How to help birds through the seasons — spring
Encouraging and supporting birdlife in your backyard is easier than you may think. By taking a few easy steps to create a safe space with access to food and water, you can responsibly welcome feathered friends to your garden sanctuary throughout the year. This series looks at bird behaviour through the seasons and how to support them during each one.
Spring
It’s all about the birds and the bees in springtime. After the relatively quiet winter months, bush-clad neighbourhoods spring to life as birds scramble to fulfil their primal needs. Finding mates, building nests, laying eggs and hatching young is top of the agenda for the majority of our native birds at this time. Although they are united in their goal, how each species get there is surprisingly different.
Finding a mate:
Finding a mate in the bird world isn’t all that different to finding one in the human world; it’s all about impressing ones intended. In a similar vein to a night out on the town, those of the male persuasion seek to win the favour of their female counterparts, wooing them with dance moves, vocal range and territorial food sources. Sound familiar?
One of the most visible in the art of seduction is the tūī. In September and October, vocal duels and outrageous aerial manoeuvres can be observed as the birds try to catch the attention of potential mates. Males climb to extraordinary heights before stalling out into a steep dive, hurtling towards the ground below in a thrilling display of the birds’ unique capabilities.
“I call them the fighter pilots of the sky," says Karen Saunders from Native Bird Rescue, "or the terrorist tūīs in spring.” This is a nickname well earnt. Karen explains that the aerial display of tūīs, while impressive, lead to an influx of patients in her rescue centre. The birds, with all their attention on impressing the opposite sex, frequently crash into the sides of buildings, namely windows.
Window strikes claim the lives of many birds. They see the trees reflected in the shiny surface or they see through windows as a ‘flight tunnel’ between the trees and fly towards them at great speed. Though window strikes can be fatal for all birds, larger birds seem to suffer the most casualties with their extra body weight intensifying the blow.
To prevent window strikes, Karen recommends Feather Friendly window decals. A stick-on dot grid developed in North America where migrating birds collide with skyscrapers en mass, with a death toll that is estimated to be 25 million per year. The small dots let birds see the windows without obstructing the view from inside. They will hopefully be available to purchase on the island soon, but for now, have a look here.
Photo by Jason Hosking by New Zealand Geographic
Building a nest
Along with the aerial displays above, birds are busy below foraging for sticks, leaves and mosses to construct nests to house their young. Each bird species prefers different locations, materials and styles. Kererū are makers of messy nests made of twigs high in the trees, while pīwakakwaka (fantails) create delicate wee nests made from mosses, dried rotten wood fibres, dried grasses and fern scales. Other birds such as the kākāriki (red-crowned parakeet) and kākā abandon the notion of nest building from scratch instead choosing to retrofit tree cavities into their family home.
With all their energies consumed with successful procreation, there are a few things you can do to support the busy nest builders in your garden. Keeping it messy is one of them. Karen suggests that instead of removing all leaf litter from the garden, designate a corner of it to leaves and twigs. This not only provides precious nest-building material, but also a place for insects to thrive, providing a natural food source for birds visiting your garden.
Eggs and chicks
Once eggs are laid, nesting bird species become more vulnerable. As soon as they begin incubating the eggs, they are essentially sitting ducks (pun intended).
If you notice a nest in your garden, give it some space. For eggs to successfully hatch, they must be kept at the proper incubation temperature for the embryo to survive. Birds that are repeatedly scared from their nest can’t maintain the correct temperature and the hatch rate of chicks’ plummet.
It's not only human disturbance that compromises nesting birds and their young. Predators remain their biggest threat. Eggs and chicks are plucked straight from their nest by hungry predators. Forest birds such as kākā leave the nest before they have learnt to fly, spending much of their time on the ground, making them incredibly easy prey.
Keep cats inside as much as possible, particularly at night. If they do go outside, make sure they are adorned with a bell or a bright coloured scrunchie to allow birds the best chance. Learn more about responsible pet ownership here.
Rat control is also crucial to support nesting birdlife. The good news is that backyard rat control has never been so easy. New technologies such as the Goodnature A24 self-resetting traps are a popular choice on the island, particularly for holiday homes as they don’t need to be checked frequently. Victor Professional traps are a cost-effective choice, though to further protect birds and other wildlife, it’s crucial that they are kept inside a tunnel with limited entry.
There are several community rat control groups on the island that together undertake four scheduled rat attacks per year. “Working together to pulse bait every 3 months in an organised way is ideal for community or neighbourhood groups,” says Waiheke Ratbusters coordinator Sally Horwood.
“By working together as a team, we can more effectively control rats and reduce the amount of toxin needed. The impact of rats and their numbers is seasonal. Hence, we aim to pulse pre-spring to protect our nesting birds at the end of August, followed by pulses at the end of November, end of February and end of May. Any unused old bait is removed at 4 weeks after our initial pulse. This is very important, as fresh is always best.”
Community rat control has been put on hold due to COVID-19 restrictions but will be up and running when levels allow. Have a look here for community groups already in your area.
By springing into action and implementing these simple steps, watch the feathered communities in your backyard grow.