Extract from ABC News
Flowering native plants can attract birds such as rainbow lorikeets. (ABC News: Daniel Johnson)
Australia is renowned for its biodiversity, and you might be surprised by the variety of native birds and wildlife sharing your neighbourhood, even if you are living in an urban area.
There is a range of simple things we can all do to encourage more native wildlife to our gardens, backyards, balconies and shared spaces, and help the birds and animals that are already there survive and thrive.
From planting vegetation and providing adequate water, to encouraging pollinators and creating suitable shelter, here are some of the small changes you can make to create a haven for the native fauna in your area.
Find out what wildlife is in your area
Lawrie Smith, the leader of the Australian Native Plants Society's garden design group, says the first thing people wanting to attract native wildlife should do is "get to know their garden and where they live".
"They've got to understand what sort of wildlife is around them … and if you're in a well-planned suburb with plenty of open space, then [a garden] can attract a lot of wildlife that is already living in the vicinity," says Mr Smith, who is based in Queensland's Moreton Bay region on the traditional lands of the Turrbal, Kabi Kabi and Jinibara people.
It's a sentiment shared by Kylie Soanes, University of Melbourne conservation biologist from Geelong/Djilang, whose passion is saving species in cities and towns.
"Our homes and gardens make up way more space than all of the dedicated nature reserves in a city," she says.
Creating the right habitat for native birds
There's a difference between native Australian plants and plants that are indigenous to your area, as Mr Smith explains.
"Everybody says, 'oh, let's plant Australian plants' … but the problem is, Australia is a vast continent with so many different bioregions, all of them with very, very different climatic and environmental conditions."
Planting species that are indigenous to your area will help encourage native wildlife. (Supplied: City of Perth)
It's important to do your own research to find out which plants are native to your area.
Mr Smith suggests visiting nearby national parks and nature reserves, as well as consulting with locally-based members of organisations such as the Australian Native Plant Society.
"Every city has a different palette of plants that suit the gardens there and because you're choosing ones that are from the bioregion in which you live, that's where the wildlife that you want to attract lives, and it depends on those plants."
Kylie Soanes says you don't need a huge space to create a refuge for bird and animals. (ABC News: Rhiannon Stevens)
Dr Soanes says flowering natives such as grevilleas and banksias can attract a range of birds, including honeyeaters, cockatoos, rainbow lorikeets and other parrots.
"But if you want to attract lots of different kinds of our colourful little song birds, having a shrub that is a little bit denser, a little bit more wiry, and maybe has smaller flowers can help provide shelter for those smaller birds that tend to get picked on by the great big nectar-eating birds and attracts things like fairy wrens and eastern spinebills that are great fun to have around," she says.
Making your garden habitable for other wildlife
If you have enough space and want to create a haven for skinks, geckos, bearded dragons and water dragons, Mr Smith recommends arranging hollowed-out logs and large rocks in a sunny area of your garden.
He says garden trimmings can also create a cheap and effective layer of mulch, which attracts small insects for lizards, frogs and other wildlife to feed on.
"Chop up the prunings with a pair of clippers into small bits and just drop them in the garden underneath. It starts decaying immediately and continues to be a food resource for the wildlife," he says.
Placing hollowed-out logs, large rocks, mulch and water in a sunny area can help attract lizards such as water dragons. (ABC News: Daniel Johnson)
You don't need to sacrifice a large area to construct a "lizard lounge", Dr Soanes says.
"You might have one little corner that's got lots of sticks and logs, and say, that's somewhere where the lizards can bask in the sun and warm up in the morning," she says.
"Same thing for frogs, they like to be able to hide under logs and rocks when it gets too hot and then come out at other times of the day."
Providing clean and fresh water
Making sure you have ample water sources in shaded areas of your garden or balcony is an easy and practical way of supporting local wildlife.
"Whether it's in a bird bath you can get down the shops or one you make yourself by putting a dish on a pedestal or some low-lying dishes, particularly at this time of year, because fresh water can be really hard to find, particularly in our cities and towns," Dr Soanes says.
She explains that birds are unable to easily cool themselves down when they get too hot and "can go into heat stress", particularly during periods of prolonged hot weather.
"If you notice that there's a bit of a heat wave coming, popping a shallow dish under a shrub or in your garden, or somewhere in the shade where wildlife can easily and safely access it, can make all the difference."
Small areas and balcony gardens
You don't need a huge space to create a refuge for birds and animals.
Small shrubs in a courtyard or potted plants on a balcony can play a part in making your neighbourhood a welcoming place for native wildlife.
"There are lots of smaller creatures that use tiny pockets spread throughout an urban landscape as stepping stones or places to visit," Dr Soanes says.
"You can have some nice flowering gardens in your pots, for example, and find guidelines online to help you create miniature wildflower meadows, so things that flower at different times.
"There are also lots of really lovely native grasses that grow quite well in pots, as well as smaller shrubs like grevilleas and shrubs that have small flowers and dense prickly shrubs."
Mr Smith says it has become "a luxury to have a big garden these days", but large buildings are increasingly incorporating rooftop gardens and green walls into their designs.
"You can do that using native plants", he says, "and if well chosen, they have less water requirements … they need less than petunias and azaleas and those sorts of things, so that's another benefit; you're helping the environment by minimising the use of water, which is a finite resource."
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