How To Make a Tui Feeder Essay

How to Make a Tui Feeder
Build a Feeder or Fill A Bowl
Tuis are honeyeaters and feed quite happily on sugar and water - the same way hummingbirds do. Basic feeding stations can be set up on a deck or up a tree, with a bowl of sugary water. Unfortunately we can't attract them to our deck, as we have cats, but we do get to watch them visiting our neighbours.

So take 1 bowl, container or feeder and fill with water.
Dissolve sugar into the water.
Place somewhere a tui is likely to visit and wait for them to learn about it.

Ratios
In winter, add about half a cup of sugar to a cup of water.
In summer, when there's natural food around, add about 3 desert spoons of sugar to one cup of water

Extra Tips
-Sugar-water can go stale. Store any excess in the fridge
- The best time to put out feeders is in winter, when normal supplies of food are low and the birds are hungry. If you plant flowering trees, the tuis can move onto those in Spring and never leave the garden.
- It's better to hang the feeder, rather than put it on a deck railing, or a pole - unless you are very sure no cats or rats will be able to climb up
- You can add red food dye to the mix to attract the birds or put out bright orange chunks of oranges or mandarins.
- Or a bit of Complan (food replacement powder) in winter, for the protein and