How to attract birds to your garden

The Upper Highway area is a favourite amongst birders. The area's lush gardens and stunning landscapes are known to attract a variety of beautiful birds, especially during the Springtime. 

If you are keen on turning your garden into a bird haven, read on and discover how you can lure them to your property.

Plants that attract birds to your garden

South Africa is home to a vast array of enchanting indigenous plants and trees. Adapted to our environment they don't require a lot of water or fertilizer. You can choose which birds you want to visit in your garden by growing specific plants that will provide a source of food and nutrition for them.

Garden birds are classified into groups, each with its own set of requirements. Fruit-eating, seed-eating, insect-eating, nectar feeders, and mixed feeders are among them.

• Fruit-eating birds

Fig trees, the tree fuchsia, Transvaal red milkwood, sour plum, and white stinkwood are among the fruit trees that provide an abundance of fruits and berries which interest birds. You will find pigeons, parrots, barbets, mousebirds, turacos, bulbuls, and hornbills in your garden with these trees. 

• Seed eating birds

Tall growing grass attracts waxbills, finches, fire finches, canaries, and bronze manikins. Grass species including Melinis nerviglumis, Panicum ecklonii, Panicum maximum, and Phragmites australis flower at different times of the year, ensuring that seed is available all year for birds.

• Insect-eating birds

Insect-eating birds who enjoy hunting for earthworms would appreciate the abundance of organic mulch. To attract woodpeckers, woodhoopoes, and barbets, leave dead branches on your trees.

Insect-eating birds such as flycatchers, white-eyes, chats, barbets, thrushes, robins, warblers, shrikes, and woodpeckers are fond of acacias, coral trees, Weeping Boer-bean, buffalo thorn, wild pear, and honeysuckle. 

• Nectar feeders

Good nectar-producing plant species including the coral tree, honeysuckles, red-hot pokers, proteas, pincushions, and all aloes attract sunbirds, sugarbirds, and Cape White-eyes.

• Mixed feeders

Some birds can be mixed feeders as well. Sunbirds, for example, eat insects, hornbills eat fruits, acacia seeds, and pigeons eat insects.

Benefits of attracting birds to your garden

Birds consume a wide variety of insects, including spiders, grubs, slugs, and other pests, so introducing them to your garden can help you avoid using harsh chemical insecticides. 

Larger birds, such as kestrels, owls, and hawks, will hunt mice, voles, rats, squirrels, snakes, and other unwelcome critters in the area, providing effective rodent control.

Garden flowers benefit from the pollination of hummingbirds, orioles, and other nectar-feeding birds. Extra blossoms will add beautiful colour to your flower beds, attracting even more birds.

Granivorous birds that prefer eating wild seeds from flowers, grasses, weeds, shrubs, and trees make excellent landscapers who can help you control invasive plant species in your garden.

Garden bird watching is a wonderful opportunity for the whole family to learn about local wildlife and an excellent way to introduce children to birding. You will get the chance to see seasonal plumage changes, migration, courtship activity, and nesting.

Not to mention that bird watching can help relieve stress and enhance well-being by providing appropriate vitamin D and detoxifying the body through exposure to fresh air.

Other ways to attract birds

A huge pond in a large yard would be required to attract larger water birds such as Kingfishers. If you put up owl nest boxes in your garden, you'll attract owls, who are good at controlling rats and mice.

Feeders are also a great way to attract birds to your garden. Do consider this though, birds will sit in a neighbouring shrub as a staging location before flying out for a quick bite on the feeder. They'll instantly retreat to the safety of bushes or trees. As a result, installing feeders near a safety cover will attract more birds.

A home with well-kept landscaping that attracts birds has superior curb appeal and is more valuable to its owners. This contributes to raising neighbourhood prices and is an excellent investment for house sales or rental markets.

If you're looking for a home with the right landscape to attract a variety of birds, contact Seeff Hillcrest & Kloof today. Our agents are area specialists who are ready to assist you to find your dream property.