attracting animals to the garden

[forevergreen]

Hi
My family usually chucks bread crusts out for birds. Weve got a bird feeder aswell, but if i put out different foods, could i get different animals? For foxes my neighbour goes into the grveyard outside my house they come through the park ive seen them lots of times i will try to get photographs soon. but i live very close to woods i i chucked certain things on my front lawn and back garden what different mammmals and birds could i attract? Being only 14 i can only stray so far from home to get wildlife photographs and i wouldnt go up into the woods alone. Any ideas?

[JP]

Hi, different foods will attract different animalsand animal species, fat balls (half coconuts filled with lard and seed etc hung in trees) will attract many birds such as Tits and starlings, saucers of cat food and digestive biscuit bits will attract hedge hogs and foxes, pots of meal worms robins etc, try different foods and watch what feeds from them, also make a track trap, a shallow tray ( a square of ply or MDF with quadrent tacked around the edge) of play sand moistened and brushed flat nad placed in your garden with bits of food in the middle try a different food each night and see what tracks are there in the morning this is a very exciting way to see what secrets your garden holds whille all are tucked up in their beds..

[mh68]

Originally Posted by forevergreen

Hi
My family usually chucks bread crusts out for birds. Weve got a bird feeder aswell, but if i put out different foods, could i get different animals? For foxes my neighbour goes into the grveyard outside my house they come through the park ive seen them lots of times i will try to get photographs soon. but i live very close to woods i i chucked certain things on my front lawn and back garden what different mammmals and birds could i attract? Being only 14 i can only stray so far from home to get wildlife photographs and i wouldnt go up into the woods alone. Any ideas?

Sounds like your garden is perfectly situated to attract a good variety of wildlife.Something else you could try is to make a small mammal feeding station....an old tray or similar with a mesh cover to prevent birds getting to the food and cats getting the mammals....put some seed,crushed biscuits etc which will attract mice and voles.You could even try baiting with chrysalids ("casters" sold in fishing shops for bait) which will attract shrews.A couple of lengths of waste pipe tunnels leading into the enclosure will allow safe access for the small mammals. Once they gain confidence in this safe feeding area they may also visit through the day.

Mark H