5 Tips On Attracting Birds to Your Garden
Attracting birds to your garden isn’t actually hard to do. Grow the right plants, provide a water source, ensure adequate food sources and do what you can to keep birds safe. But like you, when we are just starting something new, we like to be supported with plenty of information. So, today we’ll focus on expanding upon five things which will help you with your goal of attracting birds to your garden.
Attracting Birds to Your Garden Is Easy As
There’s nothing quite like hearing birdsong and seeing a fluttering of feathers amongst the leaves. We’re huge fans of our native birds, as well as the many imports we see each day. We are concerned though, about the shrinking number of bird habitats due to urbanisation. Luckily, we (and you) can help do something about that by making your garden attractive to birds and other wildlife. Here are five tips on how to make your garden bird-friendly.
- Plant nectar-producing flowers – the native Tui and Korimako enjoy a feed of nectar. You only need to see the huge increase of Tuis and Kereru around when the Kowhais are in bloom to see just how much! Planting nectar and fruit-producing plants such as flax, Cabbage and Kowhai Trees will ensure there is plenty of nectar for everyone.
- Stop predators – rats, mice and stoats are nasty predators you do not want in your garden. From eating bird eggs to removing food sources, they play havoc on the bird population. Use predator traps around your garden to catch and remove these pests. In terms of cats, you can reduce the impact they cause by having bells on their collars, feeding them regularly, keeping bird feeders out of reach and put animal guards around the trunks of trees which have nesting birds.
- Think safety first – as well as protection from predators, there are other things we need to protect birds from too, including our homes. Birds are often confused by the reflections on glass windows and will fly into them. When choosing places for your plantings, keep away from your home to reduce the risk of injuries to our birds.
- Food supplies – all plants fruit or flower at different times throughout the year. When considering what to plant, try to choose a variety which will flower at different times of the year to ensure year-long food supply. The Department of Conservation has a great table which shows what months our native plants do fruit or flower.
- Provide a water supply – a birdbath is a popular choice, but if you haven’t got the room, plastic bottles or containers with water inside could be attached to and hung from trees. You may even want to provide sugar water inside the bottles.
Why not start attracting birds to your garden today by ordering your native Kowhai Tree or Cabbage Tree direct from us today!
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