Safe and Sound: 11 Ways to Protect Native Wildlife in Your Garden
Do you share your backyard with native wildlife? Here are 11 ways to keep them safe from danger
Waking to the sound of birdsong, hearing the frogs chorus at dusk, and spotting a cheeky possum outside the kitchen window are some of life’s simplest joys. The local wildlife – those who call our backyards home – enrich our daily lives in countless ways. But living in such close proximity to humans makes some of these animals vulnerable to injury, illness or even death. Some of the threats we unwittingly pose to native fauna as we go about our daily lives include using pesticides and herbicides, the impacts of domestic pets, and feeding.
Here, some experts from wildlife rescue organisations talk about how we can minimise everyday dangers to native wildlife and create backyard environments in which our feathered, furry and scaly friends can survive and thrive.
Here, some experts from wildlife rescue organisations talk about how we can minimise everyday dangers to native wildlife and create backyard environments in which our feathered, furry and scaly friends can survive and thrive.
Image by Gabrielle Chariton
MacLucas says that adding rocks and hollow logs at ground level will provide shelter and habitats for lizards, frogs, reptiles, echidnas and insects. Grassed areas become a buffet for certain bird species, such as magpies and kookaburras who feed on the small insects and worms that live on or just under the ground.
And resist the urge to rake: according to WIRES (the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service), allowing leaf litter and mulch to build up in sections of your garden will decrease the need to water and provide feeding opportunities and nesting material for ground birds and small mammals.
Find a gardener or landscape architect near you
MacLucas says that adding rocks and hollow logs at ground level will provide shelter and habitats for lizards, frogs, reptiles, echidnas and insects. Grassed areas become a buffet for certain bird species, such as magpies and kookaburras who feed on the small insects and worms that live on or just under the ground.
And resist the urge to rake: according to WIRES (the NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Service), allowing leaf litter and mulch to build up in sections of your garden will decrease the need to water and provide feeding opportunities and nesting material for ground birds and small mammals.
Find a gardener or landscape architect near you
Image by WIRES
2. Be wary of pesticides and insecticides
Many of the chemicals in pesticides, such as snail pellets or sprays for killing bugs, grubs and caterpillars, can make animals sick – sometimes fatally. Pesticides containing neonicotinoids will kill bees, and frogs have highly permeable skin and can die after coming into contact with herbicides and pesticides.
It’s also important to consider the food chain before using poisons to control pests, according to Sydney Wildlife. For example, if a snail eats toxic bait then a blue-tongue lizard eats the snail, the blue-tongue lizard will die. Bug-loving birds are also at risk of secondary poisoning from eating animals killed by insecticides.
Here are some safer, non-toxic alternatives Sydney Wildlife recommends for deterring pests:
2. Be wary of pesticides and insecticides
Many of the chemicals in pesticides, such as snail pellets or sprays for killing bugs, grubs and caterpillars, can make animals sick – sometimes fatally. Pesticides containing neonicotinoids will kill bees, and frogs have highly permeable skin and can die after coming into contact with herbicides and pesticides.
It’s also important to consider the food chain before using poisons to control pests, according to Sydney Wildlife. For example, if a snail eats toxic bait then a blue-tongue lizard eats the snail, the blue-tongue lizard will die. Bug-loving birds are also at risk of secondary poisoning from eating animals killed by insecticides.
Here are some safer, non-toxic alternatives Sydney Wildlife recommends for deterring pests:
- Snails and slugs: Put some beer in a half-buried can or sprinkle sawdust around your plants.
- Cockroaches: Wipe shelves inside your home with eucalyptus or citrus oil, or sprinkle baking soda around cracks.
- Ants: Spray access points with a mix of detergent and water in a spray bottle.
- Garden insects: Mix one cup of vegetable oil with one tablespoon of dishwashing liquid, shake thoroughly and spray onto plants. Or mix a teaspoon of liquid soap with two cups of water and spray onto plants in the cool of the evening.
- General insect deterrent: Use a citrus spray.
Images by Gabrielle Chariton
Also remember that encouraging native animals into your garden will naturally help with pest control: lizards eat snails and spiders, birds target insects and grubs, echidnas eat ants, and frogs dine on flies and mosquitoes.
Also remember that encouraging native animals into your garden will naturally help with pest control: lizards eat snails and spiders, birds target insects and grubs, echidnas eat ants, and frogs dine on flies and mosquitoes.
