Tui and bellbirds, kereru and silvereyes, welcome swallows and rosellas, fantails and beautiful bright yellowhammers: all these and more are frequent visitors to our garden.
Living on the edge of the bush, we have no shortage of birds, and I had never thought of feeding them until this year.
Then my mother-in-law moved to Mosgiel, and I saw how many birds she attracts to her garden with simple sugar water.
Silvereyes galore flock in for a drink until they are chased away by the bellbirds, fellow nectar-drinkers who have the advantage of size.
It makes a lively and entertaining show, and birds are a natural way of controlling insects in the garden.
So I bought a bird-feeding block made of fat and seeds at the supermarket, hung it in a tree by the house and waited.
At first nothing seemed to be happening. But a silvereye can hide really well, even in a naked tree. Their greeny-grey colouring blends perfectly with the bark and branches, and sometimes only their movement gives them away.
Within half an hour, there were at least 20 in the tree, taking turns to peck at the fat, though they weren't so keen on the seeds.
Bird seed went into an old cat-food can nailed to the bird table. In flew the finches, the sparrows and blackbirds, scrambling and scrapping over it until it was gone.
Encouraged, we put a bowl on the bird table and filled it with a sugar solution for the nectar-feeders.
Within a couple of hours, mossy-green bellbirds were perched on the table dipping their shiny black beaks delicately into the bowl.
Shortly afterwards, the bowl was gone, rolled down the bank below the table. One of our hens probably flew up for a look and knocked it flying (the hens are the reason the bird table has hardly been used).
But I have been inspired to try harder and experimental home-made feeders of many designs have started popping up around our garden, hanging from trees or nailed to the garage. Pot-plant hangers work very well, especially to hold containers of sugar water.
Bird-pudding blocks can easily be made using dripping and wild bird seed mix bought from the supermarket. Add bread, bits of fruit (fresh or dried) and bacon bits if you like.
Just make sure to keep it all clean and don't let it spoil, or you may do the birds more harm than good. Mouldy or very salty food can kill birds.
Hang these blocks in the trees (onion bags are good for this) or fix them somewhere the birds will be well away from danger, especially cats. Even a plump, lazy non-hunting cat can be unbearably tempted when watching dozens of birds coming and going.
I hang my bird pudding in the tree by the back door in a pouch made of bird netting, out of reach of the cat and the hens. Hopefully, it is close enough to the house to keep the hawks from dropping by for a takeaway, yet far enough from the windows so the birds are not confused by the reflections.
"Bird apples" can be bought cheaply at the farmers market to be quartered and put out on a bird table or up in the trees. Spearing them on the twigs keeps them in place quite well.
There isn't usually much left after the bellbirds have had their share, just an empty skin. But it's a good idea not to leave any out overnight, since possums like nothing better than a bit of apple, and who wants to encourage those vandals into the garden?
Some say feeding birds is a commitment. They say your feathered friends will come to rely on you and will die if you stop supplying them.
Others say birds have evolved with a fluctuating food supply and will simply fly away and find more if your bird table is empty.
There is likely to be a bit of truth in both arguments. Feeding can keep the bird population in an area artificially high, but only a real birdbrain would stay in a single garden with no food and starve to death.
The Landcare Research annual garden-bird survey indicates that overall, there are many more birds in gardens where they are fed.
Anyone can bring life and song into their garden in winter when everything seems dull and grey. All it takes is a humble block of dripping or some sugar water.
FOR THE BIRDS
The Banks Peninsula Tui Restoration group has some good advice for those who want to feed nectar-eaters.
-• Use a cup of plain white sugar to 2 litres of water, or 1 tablespoon to 1 cup. Stronger solutions will attract wasps and bees and will spoil more quickly.
-• Do not use honey. It spoils faster than sugar water, and is actually less like nectar. It can also spread bee diseases.
-• Solution may be stored in the fridge for a week.
-• Keep the feeder and its environment clean, as droppings will spread disease. Scrub with warm water and use bleach rather than detergent.
-• Micro-organisms will thrive in the sugar water, so replace it every two or three days (if the birds haven't finished it already).
LEARN MORE
For more advice on feeding birds or building bird tables, visit:
-• www.forestandbird.org.nz/saving-our-environment/make-bird-feeder-your-ga...
-• nzbirds.com/more/feed.html
-• www.bpct.org.nz/pdf/2010%20SugarWaterFeeders %20(L.Molles).pdf
