Ruud Kleinpaste: School holiday entertainment with birds

Bird Feeding stations and Bird Counting 
We’ve often talked about the food of birds, especially in winter. Many folks have got bird feeders that will attract a range of native and introduced birds: 
Seeds (on seed dispensers or stuck to solid blocks of dripping) are preferred by sparrows and finches (chaffinch, green finch)  Nectar feeders in the form of SUGAR Water attract tui, bellbird, silvereye (and kaka if you’re so lucky to have them around – Yes Wellingtonians, you’re lucky.  Fruit feeders love those bits of apple, orange and banana; tui bellbird kaka and Kereru are some of your guests, but I have literally seen wars break out when silvereyes spot a peeled banana! 
Education and Observation  In the school holidays these feeding stations could be great subjects for a little bit of Citizen Science and education. Let’s see who comes to which feeding station and observe their behaviour. Do they travel in flocks, like silvereyes tend to do? Is there any animosity? Can you identify the local “owner” of the territory that is trying to chase away the interlopers? Tui are good at that!  See the different types of territorial behaviour, or even hear the different types of territorial behaviour.  Primary feathers (flight feathers) of tui and bellbird have oddly-shaped notches that create that whirring sound in flight: “listen, mate! This is MY territory!” Calculate landing rates of certain species – guess how much they eat; How long does it take for a flock of silvereyes to demolish one of those lard balls you can get from your local butcher’s? How many birds of a certain species can you count at one time on your feeding station – it’s all maths and statistics, but it’s also art and joy and creative writing!!  What to look out for  Of course a lot of birds feed on insects and invertebrates, but at this time of the year they may be hard to find, also for the birds. Here are some ideas of what to look for! With the recent rain you’ll find lots of earthworm holes and casts on lawns and bare soil. This is food for blackbirds, thrushes, starlings, magpies and even owls and harriers. Note how these casts are often found in association with rabbit poo! Starlings have a habit of probing into the soil at this time of the year: they leave heaps of distinct holes, all over the place. I reckon they are looking for the larvae of grass grubs, who are settling just below the surface during raining periods, within easy reach.  And then there are the various shrubs and trees that still bear fruits, berries and seeds. 
Always good for a nibble! 
While you are at it: count the number of birds you see within an hour and record those for the Annual Garden Bird Survey. Find it on the LandcareResearch website: https://gardenbirdsurvey.landcareresearch.co.nz/ 
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