Environment – Busy time for birds

There is a tremendous amount of activity in my garden right now, as we come into spring and birds are beginning nesting. The tui, in particular, always seem to be busy. Over the winter months, I put a dish of sugar water out for these nectar feeders.

Usually, I would get one or two regular visitors, but recently I have had as many as seven birds at a time, feathers fluffed up and jostling for the feeder, providing great entertainment. The sugar water helps them through the winter but now that spring is here there will be a succession of other food sources to attract their attention towards a healthier diet.

A few good garden plants for tui are already in flower: I’ve had them searching out nectar in my almond blossoms, camellias and magnolias. Coastal pittosporum is flowering, too, and the tui love it. A few days ago, I came across the first kowhai flowers of the season, which tui will flock to over the next month or two. Places such as Waterfall Gully in Shakespear Regional Park, and areas of Wenderholm Regional Park are well worth a visit during this time. The spectacle of 10 or 20 tui in a single tree can be stunning.

I use a fairly weak sugar solution for tui – a big tablespoon of sugar to one cup of water. This keeps the tui going when there isn’t much food around, and when better foods are available, they’ll choose them over the sugar water and stop visiting my feeder altogether. This way I’m not interfering too much with the birds’ natural feeding patterns.

In the same vein, putting out bread for birds isn’t good in spring. Blackbirds and thrushes can get hooked on feeding their chicks this easy meal when the chicks really need protein in the form of worms or slugs and snails. An Auckland study by Josie Galbraith also showed feeding bread has the effect of bringing more sparrows and mynas into your garden and reducing the number of fantails, grey warblers and other native birds.

A thrush which built a nest in my garden, is right now sitting on eggs, which must be about due to hatch. Grey warblers will have nested and many other species will be getting started. Because of this, it’s a good time to make sure you have no rats and possums around. If you need help with getting this started contact Hibiscus Coast Forest and Bird or the Auckland Council for information.