George Herald | Attract birds to your garden during winter

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Attract birds to your garden during winter
09:30 (GMT+2), Thu, 28 June 2012

The bird-friendly garden starts with a good foundation.

LIFESTYLE NEWS - Winter is a notoriously difficult season for birds. With survival foremost on their minds, birds can easily be attracted to your carefully landscaped garden.

Many summer visitors leave us during autumn each year but a surprising number of bird species remain at home.

The shimmering colours and cheerful calls of the sunbirds and sugar birds can add additional interest to a drab winter.

The cold months of winter create an opportunity to attract these wonderful little creatures to your garden and the first step is to understand their needs and behaviour patterns during these colder months. The bird-friendly garden starts with a good foundation.

Not unlike other living creatures, birds have three important needs, all of which are difficult to come by during the harsh winter months; they comprise food, water and shelter. When landscaping your garden, these essentials need to be prioritised.

Give a little thought to the food requirements of the birds that frequent your area. The selection of shrubs and trees that are able to provide a natural food source should be the first priority.

Not only will a careful selection of suitable trees and shrubs offer your feathered visitors fruit, berries and flowers, they will also add much needed colour to your winter garden. Consult with your local nursery and select from indigenous, evergreen and colourful shrubs and trees. Remember to consider the frost factor in the colder regions.

Many trees flower during winter, and our 2012 tree of the year, the Water-Berry (Syzygium cordatum), Black Mangrove (Burguiera gymnorrhiza) and the Red Beech (Protorhus longifolia) are suitable for planting in most regions. The latter grows quite tall (20-25m) and has a lovely pinkish flower from July to October.

Once the foundation has been set up successfully, complete the picture by including the warm colours from some winter flowers: aloes, strelitzias, daisies, the Red Hot Poker (Kniphofia praecox) and the many familial varieties of this favourite will add lovely warm orange colours to your garden.

Your selection of trees plays an integral part in attracting garden birds, as they have dual roles as food providers and as safety zones.

Locate feeders at different levels where they can be viewed easily and where possible, cater for the different bird species by offering a menu of seeds and colourful fruit.

Select gravity feeders that are able to keep seed dry and feeders that are able to withstand the wintry gusts as they pass through. Take time to study the habits of the different birds.

Suet and other meat based options attract certain meat or insect eating birds. Make your own by melting a little fat and stirring in a few seeds, some over-ripe fruit, even a little cheese or left-over bread and meat scraps. Once the mixture has cooled you can cut it into portions, freezing any extra for later use.

The birds will love you! Don't underestimate the simplistic approach of a decomposing bed of fallen leaves to provide a suitable environment for worms and grubs, an appealing food source for our meat eating visitors.

Many of our best gardens include running water features. Aside from being attracted by the sight of water, the natural sound of running water is sure to appeal to any bird scanning your garden during a fly-by.

Start with a simple water dispenser hanging from a branch, or a standing bird bath as an entry level option. Water and feeding stations, when used together, offer attractive design options while fulfilling the basic needs and in addition to attracting birds, these enhance any garden and can be fun to build.

Birds love bathing in a shallow pool - perhaps you have some weathered stones, or a shallow section of your water feature which allows them to spread their wings a little.

Now that your foundation has been laid, you'll already be enjoying the sight and sounds of your new visitors. Above all else, don't forget to enjoy your creation.

For more information on bringing life to your garden, visit our website www.lifeisagarden.co.za or join the conversation on our facebook page: www.facebook.com/lifeisagardensa.