Gardens can offer a real lifeline for wildlife.

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 bird nesting boxes

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

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.

Bird Nesting Box

Siting a Nest-Box

Siting a nest-box
This depends on the species the box is intended for. Boxes for sparrows and starlings should be fixed two to four meters up a tree or a wall.
Unless there are trees or buildings which shade the box during the day, face the box away from strong sunlight and the wettest prevailing winds.


Make sure that the birds have a clear flight path to the nest without any clutter directly in front of the entrance. Tilt the box forward slightly so that any driving rain will hit the roof and bounce clear.
House sparrows and starlings will readily use nest-boxes placed high up under the eaves allowing for a clear flight path. Since these birds nest in loose colonies, two or three can be sited spaced out on the same side of the house. Keep these away from areas where martins normally nest.
Open-fronted boxes for thrushes and blackbirds need to be lower down, below 2m, well hidden by vegetation.

Feeders. Never place a nest box to near to bird feeders or bird tables as high levels of activity of visiting birds could disturb nesting pairs.

Fixing your nest-box with nails may damage the tree. It is better to attach it either with a nylon bolt or with wire around the trunk or branch. Use a piece of hose or rubber around the wire to prevent damage to the tree. Remember that trees grow in girth as well as height, and check the fixing every two or three years.

Two boxes close together may be occupied by the same species if they are at the edge of adjoining territories and there is good supply of food.
By putting up different boxes, several species can be attracted.
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. They often use the same boxes for nesting the following spring.

How you can help
Encourage birds to nest in your garden

Providing food, nest boxes, nesting materials, water, and natural habitat can all help in attracting  birds to become regular visitors and make your garden their home.