OPINION
One of the great joys in living in Whanganui is the presence of native birds. When I've stayed in suburban Christchurch or Hawke's Bay, I'm lucky to hear or see anything other than starlings, blackbirds and sparrows. How can we encourage more native birds in our gardens?
The most significant way is through plantings. Taller shrubs and trees give birds a chance to feed without having to move down to the "cat danger zone". However, this is difficult in the small sections that many people have these days.
Twice each year (during the flowering and berry ripening stages) I have kererū feasting on the berries of cabbage trees in my garden (see the picture); however these grow too large for many gardens, and the leaves can be a nuisance (I mulch with bark under mine, so I can basically ignore the leaves). Kōwhai, however, can be kept to a manageable size. It is amazing how tūī in particular seem to know just when kōwhai flowers are available in places where they aren't usually seen, such as parts of Gonville.
Other native trees that provide food are generally quite large. These include pōhutukawa and pūriri (the latter has both nectar-producing flowers and berries, so has a long season for feeding on). There are various exotic trees that are also favoured by tūī and bellbirds in particular, such as eucalypts and coastal banksia, but they become large trees.