3. Be aware that when you poison rodents, you’re also poisoning birds of prey
None of us want non-native rats and mice living in or around our homes; they spread disease, damage our homes and, when present in large numbers, can also attract snakes. When rodents become a problem, many of us put out baits to kill them.
Most rodent baits contain the anticoagulants brodifacoum and bromadiolone, which cause the animal to haemorrhage after just one feed. However, they are slow acting and it can take between three and 10 days for the baited rodent to die. As it becomes weaker and sicker, it is easy prey for cats, dogs and native birds of prey, all of which will then also become poisoned by the toxins in the bait. If this occurs, the predator animal will generally only survive following urgent medical intervention.
None of us want non-native rats and mice living in or around our homes; they spread disease, damage our homes and, when present in large numbers, can also attract snakes. When rodents become a problem, many of us put out baits to kill them.
Most rodent baits contain the anticoagulants brodifacoum and bromadiolone, which cause the animal to haemorrhage after just one feed. However, they are slow acting and it can take between three and 10 days for the baited rodent to die. As it becomes weaker and sicker, it is easy prey for cats, dogs and native birds of prey, all of which will then also become poisoned by the toxins in the bait. If this occurs, the predator animal will generally only survive following urgent medical intervention.
Images by WIRES
Native raptors and owls (some of which are endangered) feed on rats and mice, and help us control their populations naturally. To help protect these beautiful and precious creatures, avoid using these single-feed types of rat poisons around your home. If your rodent problem is such that baiting is necessary, coumatetralyl-based baits, which must be consumed by the rats over a few days to be lethal, are said to be less likely to cause secondary poisoning in native wildlife because they are metabolised differently in the rodent’s body. These are marketed as ‘multi-feed baits’.
While a more humane and safer option is to use cage traps (the animal is trapped and can be released somewhere far, far away from your home), wildlife experts agree that the best way to control non-native rats and mice around the home is to remove sources of food and potential habitat by doing the following:
Native raptors and owls (some of which are endangered) feed on rats and mice, and help us control their populations naturally. To help protect these beautiful and precious creatures, avoid using these single-feed types of rat poisons around your home. If your rodent problem is such that baiting is necessary, coumatetralyl-based baits, which must be consumed by the rats over a few days to be lethal, are said to be less likely to cause secondary poisoning in native wildlife because they are metabolised differently in the rodent’s body. These are marketed as ‘multi-feed baits’.
While a more humane and safer option is to use cage traps (the animal is trapped and can be released somewhere far, far away from your home), wildlife experts agree that the best way to control non-native rats and mice around the home is to remove sources of food and potential habitat by doing the following:
- Keep the grass mown.
- Don’t leave rubbish lying around.
- Ensure compost bins are well-sealed.
- Clean up stray bird seed and chicken feed.
- Don’t leave out leftover dog or cat food.
- Cover drains with wire mesh.
- Seal off any potential entry points into your home or roof cavity.
4. Choose safe netting
Netting is a popular way to keep marauding possums and birds away from vegetable patches and fruit trees. Some people will also suspend a net over a garden pond to stop birds from stealing goldfish. But WIRES warns that any netting with a mesh size of one centimetre or more can prove deadly to wildlife such as birds, bats, snake lizards and the occasional possum. According to WIRES, animals become tangled in large mesh netting and cannot free themselves. While struggling to escape, the net cuts deeper into the animal.
Wildlife-friendly netting has a mesh size of less than five millimetres (you shouldn’t be able to poke your finger through the holes). Other ways to protect fruit and vegies is to cover the individual clusters of growing fruit in specially designed fruit-protection bags. For vegetable gardens, WIRES recommends using densely woven white netting that is easily seen by animals at night. Sydney Wildlife says shade cloth and chicken wire are also safer alternatives to netting.
Netting is a popular way to keep marauding possums and birds away from vegetable patches and fruit trees. Some people will also suspend a net over a garden pond to stop birds from stealing goldfish. But WIRES warns that any netting with a mesh size of one centimetre or more can prove deadly to wildlife such as birds, bats, snake lizards and the occasional possum. According to WIRES, animals become tangled in large mesh netting and cannot free themselves. While struggling to escape, the net cuts deeper into the animal.
Wildlife-friendly netting has a mesh size of less than five millimetres (you shouldn’t be able to poke your finger through the holes). Other ways to protect fruit and vegies is to cover the individual clusters of growing fruit in specially designed fruit-protection bags. For vegetable gardens, WIRES recommends using densely woven white netting that is easily seen by animals at night. Sydney Wildlife says shade cloth and chicken wire are also safer alternatives to netting.
