People ask why it is that our garden and neighbourhood abounds with birds and birdsong.
We live just five minutes drive from town.
Incessant fluttering, chirping and whistling emanate from our garden, and the air is sweet with birdsong. We are constantly delighted by their sounds and colours, and the birds seem as oblivious to us as we are entranced by them.
Splendid Fairy-wrens visit every day. Red-capped Parrots, Western Rosellas and more than 25 other species visit each month. Many nest here.
The early carol of a Magpie announces the day.
Some vary with the seasons such as the Rufous Whistler, the songbird whose distinctive call is loud and far-reaching.
Many, including tiny forest birds are no longer present in other parts of town, and so we are graced with the sweet warble of the tiny (not-so) Inland Thornbill and sometimes the unfinished symphony of the Western Gerygone, once known as the Western Warbler.
Critically endangered Western Ringtail Possums, Marbled Geckos, and the territorial Bobtails, sometimes with his life-long mate, are resident. Summer sings with the stridulations of Cicadas.
The local birdlife has increased enormously since the neighbourhood gathered together and over ten years planted local reserves thicker with native vegetation.
The City of Bunbury were behind the project, and now the Tuarts, Peppermints and other local plant life have brought the very native insects that attract birds and wildlife.
Our garden is visited by more than 60 birds every day. Nankeen Kestrels have built a nest in a nearby Tuart.
This will keep the mice and rat population down. On calm nights a Southern Boobook can be heard, and at times we even glimpse a Tawny Frogmouth. All are rodent predators.
They remind us how important it is that we do not use poisons against rats or mice. Instead we have learned to discourage rats by removing introduced palms with their dense foliage and clusters of berries, so attractive to rodents.
We rarely use pesticides as these kill beneficial insects, the very food beloved of many birds.
Instead we love to watch the melodious Brown Honeyeater as it collects cobwebs from under the eaves. Grey Fantails, New Holland Honeyeaters and Willy Wagtails hover over our compost bin, catching the tiny insects.
I see unusual insects here. My last photographic enquiry to WA Museum’s entomology department was unrecognised. The comment was made that there are still so many insects yet to be described.
Fresh water - Water-bowls are in areas inaccessible to cats and predators and under tree branches for protection.
We situate them so that we can watch from indoors, and we daily empty and refill the water. Yesterday we watched a brilliant Western Rosella enjoying its bath, splendid in his fireman-red colouring and yellow patching.
Feeding birds - We have found that bird seed encourages pest birds.
The uneaten seed becomes weeds and attracts mice and rats. Snakes will naturally follow the mice.
So we have learned not to feed our birds.
To encourage native birds, you could plant native vegetation on verges, and if you have like-minded neighbours it will become a continuous corridor, a safe haven for birdlife.
Trees of course bring cooling shade and moisture, and provide windbreaks. They moderate the climate and absorb cold.
Birds nest nearby and will bring their young into your garden. In November – December - January the garden changes with the calls and antics of a new generation.
I’ve counted more than 80 species of native birds from my beachside garden over the years, and I am still counting. They bring a fabulous dimension into my life.
Nature has the marvellous, miraculous ability to heal itself given the chance, and birds and birdsong is healing in itself.
People find birdsong relaxing and reassuring because over thousands of years the ancient peoples learnt when the birds sing they are safe, it’s when birds stop singing that people need to worry.
Birdsong is also nature’s alarm clock, with the dawn chorus signalling the start of the day.
