Attracting birds to your garden in Southern Africa - Roy Trendler & Lex Hes

The opportunity to relax in comfortable and familiar surrounds and watch, even study birds go about their daily routine is indeed a privilege. This activity is within reach of anyone with a garden, no matter what its size. Roy Trendler and Lex Hes have combined their talents to impart not only the pleasures and practicalities of a 'bird garden' but the necessity of these havens within the urban context. Gardens and parks represent valuable bird habitats within an otherwise concrete environment, and have become more and more important in supporting birdlife.

The joys of gardening for birds are many. From planning and planting the garden, the authors offer a host of practical suggestions on feeding birds, providing for their watering needs and offering nesting opportunities. The reader is taken through the steps of building a feeding platform and various nest-boxes, and creating a garden wetland and pond.

A directory of 100 common garden birds aids identification and offers guidelines on the habitat, food and nesting requirements of each species, and the role of the garden in satisfying these.

A garden planned for birds is largely, though not exclusively, an indigenous one; myths surrounding indigenous plants are dispelled and we are shown that by carefully maintaining and nurturing native trees and shrubs we can bring out their full and often undiscovered potential.