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So I was thinking, after persusing the 'Most interesting bird in your garden' thread; has anyone got some good tips that they's like to share on how to go about attracting interesting birds to your garden?
I've recently moved house and there is no garden to speak of (unless you count an enormous orange tree) and I am really looking forward to setting up a little slice of heaven for the birds in the area.
Obviously, planting grasses, fruiting and flowering trees and indegenous to the area is a good start, but are there any other tips that peolpe would like to share? It'd also be nice to hear success stories or interesting tales!

PS: Moderators...if this is inappropriate please let me know and delete/move topic!!

Tara, I believe that Lex Hes has written a book about attracting birds to your garden. I don't know the specific title, but I'm sure that if you do a search at kalahari.net or amazon — or even exclusive books — you should find it.

Plant fruit trees!!!!

You should get a lot of birds aswell as fruit bats (maybe)

Start a feeding station, scatter some seeds, over ripe fruit, left over rice... anything will be appreciated.
Water, preferably a water feature with running water.
To attract Sunbirds, plant Wild dagga. They can't resist it!

Plant Cape Honeysuckle, they attrack sugarbirds. Make a pond, of which one side must be low entry, to make it easy for birds to enter as they bath and drink.
Plant lots of thickets around it, aswell as a tree with low hanging branches over the pond. Burchells cuckoo love this thickets.

Place a lamp light near the pond and leave it on during the night. It attrackts insects which attracks birds/ frogs. Thrushes and sometimes even robin chats come out at night for something to eat. It also might just attrack Spotted Owls.

A nice book I recently bought and are still working through is one by Sasol. Called Great Garden Birds. Best tips and advice from Africa - Brids&Birding

And whatever you do, do not have this lying around the house

I have seen the book on attraching birds to your garden (will be getting a copy soonish) I like the tip about the light near a pond-will definately try that!

Plant indigenous plants that occur in your area. An indigenous nursery will assist. PM me if you want some info. One needs to create various areas in the garden to attract a diversity of birds. A well bushed quiet area away from disturbances will attract the shyer birds. Corridors of vegetation on your property will create a haven for birds. Open areas will attract the less shy birds.

The book "Attracting birds to your garden" is excellent and highly recommended.

Burger Cilliers and Ulrich Oberprieler have written a book called: Garden Birds. i will try to get the ISBN and all that tonight.

It is also highly recommended to buy the African birds and Birding magazine as they have an insert in every issue with regards to gardening for birds.

As for food: Get wild bird seed for the seed-eaters and then pears for the fruit eaters. For now that will do perfectly!

Another group of birds you can attract with this peanut butter cone is the insectivorous bunch – woodhoopoes, fiscals, some barbets... even the odd thrush and robin will try its luck at getting its share from the cone!


Large view

The recipe is a very simple one, but be warned - getting there can take a while and it is MESSY!

Cook out (microwave is quickest) beef fat. Let the clear liquid turn opaque (cooling it) before adding an equal quantity of peanut butter to thr suet. To this mixture add an equal quantity of "dry" ingredients. This can be anything! I like a mixture of sunflower seed hearts, crushed (raw) peanuts (any crushed nut works) chopped raisins (any dry fruit) dry minced meat, (nothing salted!!) cereal, etc. Use your imagination.

Great idea, Joe!

My laptop's battery died on me during the night. I had the ISBN and all typed up but never saved the document.

The title is South African Garden Birds. I will just have to try again for the ISBN number.

Made my own birdfeeder today. Struggled a lot with the drilling, but, hey.... I did it and its working!!!

Joe - Thanks for the recipe, I will try it and post results.

Yolande - I've made my own birdfeeders before too; so rewarding! I've made quite a few out of old 2L plastic Coke bottles and a few dowel rods. I cut windows into the sides of the bottle; different sizes for different birds. Then I take a dowel rod and put it through the plastic just below the opening. A few drainage hole in the bottom and there we go! Works a treat.

Does anyone have any tips for attracting sunbirds to artificial feeders? I have a bunch of different aloes that I am going to plant, but it'll be a little while before they flower properly.

Sunbirds up here in the highveld seem to disappear in summer time. I have yet to find out where the heck the go to.

But they seem to favor a little water feeder filled with red sugar water.