WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT- CREATING A BIRD GARDEN
Creating a bird garden
D N Johnson
All species of wild birds have their own unique niche - their profession or way of life. Each also has its own unique habitat which provides essential resources such as nest sites, cover, and food. Of course very few niches or habitat choices are totally separated from all others. 

Most overlap so that in any one place there will be a community of different species of birds, all making slightly different use of the resources.
Man creates many new habitats; most of them unsuitable for wildlife, but the majority of his gardens are attractive to birds. The numbers and diversity of birds attracted depend on:
1.     Whether those features important to birds in natural habitats are represented;
2.     How many different habitats the garden contains.

Completing an accurate reconstruction of a natural habitat is difficult and not essential. What is important is that the general structure of a garden is correct and that it contains plants known to attract birds.

Structure
Nearly all natural habitats are heterogeneous in structure. Plants are not arranged in rows, nor are they of the same size. Moreover, one or two species are usually common whilst the rest occur more sparsely.

The simplest ‘natural’ garden to create is a ‘bushveld’ garden and in fact, most small gardens resemble bushveld to some degree. Bushveld typically has open grassy areas (lawns) with a scattering of bushes and small trees (shrubs), often clumped, with a few big trees. Consequently, most garden birds are bushveld species. It is not essential to use true bushveld plants in constructing a bushveld garden. It is, however, very important to use species which are suited to the local climate and soil conditions.

It is also easy to create ‘forest’ by planting trees close together so that the mature canopies touch and overlap. In natural forest many different tree and other plant species occur together and it is this species mixture which creates diversity of forest structure, some trees being very tall others, short. So, as well as creating a complete canopy, there is also foliage at all heights. In a garden it is essential that such a species mixture be planted otherwise eventually an even-sized stand of trees resembling a gum plantation will result and very few birds will use it. The point of creating ‘forest’ as well as ‘bushveld’ is that forest species, which differ completely from bushveld species, will also be attracted.

It is best to use forest plants when trying to create a forest garden. Plants accustomed to open habitats rarely do well under forest conditions.

‘Grassland’ is more difficult to create, mainly because much space is required. An acre of well-manicured lawn will attract a few grassland species, those that forage for invertebrates on the soil surface. However, the majority of grassland birds like long grass, or a mixture of grass heights and such a garden is not to every gardener’s taste.

Artificial food supply
It is customary in many gardens to provide feeding tables for birds and to put seed out, breadcrumbs etc. Whilst this does attract birds, it is not the best way and has certain disadvantages. Grain foods usually attract large numbers of a few species, particularly aliens such as the house sparrow and feral pigeon. These are not the species that most birdwatchers wish to see. Moreover, because these species are vigorous competitors they tend to exclude other species that might otherwise be present. Better results are obtained if fruit, bonemeal and suet are used, because more specialized feeders such as barbets and robins are attracted.

Natural food supply
A much better way of providing food for birds is to plant the correct plants. Birds eat a variety of foods but most important are fruits, seeds, invertebrates and nectar, and plants provide all of these directly or indirectly. With a few exceptions indigenous plants provide more food than alien plants. This is particularly true when considering the invertebrates required by insectivorous birds. Indigenous plants, especially those occurring in the surrounding veld, have evolved over a long period together with the insects with which they coexist and so support far more than an alien plant which has had no time to adjust to local conditions. Indeed some alien plants support no insects at all.

Termites emerging after rain are enjoyed by most birds. Preserve any termite mounds, which are in the garden.

Fruit and nectar can easily be provided throughout most of the year, by planting a mixture of suitable species, so that as one crop becomes exhausted, another is ripening. By concentrating upon prolific fruit and nectar bearers, it is possible to maintain higher bird populations than occur naturally.

The best insect trees are white stinkwood (Celtis africana), acasias and buffalo thorn (ziziphus mucronata). White stinkwood is also a good fruit tree. Other good fruit trees are wild peach (Kiggelaria africana) in cold areas, and wild figs (Ficus spp.) and red ivory (Berchemia zeyheri) in warm areas. The best nectar producer is tree fuschia (Halleria lucida). Also recommended is a wild dagga (Leonotis leonurus) for cold areas, and aloes, coral trees (Erythrina spp) and Cape honeysuckle (Tecomaria capensis) for warm areas.

Enthusiasts requiring longer lists should contact the KwaZulu-Natal Nature Conservation Service directly.

Supplying seed food is more difficult. Most of the plants, which provide nutritious seeds, are either grasses or annual weeds. Seedeaters generally prefer to strip them directly from the plant, one of the reasons that waxbills and other small finches do not visit feeding tables even if suitable seed is provided. Few gardeners are prepared to allow their lawn to grow to a height at which it seeds, and weeds are usually taboo. In a very large garden, the solution is to leave an outer portion to revert to weeds or veld grasses, which should be cut or burnt once a year and allowed to regenerate.

Water
Many birds enjoy water if it is available. Traditional birdbaths are suitable but should be large and shallow. Birds like dripping taps so an ideal set-up would be to maintain the water level with a constant drip. Don’t site the bird bath too near to a busy part of the garden.

Nest sites
Birds tend to be much more specialized in their choice of nest sites than in their feeding habits. Nesting sites favoured by many species are dense shrubberies, thorn trees and holes in tree trunks. A dense, preferably impenetrable shrubbery is easy to provide; almost any species will suffice. Thorn trees are favoured for the same reason as dense shrubs; they provide some protection against predators. They also have the added merit of being good insect trees and are therefore particularly desirable.

Suitable nesting holes will only be present in dead trees. Any dead tree is worth preserving providing that it is not a hazard. In addition to their value as nest sites, dead trees also provide much invertebrate food for woodpeckers and barbets. Artificial hole nest sites, in the form of nest boxes can easily be constructed. These are widely used in Europe with great success. Ideal dimensions are 400 - 500mm high x 150x150mm. The top must be hinged, not fixed, so that the box can be cleaned out once a nesting attempt has finished. The hole should be located about 300mm from the bottom of the box. The size of the entrance to the hole is critical in that the largest bird, which can squeeze in will use the box. Very small birds need only a 30mm diameter hole: barbets require about 60mm. The box can be nailed to any tree, preferably at a height of 3 or 4 m in a secluded corner.

Use of chemicals
All chemicals are toxic to all wildlife, so unless absolutely necessary chemicals should not be used at all in gardens. Even with the most careful application chemicals causes some side effects to wildlife. Poisoned insects make an easy meal and bird deaths are often caused by such toxic food. Side effects on desirable wildlife can be minimized by reference to "A guide to the use of insecticides in South Africa", published by the Department of Agriculture and Water Supply and obtainable from Pte Bag X144, Pretoria 0001. Appendix D of this book lists most commercially available chemicals and their ‘LD50’. Basically the higher the ‘LD50’, the less toxic the chemical. So when choosing a chemical for a particular task reject all with low ‘LD50’, since these are the most dangerous to birds.

KEY POINTS
Birds like diverse gardens resembling natural habitats in structure.
Artificial food supplies have limited success.
Natural food supplies are best provided by planting birds’ favourite plants.
Birds will breed in nest boxes.
Use of chemicals should be limited.