Feeding Wildlife

Sharing our gardens with wildlife

Remember to allow native animals to remain wild. The tamer a wild animal becomes, the

less likely it is to live a natural life – turning into a ‘pet’ or becoming a ‘pest’ as they be-

come more demanding for food.

Providing a garden with a diversity of natural

food sources for wildlife is the best option. Providing food such as meat for birds can encourage more aggressive and potentially

problematic birds such as butcherbirds and the pied currawong, which may attack

vulnerable, smaller birds. The feeding of sugar or honey and bread to nectar-eating

species can cause serious health problems as well as potentially increasing the density of

more aggressive species such as rainbow lori-keets.

However, studies have shown that bird feed-

ing does not seem to lead to dependency in adult breeding birds at least. Natural foods re-

main the main part of their diet. A 'BirdLife Australia' study found that it is people who be-

come dependent on the idea that they are maintaining the survival of species, when in fact they are only providing snacks.

Provide fresh, clean quality feed that is nutritionally balanced for the species you want to attract. For

commercial bird feed products, check the nutrition-al quality, use by date and whether it contains dust

(which may indicate contamination).

Store food in a container to keep it dry and fresh. Discard if fungi are present or it appears ‘off’. Se-

lect a feed type that is similar to what the species would eat in the wild. Excess feed should be re-

moved after a few hours to avoid contamination by fungal spores or other material.

Gardens for Wildlife fact sheet no. 9, version 1 May 2015.

Use feeders that minimise food being contaminated by droppings

or feed falling and collecting on the ground. Use a container that can

be washed and cleaned to prevent bacterial contamination. To avoid

over-feeding and competition, limit feeding to intervals of approxi-

mately 15 minutes once or twice a day or less.

Happy Gardening for Wildlife

Barung Landcare’s Gardens for Wildlife programme

The Gardens for Wildlife program encourages and recognises wildlife-friendly gardens and environment-friendly practices in urban

gardens. Your garden for wildlife can contribute to bringing nature home by welcoming wildlife to share your garden and by providing a

healthy, weed-free environment for them. Establishing more native plants and other habitat in the garden is not only valuable in itself, it

can also link to habitat nearby, providing safe corridors or ’stepping stones’ along which animals can move from place to place.

By becoming a ’Gardens for Wildlife’ member and displaying the sign, you clearly demonstrate your support and commitment to

protecting wildlife species and habitat.

For further information: www.barunglandcare.org.au - info@barunglandcare.org.au - ph 07 5494 3151

It is important to encourage birds to forage naturally, so do not feel they need to get a full belly. This will ensure they maintain a balanced diet. Feeding birds regularly can

encourage predatory birds while cats can also become accustomed to set feeding times and hence lie in wait to pounce. You can prevent this by varying feeding days

to minimise this risk.