WINTER FEEDING.

Forest and Bird, Issue 28, 1 October 1932, Page 9

WINTER FEEDING.

Winter feeding of birds was very extensive and in man}' cases very successful during the last winter. The most striking effort which came under the Society's observation was the work of the Maoris who own the north end of Kapiti adjoining the sanctuary. Here some hundreds of tree lucerne trees, besides kowhai and ngutukaka, had been planted, which proved a great winter attraction for many birds such as tuis, bell-birds, kakariki, etc., besides this some 60 ducks were hand fed, and it is a pretty sight to see these apparently wild birds come winging across the water and pitch in the garden to be fed from the hands of the Maoris, who are extremely skilled in the ways and habits of our native birds. As a bird attractor during the winter and early spring months, the tree lucerne, combined with the ngutukaka, kowhai and poroporo, form an attraction which will bring bell-birds and tuis from long distances, but it is essential that the plants should be in considerable numbers, as an odd tree or two is quickly run over by any visiting birds, and is insufficient to keep the birds permanently in any vicinity.