African Wildlife and Environment Issue 65

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

FAUNA, FLORA & WILDLIFE

The single biggest leisure pastime in the world is bird watching. People’s enjoyment of watching birds has probably been the indirect saviour of birdlife in our suburban and urban areas. The simplest way to attract birds into places where they can be observed is to provide food for them. There are however a few other needs that can be met by also providing birds with a place to nest, rest and breed. Habitat refers to a place that can provide for all these needs. It stands to reason that the more time birds can spend carrying out all their “busyness” of life, the more successful you have been in providing this habitat for them. Consequently, more species of birds will be encouraged to spend longer than a fleeting visit in a garden that can provide for more needs than just food. Providing food

indigenous plants can become quite an obsession. With help from reference books and websites, and indigenous plant nurseries such as Random Harvest Nursery one can create an irresistible smorgasbord for many different bird species. In articles that follow this one we will talk about grouping plants and shaping the landscape to create particular zones that birds make use of. I mention this as no plant exists in isolation. The area where it is found in nature will have its own set of creatures that create an ecosystem. This term refers to all the interactions between living things and non-living elements that exist around them. I mention this as it greatly enhances the food that is offered. The more variety of food plants offered, the greater the chances are of attracting more bird species to your garden. Planting food for seed-eating birds Seed-eaters will feed on a wide variety of plants. Generally, they prefer oil-rich seeds, and will often move from one area to another in pursuit of seeding plants. During the breeding season, these birds will often supplement their diet with insects to up the nutritional content of food that they are feeding their young. When food is scarce, in winter and spring, they will also include a lot of insects in their diet. As our grassland areas diminish in the face of development and monoculture farms, so does the natural food source for many, particularly seed-eating, birds. This is where planting seed-bearing plants in the garden can be particularly valuable to these birds. Grasses such as Setaria megaphylla, Eragrostis capensis and E. curvula, Sporobolus fimbriatus, S. africanus and Chloris gayana have a good seed yield for birds. Other plant species with small seeds are also important. Grassland flowering plants such as Gazanias and other members of the seed-bearing Asteraceae (Daisy Family) members also provide valuable seeds, as do our small flowering legumes and plants such as Becium obovatum . Yellow Canaries particularly enjoy the seeds of Aloes such as Aloe marlothii and A. ferox , when the dried woody seed capsules split open and reveal the shiny black seeds. This is at a time when grass seeds are not available. Interestingly, seeds of Polygala myrtifolia , the September Bush, are relished by Laughing Doves and other seed eating birds. If you provide food for seed eating birds, it is a good idea to have an open space where they can readily peck at grains of sand and tiny stones to help Fruit eating birds are also very influenced in their distribution by the fruit that is in season. As fruit is extremely seasonal, these birds too, need to supplement their food with insects, nectar and sometimes leaves and flowers when fruit is unavailable. Fruit is generally a reward for a creature break up the seeds in their crops. Planting food for fruit-eating birds

Meeting the needs of GARDEN BIRDS The garden does not need to be big, they will visit even the smallest garden, as long as their basic needs are met. In this first of a series on attracting birds to the garden, we talk about the most important element of creating favourable habitat, and that is a good source of food.

Linda Da Luca

It is always better to provide food for birds by planting the correct plants and selecting those that will naturally provide food all year round. South African indigenous plants are the natural and strongest foundation of any healthy habitat in our country. Not only do they provide fruit, seed, including grain and nectar and pollen, they also provide habitat for insects that are a large part of most birds’ diets. Even predominantly seed- and fruit-eating birds will supplement their diet with insects and small creatures to some extent. Providing natural food plants for birds can be as simple as including our most common bird-attracting indigenous plants such as Acacia karroo (Sweethorn) and Halleria lucida (Tree Fuschia) and some indigenous grasses and fruit bearing plants. The more natural areas around one are explored, the more one realises that what nature provides is an intricate and wonderful collection of indigenous food plants and their associated insects and other creatures. When, gardening for birds and choosing plants to meet their nutritional needs, learning about the wonders of some of these amazing

The majestic Aloe marlothii

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