Image by Gabrielle Chariton
5. Please don’t feed the birds…
WIRES does not recommend that you feed any native birds. In the wild, birds feed on nectar, seeds, fruit and insects. Some birds, such as owls, kookaburras and birds of prey also eat lizards and rodents. When we feed birds, we upset the nutritional balance of their diet, which can negatively impact their health. There are a number of other reasons why feeding birds is discouraged:
5. Please don’t feed the birds…
WIRES does not recommend that you feed any native birds. In the wild, birds feed on nectar, seeds, fruit and insects. Some birds, such as owls, kookaburras and birds of prey also eat lizards and rodents. When we feed birds, we upset the nutritional balance of their diet, which can negatively impact their health. There are a number of other reasons why feeding birds is discouraged:
- It can create feeding-frenzy situations and increase bird-to-bird aggression.
- The high concentration of birds and feed in one place can contribute to the spread of disease. Seed that’s left out in damp conditions can spoil and also cause disease.
- Birds come to rely on the food you provide. They may lose the ability to forage for food themselves – particularly juveniles who will learn this behaviour from their parents.
- Large amounts of salt in bread and processed food can cause sickness and deformities in the young birds. Raw meat is lacking in calcium and has high levels of phosphorous, which contributes to dietary imbalance and severe deficiencies.
To continue enjoying the company of native birds without compromising their health, fill your garden with the plants they naturally love to feed on. Native grasses, eucalyptus, acacias, hakeas, casuarinas and banksias, bottlebrush, grevillea, lilly pilly, and melaleuca or paperbark will produce a diverse smorgasbord of nectar, fruit and seeds. A good layer of leaf litter on garden beds will attract the insects and lizards that kookaburras, butcher birds and magpies love.
Chirpy Ways to Attract Birds to Your Garden
Chirpy Ways to Attract Birds to Your Garden
Image by WIRES
6. …Or the possums
When we leave food out for the neighbourhood possums, we think we’re being kind. But in fact, the opposite is true. WIRES says using food to encourage possums to come to your home can increase the density of possum populations in the area, which contributes to the spread of disease.
Ringtail possums cannot digest non-native fruit easily; it ferments in the gut and produces vast quantities of gas, often leading to death. Feeding possums milk can cause diarrhoea and dehydration and can also result in death.
6. …Or the possums
When we leave food out for the neighbourhood possums, we think we’re being kind. But in fact, the opposite is true. WIRES says using food to encourage possums to come to your home can increase the density of possum populations in the area, which contributes to the spread of disease.
Ringtail possums cannot digest non-native fruit easily; it ferments in the gut and produces vast quantities of gas, often leading to death. Feeding possums milk can cause diarrhoea and dehydration and can also result in death.
Image by Lisa Wynn
As with birds, it’s better to let the local possums forage naturally. They will feed on bark, grass and leaves, native fruit and small insects. Filling your garden with native flowering and berry-bearing plants will keep them happy and well fed. WIRES also suggests keeping your compost well sealed – otherwise scavenging possums might make it their primary food source.
To discourage possums from taking up residence in your roof cavity, MacLucas suggests installing possum boxes high up in nearby trees, and making sure potential entry points to the house are well sealed.
Read more animal stories
As with birds, it’s better to let the local possums forage naturally. They will feed on bark, grass and leaves, native fruit and small insects. Filling your garden with native flowering and berry-bearing plants will keep them happy and well fed. WIRES also suggests keeping your compost well sealed – otherwise scavenging possums might make it their primary food source.
To discourage possums from taking up residence in your roof cavity, MacLucas suggests installing possum boxes high up in nearby trees, and making sure potential entry points to the house are well sealed.
Read more animal stories
7. Prevent pet attacks
They may seem loveable to you, but cats and dogs are natural predators of most native animals and can cause significant damage to local populations.
“Keep your cat indoors,” says Lisa Wynn, volunteer wildlife carer with Sydney Wildlife. “One study [published in the journal Biological Conversation] estimated that domestic cats kill more than a million birds each week in Australia – and that’s not even including the wildlife killed by feral cats.” A great solution, she says, is to make a ‘catio’ as pictured here – an enclosed outdoor area where your cats can enjoy the outdoors, plants and grass without endangering native wildlife.
