Native birds are an absolute delight when they visit your garden, and many homeowners enjoy attracting native birds for their stunning feather shades and beautiful songs. Birds chirping in the garden on a sunny day epitomises summer, and there are many ways to keep the twitter of native birds alive in your backyard.
Many people do not consider native birds a pest in their garden, and actively try to lure them in to enjoy and admire their beauty. These birds can also help pollinate garden flowers, provide natural pest and weed control. Birds like the Kookaburra or Rainbow Lorikeet are sights to behold and add excitement to your garden.
How to lure native birds to your garden:
Provide water sources:
If you provide fresh water in the form of a birdbath, you can attract many birds to your garden. Be sure to change the water regularly and position the birdbath high enough to protect the birds from predators. You can also position it where it is easily viewable for you to enjoy watching the birds having a refreshing drink or a swim.
Bird baths should also be shallow to allow them to clean their feathers while standing up in the water. If you keep your bird bath full year-round, birds will seek out continuous water sources so you may get repeat guests!
You can also install a nectar feeder in your backyard to attract nectar-loving birds. Simply mix 200g of sugar with a litre of water into a feeder to keep the birds hydrated.
Grow native plants:
A diverse garden bursting with a variety of plants will likely draw native birds to your home. This includes smaller, shorter plants, as well as larger trees, so the birds have varying levels of shelter and food. Like humans, different birds have different food preferences. Some like to dig up creepy crawlies from the bottom of your garden, and some like to fill up on nectar or seeds.
Some bird lovers have discouraged the use of seed feeders, to avoid birds becoming too reliant on them as their main source of food. If you are not able to replace the bird feed, for instance when you are on holiday, the birds that have become dependent on it are then without a food source. Feeders can also draw all types of birds to your backyard, not just the pleasant, pretty ones!
To avoid the pest-like birds from being attracted to your home, you should consider some bird protection measures such as gutter guards. While you want to attract beautiful native birds, you do not want to end up with sparrows and mynas nesting in your roof cavities or your gutter.
Aussie Gutter Protection are the team to call for all things bird proofing. The can scour your rooftop to find the smallest entry points birds will use to enter your roof cavity and set up a nest.
Once all entry points are blocked, they can install gutter guard mesh inside your gutters. The gutter guard mesh allows water to flow freely through your gutters. It also prevents the build-up of debris such as sticks and leaves from blocking your gutters and prevents birds from being able to make a nest in your gutters.
Call Aussie Gutter Protection’s friendly bird proofing team for a personalised quote.
