Mail on Sunday article about Bill's garden
11/02/2008 00:00 GMT

Posted by lisa

The following article appeared in the Mail on Sunday on February 10, 2008:



My Oddie plot is one for the birds ; In the garden: Plastic herons, gnomes and nick-nacks ... it's the garden of our most famous wildlife expert

by MARTYN COX 

He is the UK's most famous wildlife expert, so you might imagine that Bill Oddie's garden would be a calm oasis, free of anything that might deter any shy birds from dropping in.

Well, you would be wrong - his tiny plot is full of brightly coloured nick-nacks.

Noisy wind chimes, beads, lanterns and mirror balls dangle from the branches of trees, while plastic herons, deer and owls keep watch over a gang of gnomes.

But rather than frighten creatures, it has the opposite effect and within just ten minutes of standing in his garden we've seen robins, blackbirds, wrens, great tits, pigeons and chaffinches.

'It proves you don't need a certain style, planted with all the right things, to attract wildlife,' says Bill, who can be seen on BBC2's Bill Oddie's Wild Side, which includes clips of wildlife recorded by him in his garden.

The 66-year-old moved into his home in Hampstead, North London, more than 20 years ago and shares his 30 ft by 20 ft garden with his scriptwriter wife Laura Beaumont, 54.

His collection of unusual objects started when the couple got hitched in 1983. 'Our wedding list consisted entirely of garden gnomes. And when we had a party here to celebrate, we had a never- ending stream of guests coming outside and putting them down over there,' says Bill, pointing to a part of the garden that he calls 'Gnomesville'.

Close to the gnomes is the 'Magical Tree', whose branches are used to display dangling trinkets, while at the back is the East Asian-inspired 'Vietnam' area, where stone Buddhas nestle among leafy shrubs.

Near the French doors that lead Our wedding list was garden gnomes from the house, several fake skulls sit on posts and a gnome with red paint dribbling from its mouth like blood has been placed under an acacia tree. 'It's my tribute to eccentric film director Tim Burton,' says Bill.

'I love playing in the garden. I'm not happy if I can't spend half an hour out here every day,' says the man who has fronted countless TV nature shows including Springwatch, Autumnwatch and Bill Oddie Goes Wild. So what makes his garden such a Mecca for birds? 'There's plenty of cover from plants, which makes them feel safe.

Probably the best you can grow is ivy, which climbs up my house and in the trees. As a habitat it's fantastic and last year a robin nested in it,' says Bill.

There are other ways you can make your garden more bird- friendly. Now is the best time to clean out existing nesting boxes or find a spot for a new one, as this is when birds start pairing up and settling down.

Bill makes sure his birds are well fed. His garden has a mealworm feeder - the larvae of the mealworm beetle are loved by many birds and can help fledglings survive the first few weeks of life. Don't forget to provide birds with water, too.

When you put out a bird bath, ground feeding station or hanging feeders, it is important to place them somewhere birds will feel safe - a spot that gives them clear visibility ' We have a feng shui fox of the garden, with some cover nearby should they become alarmed.

Viewers of Bill's new show will know it's not just birds that are attracted to his garden. 'We have a feng shui fox who likes to move everything around,' says Bill.

'His main fetish was the figure of Jesus that I've stood on a brick in a pond so it looks as though he is walking on water.

'Most mornings I would find that he had been taken out of the pond and once he'd been put on the lawn, next to a rubber crocodile.' Bill is even nonchalant about our most detested mammal - rats. 'I don't want them in the house, but outside they're not doing any harm,' he says.

And when we spot four grey baby rats and their parents looking for food at the back of the garden, Bill grabs his camcorder and films the action.

He tells me that on one occasion he did try to discourage the rats by putting out a stuffed cat near to where they forage.

'They didn't care and neither did a robin that landed on its head within seconds,' says Bill.

I get the impression he is actually quite glad they decided to stay.

The latest series of Bill Oddie's Wild Side is on BBC2 on Wednesdays at 8pm until March 12.

For more on wildlife gardening, check out the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds' website, www.rspb.org.uk..