Creating an environment to encourage native birds to visit your home garden may not be as hard as you think.
With a bit of planning and patience you could be enjoying the song of tui, bellbirds and many other native and exotic species without having to leave the comfort of home.
The size of your garden will ultimately determine whether to use plants or bird feeders or a combination of both to help to attract our feathered friends.
Planting New Zealand natives is a step in the right direction for nectar-feeding birds, such as the tui and bellbird.
Try planting Sophora microphylla (kowhai), a small-growing tree that bears outstanding golden yellow flowers, or Phormium tenax (flax).
Its tall flower spikes provide an ample food supply for many weeks.
If New Zealand native plants are not your thing, there are exotic options such as Callistemon linearis, an Australian shrub that bears crimson bottlebrush-like flowers that tui and bellbirds find irresistible.
Another local, the kereru (New Zealand wood pigeon), feeds on fruit and foliage from both native and exotic plants, so try planting as a native option Cordyline australis (cabbage tree) for the fruit, or Australian Eucalyptus (gum tree) for the foliage.
Coprosma lucida, a New Zealand native shrub, bears bright orange fruit that silvereyes love and if you are lucky the grey warbler and New Zealand fantail may also visit to feed on insects.
With careful selection, it is possible to provide a year-round food source for native birds.
• Neale McLanachan is a third-year apprentice at Dunedin Botanic Garden.
