Gardens: Plant your space with birds in mind and reap a rich visual harvest

It might be the cold weather bringing out our sympathetic side, or the falling leaves giving us a clearer view of what's happening outside, but whatever the reason, autumn is the season when many gardeners start to think more about the birds that visit their garden.

While bird tables and hanging feeders are an obvious way to help support our local bird populations, there are many more ways in which we can make our gardens bird-friendly, says Pamela Johnson, co-author of The Birdwatcher's Garden (14.99, Guild of Master Craftsmen Publications). She points out that while attracting birds to the garden can give us hours of viewing pleasure, it's also vital in terms of conservation.

"Gardens are a place of refuge for many birds, especially in late winter when there is a lack of natural food in the wider countryside," she says. "If it was not for gardens and the regular provision of supplementary foods, seeds and peanuts, the decline in the numbers of birds such as the yellowhammer, tree sparrow and reed bunting would be much greater."

Feeding the birds is the first thing that many of us think of in terms of doing our bit, but Johnson points out that our gardens offer so much more. They can provide shelter for birds from the icy wind of winter or shady areas in hot summers. Trees, rooftops and fencing posts are used for song posts and territorial markers. Any thick dense shrubs and hedges can become refuges from predators for smaller birds as well as roosting and nesting sites and finally, gardens can also be somewhere safe for birds to find water to drink and bathe.

So if we want to choose plants that will really offer the maximum to birds, which ones should we be looking at? "In October the winter migrant thrushes, redwings and fieldfares arrive to our shores seeking out fruits and berries, so star plants for this month include rowan/mountain ash, cotoneaster, crab apples and Pyracantha," she says. "In the herbaceous border, leave the old dead seed heads to provide hiding places for insects. Seeds of poppies, tall campanulas, foxgloves, delphinium, lavender, evening primrose and of course, sunflower to name a few, can be devoured by blue tits and finches, and to brighten up the border at this time of year, try the winter flowering pansies and violas."

The importance of trees in the garden is covered in detail in the book, which describes them as "beacons" to some species of bird. The uppermost branches are often used as assembly points for flocks of such species as chaffinches, greenfinches, starlings and winter migrants, and trees can also act as a perch, observation post, roosting or nesting site. Native trees are an ideal choice for gardeners as they support such high numbers of insects. The two native oaks are associated with 423 species of insects and mites, for example.

These insects are preyed upon by spiders, earwigs and lacewings, and all provide a good food supply for insectivorous birds. Other trees with high numbers of associated insects include willow, silver/downy birch, hawthorn, poplar, Scots pine, elm, crabapple and hazel. Mixed native hedges are another good choice, acting as mini wildlife corridors and providing fruits at different times of the year.

Gardeners are often told that if they want to attract wildlife, then an informal garden is the best option in terms of design. Johnson agrees with this, saying: "Gardens in a more traditional cottage style, with borders full of a diverse range of trees, flowers and shrubs will give more opportunities for wildlife to thrive than very tidy formal gardens. The greater the area of garden covered by a solid barrier, whether it is concrete, gravel, stone paving, decking or artificial grass, the less attractive it will be for birds." In The Birdwatcher's Garden, Johnson provides lots of detailed information about the feeding habits of different birds – young sparrows are mainly fed on insects, while adults eat mostly plant food, for example.

She explains which plants provide the most food for birds and also which plants provide nesting spots or nest-building material for different birds. Plant some clematis and you might find blackbirds, long-tailed tits or goldfinches nesting in it.

While it's tempting to try and cater for the most eye-catching bird species, Johnson says there are good reasons to take a democratic approach to the birds in your garden. "It is important to look after the birds you already have coming into your garden and to try and attract some different species as well," she says. "In our garden, just ten years ago there were ten house sparrows that regularly came to the bird feeders. Now weeks go by without a single house sparrow to be seen." One way to track which birds are using your garden is to take part in a survey. "Taking part in garden bird surveys adds not only to the enjoyment of watching birds but is a simple but important way of monitoring bird populations," says Johnson. "All the family can participate in the RSPB's Big Garden Birdwatch which takes place every year at the end of January and for those with more time, there is the weekly count of garden birds for the British Trust for Ornithology's Garden BirdWatch."

Whether you opt to plant a couple of shrubs that are beneficial to birds or design your garden around them, there's no denying that watching birds through the seasons is just as rewarding as watching the changes in garden plants.

"Today I watched one of the last summer migrant chiffchaff insecting in the old apple tree whereas next month, the first of the redwings and fieldfare will arrive to devour the red berries and crab apples," says Pamela Johnson. So if you want to add an extra dimension to your plot, take a few of her tips on board and you'll soon have your own thriving birdwatcher's garden.

• This article was first published in The Scotsman on October 09, 2010