Birding can become a lifelong hobby, that starts by attracting birds into your garden.
Watching the birds feed and identifying all the different species is a fascinating activity. For kids it can start as a game, a competition to spot the most birds. From there, they can learn how to identify them, and begin to notice all the different personalities.
Getting started
Attracting birds into the garden is quite simple. You just need to feed them! There are seed eaters, insect eaters and nectar eaters.
Activity for kids:
- Set up different feeders for seed, suet and nectar and let your children record which kinds of birds flock to the feeder that week.
- Feed the birds at the same time so that they will know when to visit your garden.
Seed feeders attract doves and pigeons, as well as sparrows, weavers, waxbills, mannikins, pin-tailed whydahs and red bishops.
Marlaen Straathof from Kirchhoffs Wild Wings recommends a mix of grains/seeds that include sunflower seeds as well as smaller grains.
Small birds prefer feeders suspended from a branch or beam. A feeder with a flat base and a narrow perch or narrow roof overhang so that pigeons cannot get at the food.
Wild Wings seed bells, seed bottle feeders or blocks on a rope also favour smaller birds because it is easier for them to perch on the bell while pecking off the seeds.
Activities for kids:
- Encourage them to see if they can spot the differences in different birds, like size, colour and markings. This trains them in observation that is essential for identifying the birds.
- For really young kids an easy way to capture their imagination is to look for the regulars and give them names or make up a story about them. That makes the bird watching more fun and personal..
For insect eaters, a mix of suet, seed, nuts and other ingredients is a high-energy food that helps birds to survive in winter. Wild Wings bird-suet in the form of suet balls or slabs as well as suet holders can be obtained from hardware stores and garden centres. A holder prevents the suet from falling on the ground and getting spoilt. Start with small amounts and keep the rest in the refrigerator.
Look out for these suet eating birds: Crested and black collar Barbets, Cape Robin Chat, Thrushes, Boubous, Bulbuls, White-eyes and Woodpeckers.
Good idea: Get a book on garden birds, like Duncan Butchart’s ‘Garden birds in Southern Africa’ that profiles just over 100 common garden birds. It’s a user friendly way to start identifying the birds in the garden.
Sunbirds are likely to be attracted to bottle type nectar feeders. The bottles can also be used to supply water. Hang it from a branch or a beam, and angle it to ensure a constant supply of nectar or water.
Wild wings nectar mix is available in powder form, just add water. This is preferable to ready-made mixes because the nectar should always be as fresh as possible. Do not add any red dye, including that found in food colouring. The dye is potentially toxic to birds.
Activity for kids: Look for differences in the behaviour of the feeding birds. For instance, kids can note when a starling or pigeon chases away the other birds when they arrive to feed. Or they can note the birds that arrive in pairs or the shy birds that only feed when the others leave. Record the observations in a field book or bird diary.
Keeping the birds healthy.
Involving the kids in these tasks gives them a greater sense of responsibility and involvement.
- Make sure seed mixes are always fresh. Mildew or mould in seed is harmful to birds.
- Wash the feeders regularly with a a weak solution of bleach to remove rotting seed and bird droppings, as this can spread disease.
- If possible, keep the feeders in the shade, to keep the food from spoiling in the sun.
- Regularly wash out bird baths and fill with fresh water.
For more on birding products visit the Kirchhoffs website.
Article and images supplied by Alice Coetzee
