This isn’t a Christmas post. You’ll have to wait until tomorrow for that. No, what I’m talking about today is our flighty, feathered friends and how you can attract them to your garden.

Birds are easy visitors. They don’t ask for much, just a shallow bowl of water where they can drink and bathe on hot days. And they don’t wear out their welcome, either.

Of course, the bowl should be sited somewhere that’s safe: birds need to dive for cover if they feel threatened. Thickly growing bushes, or overhanging branches of a large tree, should do it for them.

After my partner demolished the old chicken shed, to make way for a vegetable garden, the old chook-feeder seemed just the right depth for a birdbath. We set it up on the back deck, filled it with water and within a day our visitors arrived. They loved it.

Its position is ideal. Shaded in Summer, it’s hidden by a densely-growing wisteria that overhangs it. Above that is the Salix daphnoides, so beloved by bees, where the birds like to sit, to preen themselves and twitter.

I hung an old chain that I found in the shed above ‘Bird Corner’ and some of the smaller birds like to hang from it.

All sorts come to drink: from tiny Thornbills to Crimson Rosellas and even Grey Currawongs, although small birds vanish whenever the big scary birds arrive.

You’ll rarely see birds in the garden if you use poisons to kill insect pests. If you leave the insects alone, the birds will probably eat most of them. But if you need to rid the roses of aphids, or the vegies of whitefly, spray them with something benign, like home-made white oil. There’s a good recipe for one on the Vasili’s Garden website. Left alone, many garden problems clear up by themselves – or with the help of birds.

Some generous friends gave us a pedestal, on which to stand our angel-fish plant dish in the front garden, so now it’s a proper birdbath.

We’ve located it beneath the Cootamundra Wattle, in front of a small-leaved hebe where little birds can perch in privacy. Sadly, the hebe is suffering a health crisis and will need to be nursed through Summer if it’s to continue to provide a safe haven.

We don’t own a cat; if we did, we wouldn’t see so many birds. There are several moggies that prowl the neighbourhood and I’ve seen one, from a farmhouse along the road, tucking into a bird lunch in the long grass. A birdbath needs to be high enough off the ground to make it difficult for cats to access.

After owning a moggie in Sydney for many years – a demented tortoiseshell who rarely ventured outdoors – I’d love to own another. But the Australian bush is no place for a cat and I’m now resigned to a feline-free existence.

This might sound harsh but I’m inclined to say to cat-owners who are thinking of moving to the country, give the cat away or don’t move at all. A single cat can quickly cut a swathe through populations of birds and small mammals. Even if it wears a bell it will probably soon figure out a way to silence it to catch prey. 

Feeding wild birds is a no-no. While feeding them will increase the numbers of particular birds in your garden, it will do nothing for the variety. You’ll see dozens of Galahs and Crimson Rosellas visiting your feeding station but you’ll be unlikely to see many Honeyeaters, Wrens, Finches, Rufus Whistlers, Shrike-Thrushes, Thornbills or Pardalotes. 

On hot days, it’s wonderful to watch birds drink, splash and briefly make your home theirs. And while they’re savouring the delights of your patch, they’ll probably even do a few odd jobs around the garden.

What more could you ask of a visitor?