Australia has one of the most diverse ranges of birds in the world, from large parrots such as the yellow tail black cockatoo, through to tiny finches. In Australia, millions of people feed native birds, (between 30 and 60% of the population) for various reasons, many benefit from the interaction with nature in their backyard and others feed them to support many threatened species. Climate change, de-forestation, feral cats,  bush fires, droughts, floods and suburban sprawl have presented the greatest threats to native birds.

 How do I attract birds to my backyard?

There are two ways that you can encourage native bird to visit your garden.

One is to plant native plants that are attractive to birds from this area. Your local nursery should be able to advise you on which plants will be best suited for this. The other is to provide fresh feed and water for the birds.

Is feeding wild birds bread bad for them?

There is some debate as to whether humans should feed native birds and what impact it has on them. According to  Professor Darryl Jones, from Griffith University, even when birds have access to lots of feeders, they still prefer to gather most of their food from natural sources. Other theories suggest that it makes birds dependent on us, or it can make them aggressive. There is no conclusive evidence to support either of these arguments so I see little in harm in offering feed to native birds, provided that the diet you offer is a balanced and healthy one.

Get counting our Aussie birds for the Aussie Bird Count!

Each October, you can participate in the Aussie bird count by simply downloading an app (or uploading via the website) and uploading what you see in your own backyard! The Aussie Bird Count is  for all-ages that involves observing and counting the birds that live near you – whether that’s in your garden, the local park, a beach or even your town centre. BirdLife Australia recommend counting the birds you’ve seen within a 20 minute period, to provide a snapshot and trends of Australian birds at the same time each year! 

So what diet should we feeding to native birds? 

That of course depends on what birds are in your area. Birds with hooked bills such as parrots including rosellas, cockatoos and king parrots are seedeaters. These birds should be provided with a variety of seeds of different sizes.  Commercial parrot mix’s are available to suit large and small parrots. Look for a mix that does not contain more then 30% sunflower as this seed is high in fat and can cause health problems if the bird consumes too much of it. Seed should be placed in a large flat dish or feeder and preferably off the ground as birds feel vulnerable at ground level and may not feed.

 Birds such as finches, magpies and pee wees have a diet that contains a large

amount of insects. Mealworms that are available from our store are an excellent diet to offer these native birds and they are eagerly accepted. Mealworms can be kept in the fridge for many days and are clean and easy to handle.

 

Magpies and kookaburras also enjoy stripes and cubes of red meat. Pet meat such as Kangaroo or beef is and excellent source of feed for these birds. In some cases, kookaburras may become so tame that they will accept feed from your hand. Dusting this meat in a little Vetafarm Insecta Pro will improve the quality of the food.

 

To encourage birds to come to your feed area, ensure that you place the feed out at about the same time each day and after a few hours remove any uneaten feed and empty the feeder. Place the feeding station in a high area that has some shrubs or trees for protection from predators such as cats.

 

 

Always provide fresh drinking water for the birds, but ensure that the container is no more then 5cm deep as young birds, known as fledgelings, may accidentally drown in it.  Add, some rocks to provide stepping stones within the container for safe access.

It may take several weeks for the a number of birds to come to your feeding area, but persevere with it as they will eventually come.