Autumn tips for welcoming back garden birds

Noticed more birds swooping through the garden lately? It’s no coincidence. Autumn is peak travel time for our feathered friends.

While we're busy pulling out the winter clothes and expanding our soup repertoire beyond pumpkin, garden birds are even busier. Busy rebuilding their condition after a physically demanding breeding season, busy fattening up for winter, and in the case of younger birds, busy working out how to survive their first cold snap. 
With all that work to do, garden birds can use a hand at this time of year. Try these small actions to help them prepare for winter.

Leave the leaf!

The gardening tip nobody complains about: do less. Resist the urge to rake up every fallen leaf and tidy every corner of the garden. Leaf litter and organic matter is prime habitat for insects, worms and grubs, which in turn is prime dining for insect-eating birds like fantails, grey warblers, and blackbirds.

Leaving a patch of leaf litter, a log pile, or even a slightly unkempt corner gives these birds a reason to visit even if they're not interested in what’s in the feeder. Consider it a wild buffet that you don't have to restock.

Play the long game

A range of plant species to provide nectar, pollen and berries year-round are the single best long-term investment you can make for garden birds, especially native species. Autumn is a great time to get some natives into the ground as the soil is still warm after summer and increased rainfall supports strong root growth. Failsafe options include:

• Kōwhai  
• Harakeke (flax)
• Coprosma species
• Tī kōuka (cabbage tree)
• Kōwhai ngutukākā (kākābeak)
• Kōtukutuku (native tree fuchsia)

If space is limited, many of these grow happily in containers on a deck or balcony. Alternatively, you could join a community planting day to build up food sources in the neighbourhood.

Find the feeder (and give it a good scrub)

If your feeder has been sitting in the shed since spring, now is the time to dig it out. Before you fill it, give it a thorough clean with warm soapy water, a good rinse, and let it dry completely. Dirty feeders can harbour bacteria and spread disease between visiting birds, which is the last thing they need before winter.

Already feeding? Great, but don't skip the clean. Feeders should be washed every few days, especially when the weather is wetter because seed can clump or go mouldy. If it’s time to revise your cleaning protocol this handy guide is worth a read.

Know your audience

Not all birds eat the same food so understanding how and what they eat will influence what you put in the feeder. Hot tip: check out the birds’ beak for clues.

If seeing more native birds is the goal – such as the tūī, korimako and pīwakawaka, the most likely native species to visit the garden – serving up grains or seeds won’t bring them in.

The very best long-term food source for native birds is native trees and shrubs. They attract the right kind of insects for native birds to hunt and provide nectar, pollen and foliage – not to mention a safe perch. 

However in late autumn and winter, consider serving up the following to support native birds:

• Nectar: As kōwhai, flax and rewarewa flowers wind down for the season, break out the Nectar Feeder to fill the gap. A quality nectar mix like our Wild Bird Nectar provides an upgrade from sugar water with essential vitamins and minerals added.
•  Fresh fruit: Halved apples, pears, and oranges attract silvereyes and kererū, where present. Spike them onto a fenceline or place in an open-mouthed feeder to provide a quick sugar hit
• Energy food: As temperatures drop, small birds need extra fat and protein to keep warm. The Topflite Energy Food range is excellent for this (and is sure to make the silvereyes in your life happy!)
  

Spread the love (and the seed)

A single feeder can become a flashpoint. When there's a lot of competition to get to the food, birds can get a little heated. Too much stress can make them more vulnerable to illness and occasionally fisticuffs (beak edition) will ensue. Spreading food across two or three spots around the garden reduces the pressure and means more birds get a decent feed.

You don't need to put out more food overall, just distribute it better.

Location, location, location

Feeders need to be hung at least 1.7 metres off the ground and must be well out of reach of cats, rats and other predators that would love nothing more than a bird-shaped lunch delivery. Position them away from the trunk of a tree (mammalian predators can climb) and somewhere relatively sheltered from wind. A spot that gets some morning sun is ideal.

Don't forget the drinks

Clean water is surprisingly hard for birds to find in an urban garden, and it matters as much as food for drinking and for bathing. A shallow dish or birdbath, placed in a safe spot away from cats and low shrubs where predators could lurk, will attract a steady stream of visitors. Refresh it regularly, especially after rain, as fallen leaves and bird droppings can foul it quickly.

If you already have a birdbath, give it a decent scrub while you're at it.

What not to feed

While we're talking feeding, a quick list of things to leave in the kitchen:

• Bread is nutritionally empty for birds, despite what your grandma said
• Cooked oats or porridge can harden around a bird's beak (uncooked oats are fine in small amounts)
• Milk, which birds can't digest
• Human food, generally like pasta, rice, crackers, cake and cheese might seem kind, but they can cause serious nutritional deficiencies

When in doubt, stick to food made specifically for wild birds as it has been formulated with guidance from avian nutrition experts.

Autumn is one of the best times to start (or restart) your bird-feeding routine. In place of a ‘thank you’ from birds, enjoy the dawn chorus outside your window against those peach-infused autumn sunrises.