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Four Bird-scaping Garden Tips
Bring native birds back to your garden.
The battle for our birds is underway. While ambitious projects like Predator Free 2050 are gathering steam on a large national scale, there are also small measures on the home front that can help protect our taonga. And you donât have to be out trapping possums every weekend to do your bit.
Make your home or workplace garden an inviting sanctuary for native birds with these small acts of hospitality:Â
Bin the bread
Putting out grain-based food like bread encourages introduced species like sparrows and mynas to dominate the garden. These birds can crowd out smaller natives like the grey warbler and waxeye. In reality most New Zealand birds donât fare well on bread but prefer to eat nectar, insects, leaves and berries.
Leave a little litter
Leaf litter, that is. Little piles of twigs, fallen leaves and other garden matter create the perfect environment for insects. And you know what loves foraging for insects? Yes, our native birds â particularly tĆ«i, bellbirds and fantails. Other options for the tidy Kiwis out there are a Bug Hut or our Bug, Bee and Butterfly House. Biodiversity can be beautiful!
Theyâll neck nectar
Put out a nectar feeder and, once the tĆ«i and bellbird find it, youâll have regular visitors crowding for a spot. A red feeder will attract nectar-feeding natives best as theyâre used to looking out for the red flowers of the rata and pohutukawa. One of our customers wrote to describe her delight at seeing numerous bellbirds and up to seven tĆ«i at her new feeder, âI have lived in Hanmer Springs for two years and have never seen or heard a tĆ«i. Seeing them up close is a joy.â
Plant to please
Plant flowering plants like puriri, nikau and kĆwhai to provide a natural food source. If space is limited try small bushes like native jasmine, koromiko or other hebe species. Theyâll bring insects which in turn attract small birds like the fantail or grey warbler. Growing your own native trees like kĆwhai and kapuka is easy, or check out your local native plant nursery.
Feed to fortify
Winter is tough on birds as they need extra energy to stay warm. They also clock up  lots of air miles searching for food sources, which are scarce in winter. Putting out sugar water, nectar or food rich in essential fats can make all the difference to a tired, hungry bird. And, just like us, they need a good balance of vitamins and minerals to stay healthy â so only feed them the good stuff.
Itâs the little things that make big things happen. So get behind your locals, âbirdscapeâ your garden and really make a difference to the native bird numbers in your area.