I am the founder of A Little Bird Company. A little company that helps you attract little birds to your garden.

I've always fed the birds. Initially it was more out of a sense of duty if I'm honest. I'd fill up my battered old feeder, head off to work and by the time I got home it was empty.

It was only when my first daughter was born and I was at home on maternity leave did I realise the food was being eaten entirely by pigeons. Enormous pigeons! I'd given them so much food they could barely walk.

Not that I have anything against pigeons - I'd just imagined there were all sorts of beautiful little birds eating my food while I was at work.

Little did I know, but catching sight of these pigeons in the act was the first step on a journey which became my livelihood.

I carried on testing different ingredients and came up with a mix that seemed to work a little better. I started spotting blue tits and robins and blackbirds. Greeting the little birds at my feeder each day felt like such an accomplishment and connected me a little more with the wildlife outside my window.

I continued to research and observe. I noticed some birds would feed from the ground whilst others only visited if the seed was higher up. I tried different feeders. Ones that wouldn’t get brittle in the summer heat, or crack in the frosty weather.

By the time my second daughter arrived just over a year later, I was in the rhythm of putting out bird food each day. I started needing more food as word got out that my garden had the tastiest supplies. I went from using 1kg a week to over 10kg - all of which fed the hungry beaks without any mess or waste.

As my daughters grew, their interest in birds grew too. One day as they were getting ready for school, I looked out and spotted a goldfinch. They’re not particularly rare - in fact, they’re one of the populations of birds that’s increasing in the UK - but we’d never seen one in our urban garden. It was the most amazing moment to see such a beautiful bird and know I’d encouraged him in with my food. It felt like a proper accomplishment. I’d come so far from a sea of pigeons to spotting this tiny, spectatularly coloured goldfinch, who was bursting with character. It felt like I’d achieved something.

For a bootstrapped business owner, each new customer and every bit of positive feedback gave me a huge confidence boost.
Growth was slow and organic, but over time, I found myself tripping over more and more boxes and vacuuming bird seed from my lounge floor daily.

The time had come to find a more suitable place to work.

I now hand-mix and send my seed subscriptions from a beautiful studio at an equestrian center in the middle of the pretty Hertfordshire countryside. It’s hard work, but me and my dog, Bella, are surrounded by wildlife on all sides, beautiful green fields and horses, and I love it.

Some days I have to pinch myself at how far I’ve come. I have my loyal customers to thank for that.

Some species of wild birds are becoming endangered in the UK. My goal is to support small bird populations in urban areas by making it simple, enjoyable and affordable for families to do their bit. You can help them by creating a safe habitat and supplementing their diminishing food supply.

I love birds of course, but it’s bigger than just that. I also care about our planet.

Frustrated, not only with the quality of bird food available but also the single use plastic used to package it, I didn’t want to be adding to the problem. My business is plastic-free and I designed my own compostable packaging.

I also support communities from overseas by supplying fair trade products such as this beautiful, yet sustainable Artisan Nesting Box. It’s
hand-crafted by talented women in Bangladesh and decorated using recycled sari fabric.

I carefully select every product I sell. I’m a one-woman band with my personal reputation at stake, so only offer items that I’ve personally tried and tested in my own garden. The seeds are mixed by hand; the products are intelligently sourced and it’s all packaged and sent by yours truly.