We go to great lengths to ensure that special areas in New Zealand are given the right levels of designation and legal protection because of their role in supporting threatened wildlife, but what’s very clear is that every one of our gardens, the places literally on our doorsteps, are important too.”

Gardens can offer a real lifeline for wildlife.  Just doing a few simple things in our gardens can mean they provide food, shelter and nesting spaces for birds, which are most vital for the species that are maybe in decline.  As the cooler months approach, garden birds need all the help they can get as we progress into the breeding seasons, by providing suitable habitat and feeding stations we can make a big difference.

Sparrow

One of our most familiar garden birds. What sparrows really need are gardens full of insects.  Try leaving some areas of grass to grow long.  You can still give it neat edges and make a design feature of it, but crucially this will allow certain insects to thrive and the grasses to set seed. Or why not plant deciduous shrubs where are likely to gather for a good natter, and they love a vegetable patch too.

Starling

In summer starlings seek out insects such as beetles, flies, flying ants and worms, and especially grass grubs, so gardens with a lawn will help.  In autumn they love fruit like elderberries, so try planting an elder tree.  You could also put up a starling nest-box high up on the shady side of a house.

Song thrush

Plant berry-bearing bushes and try to avoid sweeping up all the leaf litter as they’ll hop around in it, flicking over leaves to find food.  They like moist and shady areas, and will really benefit from a garden full of worms and snails, so keep up the mulches in your flower beds, which will help you control weeds too.

Click here to view our selection of hand-crafted bird feeders and habitat.

Insects and nestboxes

Bees, wasps or earwigs will, on occasions, take over nestboxes and there is little one can do to prevent it – apart from using insect sprays. As many of the insects are useful food for birds, it is best to leave them alone. Insects often move in after birds have finished nesting. Any young found dead are likely to have died of other natural causes.

It is not unusual for the same type of insect to return to the box in subsequent years. Leave that box in situ and put up another one a few feet away. It is rare for both to be lost to insect invasion.

Cleaning nest-boxes

The nests of most birds harbor fleas and other parasites, which remain to infest young birds that hatch the following year. We recommend that old nests be removed in the autumn, from Late April onwards once the birds have stopped using the box.

Maintaining your box

Use boiling water to kill any remaining parasites, and let the box dry out thoroughly before replacing the lid. Insecticides and flea powders must not be used.

To maintain the exterior of your nest-box an application of linseed oil applied once a year will help preserve your nesting box for many years to come.

If you place a small handful of clean hay or wood shavings (not straw) in the box once it is thoroughly dry after cleaning, small mammals may hibernate there, or birds may use it as a roost site.

It is quite normal for a few eggs to fail to hatch, or for some young to die. . Cold weather and food shortage may lead to nest desertion, or to only the strongest young surviving. The death of one parent or interference from animals or humans may also cause desertion.

Enjoy!

Avoid inspecting nest-boxes in use, however tempting it may be to take a peek! Simply watch and enjoy from a distance. Only open it up if you’ve got appropriate skills and experience and are taking part in a monitoring project .If you want to see the chicks as they grow, you could consider installing a nest-box camera before the breeding season starts.

Nest-boxes are best put up during the autumn. Many birds will enter nest-boxes during the autumn and winter, looking for a suitable place to roost or perhaps to feed.