Water & Food. That pretty much sums it up!

In 4 short years, by simply adding lots of bird baths and native plants, I now have a garden filled with birds (over 50 species and counting), bees, butterflies, frogs, lizards and wallabies. And we are in semi-suburbia, only a few hundred metres from a massive public school and a main road. Here's how...

Something for Everyone

Water

By this I mean bird baths of every shape and size. Believe me, the birds all have their favourites! Little shallow dishes for the small birds, larger ones (shallow and deep) for the bigger birds, and ideally a pond with running water for them to play under. Once word is out birds will come from everywhere to your place for a drink and a bath.

Food

I have planted masses of native plants to provide food and shelter for my garden visitors. With enough variety, even if you only have a small space, you can attract many different species to your yard.

Nectar Eaters like honeyeaters love flowering natives like grevilleas, kangaroo paws and callistemons. Visit your local nursery for inspiration.

Seed Eaters like finches love native grasses, and there are SO many different lomandras available.

Insect Eaters like the beautiful robins, fairy wrens, thornbills and orioles love anything flowering because they attract insects. So if you have a variety of plants & something is flowering year round, these little birds will be there. PLEASE don’t use insecticides!! They kill the birds who eat the poisoned bugs. And just for the record, I have no issues with bugs eating my herbs and vegies because the wrens sort it out for me.

Fruit Eaters like the bowerbirds, catbirds, native pigeons and doves love berries! I have found Native Raspberries to be a massive success, as well as Dianella berries & Lilly Pillies.

ps. These are all my pics taken in the garden

pps. If you live on the Central Coast  head for The Wildflower Place at Erina where you will find everything you need to create a wildlife haven.