Alan Dawson

To truly garden with birds one must have the right plants. What the birds require and what you prefer may not coincide, but meet them halfway and you can enjoy both your garden and the birds attracted to it.

Flowers, shrubs and trees have several functions in the life of birds. The two major ones are the provision of nesting sites and the provision of food in the form of fruit, seeds, nectar and flowers.

However sumptuous the spread of “artificial” foods, it cannot meet the requirements of all species at all times. Food-bearing flora to please you and the birds is an essential part of your bird garden.

Go indigenous wherever possible. Halleria lucida (tree fuschia), which will eventually grow into an evergreen tree, produces blackberries after flowering which are a great source of food for birds. Halleria lucida is a versatile plant for the garden and grows well in shaded areas.

Kiggelaria africana (wild peach) is a hardy tree which bears yellowish fruit, which splits open offering orange seeds in autumn.

One of the most popular trees is Rhus pendulina (white karee), a fast-growing evergreen tree that grows well and being a shade tree it is ideally suited to a patio area. The berries it produces will encourage birds to feed, even in the busiest part of the garden.

A shrub species, Rhus crenata (dune crow berry) provides feasts of berries for fruit-eating birds. It is a wonderful, versatile plant that has many uses.

Other indigenous trees that provide food for birds include Ficus sur (Cape fig), Olea europaea sub sp Africana (wild olive) and Celtis africana (white stinkwood), which is fairly fast growing and is an excellent shade tree, although it is deciduous. It produces small yellow berries in autumn which are readily eaten by birds roosting in the sheltering crown.

The shiny-leafed Rhamnus prinoides (dogwood or blinkblaar) is an evergreen, small, multi-stemmed tree which produces small red berries almost continuously. I derive great joy in the mornings from looking out of my kitchen window at the Cape white eyes feasting on the berries.

Not only is the blinkbaar a great food supplier from an early age, but it also maintains an immaculate look throughout the winter.

Ochna serrulata (Mickey Mouse bush) is another indigenous, evergreen shrub that has earned its place in the bird garden. It produces bright yellow flowers in spring that soon turn into black fruits suspended below bright red sepals resembling Mickey Mouse faces.

The orange flowering Leonotis leonurus (wild dagga) is a must in the bird garden. It grows quickly and takes well to being cut back hard after flowering. The flowers are loved by sunbirds.

Aloes are a favourite with sunbirds and Cape white eyes – bulbuls eat aloe flowers as though they were berries.

Aloes also offer a lovely contrast in the indigenous garden.

Aloe ferox (bitter aloe) and Aloe arborescens (krantz aloe) are both good garden species that will flower freely.

The thorny Dovyalis caffra (Kei apple) and Carissa Macrocarpa (Natal plum) both produce large, delicious fruit which attract birds. They are also favourite nesting plants.

Mouse birds, thrushes, bulbuls, red-winged starlings and white eyes will be attracted to the berry- and fruit-producing trees and shrubs.

Most bird species nest above the ground and, therefore, will look to the tree tops for suitable nesting sites. The Acacia spp with their thorns offer good nesting sites for birds as they provide ideal foundations for nests and offer security from other animals.

Acacia karoo (sweet thorn) and Acacia xanthophloea (fever tree) are lovely Acacia species for the garden. Plant acacias on the boundary or in flower beds, as the falling thorns are not welcomed by children playing on the lawn.

Creepers and climbers also provide good nesting sites for robins, thrushes and sparrows. Senecio tamoides (canary creeper) and Rhoicissus tomentosa (wild grape) are both indigenous and fast growing and take well to being cut back.

source : Alan Dawson www.capetimes.co.za