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How to make a bird-friendly garden in South Africa

Birds need four things, and even a small garden can provide all of them: food, water, shelter and places to nest. Plant indigenous, put out clean water every day, and protect birds from windows and cats.

Plant for birds

Plants that grow naturally in your region support the insects, fruit and nectar that local birds depend on. Lawns and neat beds of exotic flowers support few birds.

• Plant in layers: ground cover, shrubs, small trees and taller trees.
• Plant for every season, so that something is flowering, fruiting or seeding in each month.
• For sunbirds: aloes, wild dagga, erythrinas and other red or orange tubular flowers.
• For barbets, mousebirds and bulbuls: fruiting trees and shrubs such as wild figs, num-num and wild plum.
• For weavers, waxbills and canaries: grasses left to seed.
• For shelter and nests: dense, thorny shrubs, and trees with old branches and holes.

Ask a local indigenous nursery which species suit your area.

Leave some wildness: a patch of long grass, a log, leaf litter under the shrubs. These hold the insects that birds feed to their chicks. Avoid pesticides, which kill those insects and can poison birds directly.

Water

Clean water may attract more birds than any food, especially in dry areas and in winter.

• Use a shallow bath, no deeper than about 5 cm, with a rough bottom or a few flat stones.
• Place it in the open, 2 to 3 metres from cover, so that birds can see danger coming and still escape.
• Change the water daily and scrub the bath every few days. Dirty water spreads disease.

Feeding responsibly

Feeding should add to natural food, not replace it.

Good foods:

• fresh, dry seed mixes;
• cut fruit such as apple, pawpaw and banana;
• mealworms or suet in moderation.

Never put out bread, salty or processed food, mouldy seed or milk.

Nectar feeders: use only plain white sugar dissolved in water, about 1 part sugar to 4 or 5 parts water. Never use honey, artificial sweeteners or red food colouring. Empty and clean the feeder every two or three days, because sugar water ferments.

Clean feeders and the ground beneath them regularly. If you see sick birds, stop feeding for a few weeks.

Windows

Birds fly into windows because they see reflected sky or plants. Many die.

• Put decals, dots or strips on the outside of the glass, no more than a hand's width apart. A single sticker does little.
• Hang netting or strings outside problem windows.
• Place feeders either within a metre of a window, or about 10 metres away.

Cats and poisons

Pet cats kill large numbers of birds. Keep cats indoors at dawn and dusk, fit a bell, and keep baths and feeders away from places where a cat can hide.

Rat poison kills owls that eat poisoned rodents. Use traps instead, and avoid slug pellets and garden insecticides.

If you find a baby bird

Many fledglings on the ground are normal and are still being fed by their parents. Leave them unless they are in danger. For an injured bird, keep cats and children away and phone a wildlife rehabilitation centre or the SPCA for advice.

This guide is based on Chapter 9 of Birdwatching in Southern Africa, which includes a plan for a bird-friendly garden.