New Zealand Backyard Birds Newsletter -

Backyard Birds Newsletter
Attracting and Feeding Birds in Your New Zealand Backyard

Autumn - 2012

Leave the Leaves
At this time of year many gardens have trees that are beginning to loose their leaves. Instead of throwing that leaf litter away use it to attract birds into your garden. If you rake it up and pile it under your shrubs not only will it provide nutrients for your garden but also all the birds basic needs.
A pile of leaf litter becomes a home for worms and insects which many birds will be grateful for in the winter months. The pile will become a nesting site for some of the smaller species as well as providing nest building material for other birds.
These piles don't have to be large unsightly heaps of rotting leaf litter that detracts from the beauty of your garden. One or two small heaps placed under shrubs at the bottom of the garden will return great results.

Special Offer
In most parts of New Zealand wild birds have had a fairly easy summer this year, with good food supplies available to them. As Autumn sets in this food is becoming harder to find so now is a good time to be thinking about offering them extra seed to help build them up for the hard winter months ahead.

Our Autumn special is one of our popular Small Bottle Seed Feeders for only $27.00 plus freight which is a saving of $8.00
This special is only available until 30 June 2012

Special Offer is available at www.backyardbirds.co.nz/seed_feeder.htm

Put Out Nesting Boxes
With the colder months on their way, now is a good time to think about putting out a few nesting boxes.
Providing nesting sites and shelter from bad weather will encourage the birds to change their perception of your backyard from a food source to a home where they will spend all, or most of their time instead of just flying in for food and then leaving.
Although most birds wont use the boxes for nesting until the spring, they will use them as shelter from the wind and the rain. Also they will have plenty of time to become familiar with them before they need to select a nesting site.

Cleaning Bird Feeders
Now that there is less natural food available for the birds they will become more dependant on your feeders.
The more birds you are feeding, the more frequently you will need to clean your feeders. Larger flocks generate more faeces and have more opportunities to share diseases and bacteria, and more frequent cleanings can keep the birds healthier.
Use a stiff brush, an old plastic dish washing one is ideal. Make a solution of one part bleach to nine parts hot water.

The links below will lead you to articles which tell you everything you need to know about feeder cleaning.

Why We Need to Clean Bird Feeders
Birdfeeder Cleaning Tips

Photo of the Month

We love receiving photos from our customers and have decided to include the best ones in each newsletter, so please send us your photos.
This one was taken by Geoff and Lynda who said
"It took 5 days before we saw a Tui on the feeder but I suspect they were there before that. It took a lot longer to get this photo!
Geoff stood in one place for about half an hour while he (the bird) goofed around singing to the neighbourhood before he decided to feed and then was there for only 30 seconds or so."

NZ Backyard Birds