Dogs’ instinct to give chase often comes to the fore at night when possums, bandicoots and other nocturnal animals are rustling about in the backyard. When letting your dog out at night, Wynn suggests you first step outside without the dog and stomp and clap loudly a few times. “That will alert any nocturnal animals to get out of the way before the dog comes bounding out,” says Wynn.
They may seem loveable to you, but cats and dogs are natural predators of most native animals and can cause significant damage to local populations.
“Keep your cat indoors,” says Lisa Wynn, volunteer wildlife carer with Sydney Wildlife. “One study [published in the journal Biological Conversation] estimated that domestic cats kill more than a million birds each week in Australia – and that’s not even including the wildlife killed by feral cats.” A great solution, she says, is to make a ‘catio’ as pictured here – an enclosed outdoor area where your cats can enjoy the outdoors, plants and grass without endangering native wildlife.
Dogs’ instinct to give chase often comes to the fore at night when possums, bandicoots and other nocturnal animals are rustling about in the backyard. When letting your dog out at night, Wynn suggests you first step outside without the dog and stomp and clap loudly a few times. “That will alert any nocturnal animals to get out of the way before the dog comes bounding out,” says Wynn.
Image by WIRES
8. Remember, cats don’t have to catch animals to kill them
“Native animals don’t have natural protection against the bacteria introduced by cat scratches and bites, and even a scratch can be deadly to native wildlife,” says Wynn. “A tiny puncture wound from a cat claw or tooth can kill possums within 24 hours. The same is true for our native snakes – cat bites are as dangerous as venom to our snakes.”
Compounding this problem, Wynn adds, is the fact it can be difficult to see if a cat has scratched or bitten an animal, as the puncture wounds are so small and heal over quickly, sealing the bacteria in. “If you find an animal that your cat has been interacting with, even if it doesn’t look hurt, it needs to go to a wildlife carer as soon as possible to receive antibiotics.”
8. Remember, cats don’t have to catch animals to kill them
“Native animals don’t have natural protection against the bacteria introduced by cat scratches and bites, and even a scratch can be deadly to native wildlife,” says Wynn. “A tiny puncture wound from a cat claw or tooth can kill possums within 24 hours. The same is true for our native snakes – cat bites are as dangerous as venom to our snakes.”
Compounding this problem, Wynn adds, is the fact it can be difficult to see if a cat has scratched or bitten an animal, as the puncture wounds are so small and heal over quickly, sealing the bacteria in. “If you find an animal that your cat has been interacting with, even if it doesn’t look hurt, it needs to go to a wildlife carer as soon as possible to receive antibiotics.”
Image by Lisa Wynn
9. Do the mowing and whipper-snipping after lunch
The reptiles who call our backyards home – blue-tongues, shinglebacks or bobtails, legless lizards and occasionally snakes – are cold-blooded and like to take things slowly in the mornings. They need to bask in the sun until their body warms up to about 30 to 35 degrees before they go foraging for food. Lizards and snakes who aren’t warm enough can’t move very quickly. For this reason, it’s better to do your garden maintenance later in the day, when they’ve had a chance to warm up and are agile enough to slip away when they hear you coming.
Before mowing long grass, it’s also a good idea to check the area for snoozing bandicoots – these nocturnal critters make nests in long dry grass to sleep in during the day.
9. Do the mowing and whipper-snipping after lunch
The reptiles who call our backyards home – blue-tongues, shinglebacks or bobtails, legless lizards and occasionally snakes – are cold-blooded and like to take things slowly in the mornings. They need to bask in the sun until their body warms up to about 30 to 35 degrees before they go foraging for food. Lizards and snakes who aren’t warm enough can’t move very quickly. For this reason, it’s better to do your garden maintenance later in the day, when they’ve had a chance to warm up and are agile enough to slip away when they hear you coming.
Before mowing long grass, it’s also a good idea to check the area for snoozing bandicoots – these nocturnal critters make nests in long dry grass to sleep in during the day.
Image by Gabrielle Chariton
10. Baby birds probably don’t need your help…
“If you see a fluffy bird on the ground, don’t immediately assume that it needs rescuing,” says Wynn. “Birds in the fledgling stage are too big and active to stay in their nests, but their flight feathers haven’t fully come in yet so they can’t fly. They typically spend a couple of weeks on the ground or hopping around under bushes, exploring and being fed by their parents. It’s a natural part of their learning to be independent.”
