Floral treats come early, drawing avian crowds

PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
PHOTO: STEPHEN JAQUIERY
Early flowering trees are providing welcome food for birds in Dunedin including (clockwise from top left) bellbirds, waxeyes, wood pigeons and tui.

Birds New Zealand Otago representative Mary Thompson yesterday said good numbers of native birds in the city this winter continued to reflect the city’s reputation as the "wildlife capital of New Zealand", which was a "very good description".

She acknowledged that native birds were taking advantage of early flowering trees and said she had seen more waxeyes in her Wakari garden this year.

She recorded 55 of them during the recent New Zealand Garden Bird Survey, up from five last year and against a trend of somewhat reduced Otago sightings of the bird in the survey. 

 

Add a Comment

 

Advertisement