News & Tips

Whether they’re a welcome wild visitor or a fine flock kept for eggs and breeding, ducks are a pleasant addition to any backyard, lifestyle block or farm. For feeding backyard ducks, a good supplementary feed really is all it’s quacked up to be.

In 2013, a community of crib owners at Gemmells Crossing banded together to replant and restore their special spot on the Kakanui River. The outcome? A thunderous symphony of birdsong that quite literally silenced the room during a recent AGM.

With high levels of energy, nutrients and water content, fruit is an excellent food to keep hungry birds flying, foraging and flocking. However, when helping your backyard visitors with fruity snacks, it is important to consider the types of fruit you are feeding and how you’re feeding them.

We love seeing a kererū in a kōwhai or tūī in a tawa gobbling fruit and nectar. Even better if we can supplement the birds’ natural food sources by hanging a feeder to get them through times of food scarcity. But what if trees aren’t an option at your place?

The results are in for the 2021 New Zealand Garden Bird Survey. At 5894 results nationwide, 2021 saw a near-identical number of submitted surveys as 2020. 

Waking up to a chorus of bird song is one of the great delights of living in Aotearoa. But can you differentiate the chime of a korimako (bellbird) from the tūī in that kōwhai tree? 

In the heat of summer your local birdlife needs a reliable chill-out spot, a space they can drink and wash in. It’s good for them and it’s great for nature lovers too.

In July over 1200 different birds in 16 different categories will be on show in Hamilton. We’re proud to sponsor the big event and to support the hard work of the entrants and the beauty of their birds.