Birds of a feather in your Garden

As the colder weather approaches, the birds in the city move closer to buildings and the safety of your garden. Nature looks after the wild birds by supplying berries and seeds to supplement the limited supply of bugs and such. You can plant a selection to keep them coming back to you or place a feeding station near some fresh water in a bird bath to attract them to your garden.

No feeding station should be without Suet balls, Bird Seed and some Fruit but have you tried some Nutty Putty?

Food for thought
The easiest starting point to get the birds to love your garden is to put birdseed out regularly. Start with a smaller amount and then increase your serving. If you overfeed birds they will just waste it so rather feed less, more frequently. We recommend you use wild birdseed rather than garden birdseed. Garden birdseed has mielie bits in it which tends to attract the pigeons which are not what most gardeners want to see.

The Bird seed bells and tower block feeders are great for attracting smaller birds as the doves and pigeons can’t hold on to them to feed.

Suet has become very popular with our local birds and with good reason. High in protein suet helps to fatten the birds up to protect them against the cold nights and to maintain their energy levels. Soft enough for baby birds too, we recommend always adding suet to your feeding station even through spring breeding season. The nutty bird pudding will also help to fatten them up in much the same way and attracts different birds. 

Nectar Feeders will attract the Sunbirds and White Eyes to the garden and can also be used as a water dispenser. Don’t forget the fruit feeding birds which love a bit of apple or orange.

Bug eating birds
Leave the fallen leaves in the garden as these will provide micro-habitat for various insects, grubs and worms, which will in turn attract insect feeders such as Cape robin-chats, Karoo and Olive Thrushes as well as African hoopoes. These birds love the dense undergrowth of gardens where they turn over leaves and debris in search of grubs. 
By installing a bug box you will find some of the beneficial insects finding a home in your garden which in turn gives these birds even more insects to find in the garden.

Nesting boxes
Seed towers or bells are perfect for finches
As safe spots to breed become harder to find in the city more often than one thinks birds will use a nesting box. In our local area there are a number of Owl boxes as well as Cape Robin boxes installed and all quickly occupied.

Nesting logs are a favourite with barbets who use them for breeding. Anchor the logs vertically on tree trunks several metres off the ground with the starter hole facing south and slightly downwards. This will prevent rain getting in and protect the nest from overheating in summer. We also have owl boxes which need to be placed high up on trees and buildings to give them shelter and a vantage view point over the garden.

Water for birds
Keep your bird bath clean and filled through winter
Every garden should have water for the birds either in the form of a bird bath or a water feature that they can stand in. With less rain through winter water also becomes scarce for birds so your garden bird bath will certainly get more attention this time of the year. 
Place bird baths in the quieter part of the garden, preferably near thick foliage and established trees, so that the birds can perch nearby and not feel exposed. A water feature that has a basin that is too deep won’t help. Add some pebbles or a large stone in the water to give the birds a spot to stand and have a bath.

A bird bath near your feeding station is a good idea as it gives them everything in one spot and keeps them coming back, much like we do to our local convenience store.

Remember to keep the bird bath topped up regularly as many birds will frequently visit to drink and bath.

The most important thing to remember is that the more varied your offering the more varied the range of birds will be that find your garden.

The crested barbet is a sub-Saharan bird in the Lybiidae family.
Its specific name commemorates François Levaillant, a famed French naturalist. Wikipedia
Scientific name: Trachyphonus vaillantii
Phylum: Chordata
Higher classification: Trachyphonus
Rank: Species
Order: Piciformes
Did you know: Crested barbets are aggressive towards other birds in their territory and chase off both nest competitors such as other barbets and other birds such as doves and thrushes.

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