My Binocs Bring All the Birds to the Yard

34 / OUTSIDE&IN

We all take great pleasure in designing, creating and frolicking about our gardens – that is a given! But the idea that we can design these spaces to attract and entice our feathered friends is a concept we’re less familiar with. Most of us believe that our garden birds are an accidental subset of the birds in the surrounding area. Yet, did you know that you can actually ‘design’ the bird assemblage in your garden, inviting the rewarding return of activity, colour, and sound of free-flying fauna? Switch off the TV, grab your binocs, and come sit right here... It’s birdwatching time!

Seed and sustenance

It is a well-known fact that placing food and water in your garden will bring more bird visitors. However, by judiciously providing a diversity of foods, you can attract far more species. Successful execution of this strategy depends on understanding the availability of different foods and the birds that enjoy them, plus how to present them. This will be an absorbing journey that enriches and matures over the years.

First, the essentials

With the short-term intervention of food and water, you can attract birds within days to weeks. Mixed bird feed attracts larger seed-eating birds, especially doves, pigeons, and weavers. Throw this food on the ground in open areas. Bird seed is smaller, and attracts smaller seedeaters, such as mannikins, finches, bishop birds, queleas, and whydahs. Invariably these will be new to your garden, as most gardens lack swathes of suitable grasses to attract seedeaters. Provide seed in customised elevated feeders or on the ground.

Spice things up

Placing bonemeal, suet balls, and mealworms outside requires more time and effort, but you’ll be richly repaid with the close-up presence of insectivorous birds, such as shrikes, starlings, orioles, robin-chats, thrushes, and drongos. Whilst these species are usually present in your neighbourhood, feeding helps you to see them much more obviously, and some birds may become very accustomed to your presence. There are many ways of preparing and presenting these foods, but be sure to always do so in an elevated position.

A spoonful of sugar

Sugar-water is a specialist bird food and can simply be made combining white sugar with water in a ratio of 1:4 and placing it in a range of specialist feeders. This attracts a variety of stunning sunbirds, although feeders with larger drinking holes will also attract species with shorter bills, such as bulbuls, weavers, and orioles. This technique is less guaranteed to work successfully, but results can be spectacular.

Position, position, position

Place your feeders and water points where you can comfortably and regularly view the action. Remember, seeing your garden birds is the ultimate reward. Positioning them in clear sight also acts as a constant reminder to regularly top up the feed and water levels.

Make sure that cats cannot stalk and catch birds from cover; either by using raised feeders or feeding in open ground. By nightfall, ensure all bonemeal is eaten and there is no food on the ground – excess can attract cats and rats. Offer your birds watering points at ground level or as elevated bird baths and remember to keep these filled daily. Watering birds can be incredibly successful during dry winter and early spring, or summer months in the Western Cape.

Plant attraction

Planting for birds takes time, and will take years to reach maturity as we find new plants and techniques to attract birds. A well-designed bird garden should aim to provide extended flowering seasons in white, yellow, orange and red, with classic form and structure. Open your mind to new possibilities to create a home for bird movement, colour, and song – something that’s all the more rewarding since free-living birds have chosen your garden!

Local is lekker

Indigenous species are ideal, because they are a part of local food chains and biomes, and pre-adapted to attract insects and birds. Indigenous plants are often drought-resistant, which is increasingly important as climate change takes hold. Many gardeners believe that planting indigenous means boring, untidy plants lacking in colour. Not so; this view is quite out-dated. Given there are 25 000 indigenous plant species in Southern Africa, we have a wide choice of bird-friendly plants to bring colour, form, and structure.

Blooms for birds

Plants provide food, roosting, and nesting sites for birds. Plus, in terms of food resources, they offer nectar, fruit, seed, and insects. Amongst the best-known nectar plants are Leonotis, tree fuchsia, and aloes, which attract sunbirds. Plants that attract birds through nectar in exchange for pollination, have red or orange flowers. Sunbirds are highly prized because of their bright colours, intense activity, and vocal presence. The Amethyst Sunbird, White-bellied Sunbird, and Malachite Sunbird all go a long way in uplifting a garden. Plants that provide fruit for birds, include the tree fuchsia, Searsia (Rhus), and indigenous Ficus (figs). These attract birds such as barbets, bulbuls, starlings, and turacos.

Bugs for birds

Planting insect-rich trees is a less direct way of attracting birds, but some trees and shrubs are effective for providing fruit and nectar as well as insects. Insect-trees often have yellow and white flowers, helping to diversify the colour palette of your garden.

Given there are 25 000 indigenous plant species in Southern "

Africa, we have a wide choice of bird-friendly plants to bring colour, form, and structure."

Cape Sugarbird

A great example is the sweet thorn. This attractive tree tolerates a range of conditions, has a showy splash of yellow flowers that attract insects, and dense thorns offering a haven for bird’s nests. The fever tree, with stunning lime-yellow bark, usually attracts a colony of breeding weavers if planted next to water in a larger garden.

How do you take this forward? I hope that after reading this article, you’re inspired to rethink your garden, research ideas online and in books, visit garden centres to check products and expertise, or find fellow enthusiasts to share thoughts and resources. Falling in love with birds is a long, enriching, and never quite complete journey of filling your life with bird song, colour, and movement. I’m happy to say that in just two years, we attracted thirty-six species with food and water to our garden in Underberg, with a total bird list of 112 species. Now, go and bring back the birds! Aldo Berruti

Founder of Birding with Aldo

www.birdingwithaldo.com

@BirdingwithAldo

Cape robin-chat

Get to know your garden birds

Look out for these common and well-known birds in your garden...

Cape robin-chat

One of South Africa’s most widespread and loved birds, this insectivore will love water points and bonemeal. They typically forage in undergrowth and on the ground, so they require patches of shrubbery to survive.

Bulbuls

There are three species: the Dark-capped, Red-eyed, and Cape Bulbuls. Their dark heads and yellow vents help to identify them, and they readily come to fruit and bonemeal.

Barbets

Two species, Crested and Black-collared Barbets, are widespread across South Africa. They are real favourites, readily coming to fruit, and are both very vocal and colourful.

Weavers

Most South African gardens have one of three species: the Southern Masked Weaver, Village Weaver, and Cape Weaver. They occur in busy flocks, sometimes construct small colonies of woven nests, and will enjoy bonemeal, seed, and fruit.

Thrushes

Most South African gardens attract one of three species: the Olive, Karoo, or Kurrichane Thrush. They are ground-feeding birds and will come to bonemeal.

Doves and Pigeons

Present in all gardens, the most common are the Red-eyed Dove, Cape Turtle Dove, Laughing Dove, and Speckled Pigeon, which readily arrive in large numbers to feed on mixed bird food on the ground.

Shrikes

Three common species in South African gardens, dependent on geographical location, are the Common Fiscal, Southern Boubou, and the Bokmakierie. The latter is less common in gardens, but a highly desirable resident for its evocative and beautiful calls. All three species will come to bonemeal.

BRING BIRDS TO YOUR GARDEN, AN ONLINE COURSE

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