Love birds and want to attract more to your outdoor space? Creating a bird friendly balcony is much easier than you might think. Below, we cover some of the best bird friendly balcony ideas, which you can use to develop your own paradise for local wildlife.
6 Top Bird Friendly Balcony Ideas
1. Offer water
Where better to start than with a bird bath? While you can buy plenty of bird bath styles, it’s easy to make one from a shallow dish or plate. Put a couple of rocks in it for the birds to sit on, too. Alternatively, install a balcony fountain.
2. Get planting
To attract birds to your balcony, you’ll want plants. These will either offer shelter or food. Some good options include:
- Honeysuckle
- Ivy
- Any winter berry plant
- Sunflowers
- Any shrub with branches
3. Bird house
Consider installing a bird house to provide shelter. It should be 6ft. off the ground on either a north- or east-facing wall.
4. Offer food
A bird feeder is a great way to attract local wildlife (including rodents, unfortunately). But if you’ve got enough berry bushes and flowers, a bird feeder shouldn’t be necessary.
5. Things to avoid
Part of creating a bird friendly balcony is knowing what to avoid. After all, there’s little point in attracting birds if you’re not going to provide a safe environment. Bear in mind the following:
- Birds will eat your crops. Decide whether you want birds or fruit/veg plants because you can’t have both.
- If you’ve got a cat, maybe don’t invite birds to your balcony.
- Take down netting you might have set up for privacy or training plants. Birds can get stuck in it, which isn’t ideal.
- You won’t be able to be selective with which birds come visiting. Some (such as pigeons) can be a lot more destructive than smaller birds.
6. Promoting insects
It might not be your idea of a good time, but inviting insects onto your balcony will, in turn, attract birds. Water features and plants are the easiest way to do this, so focus on flowers. For a pond, you could simply fill an old sink or washing up bowl with water and a few rocks.
Final Thoughts on a Bird Friendly Balcony
For best results on a bird friendly balcony, you’ll want to try and offer food during winter months and water and shelter in the summer. By giving the birds something they’re looking for, they’ll be much more likely to come visiting.