Should you find a baby bird on the ground, move it under a bush or onto a low tree branch, and keep an eye out (from a distance) to see if its parents are coming to feed it, Wynn advises.
How to Help Injured or Distressed Wildlife
10. Baby birds probably don’t need your help…
“If you see a fluffy bird on the ground, don’t immediately assume that it needs rescuing,” says Wynn. “Birds in the fledgling stage are too big and active to stay in their nests, but their flight feathers haven’t fully come in yet so they can’t fly. They typically spend a couple of weeks on the ground or hopping around under bushes, exploring and being fed by their parents. It’s a natural part of their learning to be independent.”
Should you find a baby bird on the ground, move it under a bush or onto a low tree branch, and keep an eye out (from a distance) to see if its parents are coming to feed it, Wynn advises.
How to Help Injured or Distressed Wildlife
Image by Lisa Wynn
“If you find a nestling (a baby bird still covered in down) on the ground that has been blown from its nest in a storm, you can make a substitute nest that will keep it safe and allow its parents to continue to feed it,” she says. “Take a plastic container, such as an old ice cream tub, drill some holes into the bottom of it for drainage, and then fill the bottom with leaves and soft bark. Nail the container to a tree trunk at about shoulder height and pop the baby bird in it. That will keep it safe from cats, dogs and lawn mowers, and you can peek in to check on its development.”
If you’re not sure whether a baby bird needs rescuing, Wynn says the best thing to do is to take a photo of it and contact your local wildlife rescue organisation for advice.
“If you find a nestling (a baby bird still covered in down) on the ground that has been blown from its nest in a storm, you can make a substitute nest that will keep it safe and allow its parents to continue to feed it,” she says. “Take a plastic container, such as an old ice cream tub, drill some holes into the bottom of it for drainage, and then fill the bottom with leaves and soft bark. Nail the container to a tree trunk at about shoulder height and pop the baby bird in it. That will keep it safe from cats, dogs and lawn mowers, and you can peek in to check on its development.”
If you’re not sure whether a baby bird needs rescuing, Wynn says the best thing to do is to take a photo of it and contact your local wildlife rescue organisation for advice.
Images by Gabrielle Chariton
11. …But injured animals do need your help
If you find an injured or sick native animal, it’s important to get help fast. Immediately call your local vet or your nearest wildlife rescue organisation, which will advise you on how to keep the animal safe until a rescuer arrives. You can find the contact details of your closest rescue organisation by using the search facility at Australian Fauna Care.
11. …But injured animals do need your help
If you find an injured or sick native animal, it’s important to get help fast. Immediately call your local vet or your nearest wildlife rescue organisation, which will advise you on how to keep the animal safe until a rescuer arrives. You can find the contact details of your closest rescue organisation by using the search facility at Australian Fauna Care.
The information in this article was supplied by WIRES, Sydney Wildlife and Fauna Rescue of South Australia. These organisations are staffed by volunteers who dedicate their time to rescuing and caring for sick and injured wildlife and rely on donations to carry out this work. Donations and volunteer assistance from the public are always much appreciated.
Tell us
Do you have wildlife living in your garden? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like or share this story and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Considering keeping your cat inside to protect wildlife? Don’t miss Feline Boundaries: A Vet States the Case for Keeping Cats Indoors
Tell us
Do you have wildlife living in your garden? Tell us in the Comments below. And don’t forget to like or share this story and save the photos. Join the conversation.
More
Considering keeping your cat inside to protect wildlife? Don’t miss Feline Boundaries: A Vet States the Case for Keeping Cats Indoors
The first step in protecting the wildlife in your backyard is to protect and enrich their habitat – giving them a safe place to live and breed, with plenty of sources of natural food.
“A wildlife-friendly garden will include a mix of native vegetation – shrubs, ground cover, trees – planted in different layers,” says Marian MacLucas, a volunteer with Fauna Rescue of South Australia. “Let some areas overgrow a bit to promote more natural food sources and areas for insects to lay eggs.”
Many bird species and marsupials nest in hollows in tree trunks and branches. “Think twice about cutting down big, old trees as these provide valuable habitat,” says MacLucas. “If a branch is dangerous, consider leaving the majority of the tree in place and just removing the dangerous limb.”
Native flowering plants, such as grevillea, lemon-scented gum and eucalyptus, provide a natural food source for native insects, birds, possums and flying foxes.