birds or mammals

, restaurants, and - ahem - bird tables.I'm not sure how I'd feel if I attracted rats to my garden. I don't mind them (that is to say, I'm not offended by their existence) and I'd never kill one, but I wouldn't like them in my garden (it's only 4m², after all

with the garden wildlife, or at least I liked to think so. I remember my dad waiting for the blue tits to leave the nest box so he could quickly lift me up and show me the baby birds inside. Once, aged two, I found a worm that had been pecked at by a bird, so I

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