ONE FOR THE BIRDS
Ginny Clark explains how home gardeners can help bring back the birdsong
IT’S WINTER. Short days and long cold nights combined with a lack of natural food supplies puts our local bird population under stress. Many birds don’t survive.
Help them out by planting nectar or berry producing plants in the garden to boost their food source or feed them with some of the wonderful New Zealand made Topflite wild bird food.
We are lucky where we live as we have planted many a tree and shrub that the birds love and every morning wake to the call of tu¯¯ı and bellbirds.
In fact, we even have ka¯ka¯ and pheasants visit our garden.
Many new neighbourhoods however have no bird life, and it all seems a bit quiet and sad.
However, you can change this by planting the right thing and providing birds with a reason to come to your place
At this time of year, we get new stocks of the plants that birds really like to feed from. Waratahs (Telopia sp) and banksias are favourites, especially for wax eyes and tu¯¯ı who love to feast on the flowers.
Grevilleas are excellent for many of our nectar-loving birds.
These can be grown as ground covers or medium to tall shrubs.
The best thing about the grevilleas is that they mostly flower during the winter, when the birds need the food and when there is not much else flowering.
Crab apple trees are a bird favourite as are pseudopanax trees and pyracantha bushes. If you don’t have room to plant any of the above, then consider putting food out for the birds.
We have a great range of food options and feeders available now.
Wax eyes go crazy over the scrumptious
berry flavoured energy cakes and logs.
These can be hung from a tree, or post in your garden.
There are also delicious wild bird cakes and hanging coconut feeders, packed with energy cake, truffles and energy pellets that you place into a feeder and wild bird nectar which birds such as the tui will feed on.
So, give the birds in your area something to chirp about and plant something that will grow and feed the birds for the future.
They will love you for it.