Everything for garden animals such as outdoor birds, hedgehogs and squirrels

Garden animals are the animals of all of us

The animals that live in and around our house are also our animals, of course. Think of the outdoor bird or family hedgehog that occasionally visits. If you live close to the forest, the squirrel will also show up regularly! We have tasty food and snacks for all these animals with which we can pamper them and sometimes even support them.

How do you make the Dutch garden animal-friendly?

Many Dutch gardens are tiled and have fences. Poison is often also sprayed. These are all circumstances in which garden animals do not feel at home and will stay far away. That's a shame because all the gardens in the Netherlands together form an area five times as large as the Oostvaardersplassen. Fortunately, more and more people are making their gardens pet-friendly! What is often a challenge here is the "how". How do you make your garden pet-friendly? We are happy to help with that!

Attract birds and other animals with food

We all know the fat balls that are hung outside for the birds in the winter, but did you know that birds can also be fed naturally through:

Flowers: Birds may not eat flowers, but they do eat the insects that come to the flowers and later the birds eat the seeds that fall from the flowers.
Shrubs and trees that produce fruit, berries or nuts.
A lawn where birds can find larvae and worms
Do not clean up fallen leaves . There is a lot of life under the leaves such as insects, worms, beetles, all of which are eaten by the birds

Making the garden safe for birds

Shelters are very important for birds. The animals must be able to hide from predators such as cats or sparrowhawks. A shelter can be very natural, for example a dense plant, shrub or ivy are perfect!

Help birds during the breeding season

Birds make nests. Every bird has its own way and place for this, but we can help the birds very well with this, for example by offering them a nesting box. This way the birds can make their nest in a place that is very safe and they can return to the same place every year. Not all birds will take up residence in a nest box, it is the so-called "cave nesters" that do.

Every bird has its own wishes when it comes to the nest box and the entrance opening

Nowadays our houses are beautifully finished and cracks and holes are virtually impossible to find anymore, which also poses a challenge for the birds, because they can no longer nest in and near the house.

The greatest chance of success is a nest box that hangs in the "Northeast".

Then it doesn't blow or rain as much inside. Never hang the nest box in full sun, the birds do not like that because it will become too hot. You must also ensure a clear approach path, so no obstacles directly in front of the entrance to the nest box. In the autumn, when the nest box is no longer used by the birds, it is good to clean it with boiling hot water.

Feeding during the breeding season

During the breeding season, birds need more protein. This can be in the form of: Dried mealworms , Dried amphipods , Dried grasshoppers , Dried insect mix , Dried silk caterpillars.

Attract many different birds through a lot of variety

You can attract most garden animals by adding a lot of variety to your garden or balcony. A nice added bonus is that you not only attract many garden animals, but also insects, bees and butterflies, which in turn creates a nice diversity. It is best to view the garden in layers. Ground covers, mid-height plants and dense shrubs or trees. If you really want to be crazy and drive the animals crazy, plant a berry hedge and you'll have a party in your garden! But different types of shrubs in a row that bloom at different times of the year also do very well and you have many animals in the garden at various times of the year.

A few good examples are: Guelder Rose, Privet, Firethorn, Blackthorn, Elder and Cardinal's Hat.

• Turn your garden or balcony into a bird paradise!
• Hang, place or screw (to the railing) a beautiful water bowl
• Place pots or, if there is more space, a vegetable garden container with flowers or herbs
• Place a small raspberry or other berry bush in a pot
• Grow a climbing plant along the boundary or balcony
• Hang a nest box in the shade for blue tits or great tits, for example, with a 3-in-1 house sparrow nest box under the eaves
• Hang up a food silo, we have very nice ones in our outdoor bird category