What You Should Know About Birdhouses

You may be considering adding a birdhouse to your yard as a decorative feature. But if you want to invite the birds to use them as homes, you need to check with local experts to find out what type of habitat and nesting requirements the birds that you wish to attract may require.

Bird watching is such an enjoyable hobby; and what a thrill to actually espy a Bluebird in mid flight; or to see the yard alive with the color of cardinals.

Birdhouses can be traced back to ancient cultures caring for the birds and enjoying having them around.

There is an array of birdhouse construction plans and kits on the Net and in hobby shops across the land. What follows is a few tips on what you should consider in building (or buying) birdhouses for your yard.

Birdhouse Construction Tips:

A well-built birdhouse should be durable, rainproof, cool and readily accessible for cleaning.

Building Materials and Construction of Birdhouse:

• Wood is the best building material.

• Metals should be avoided, for they become extremely hot when exposed to a sweltering sun and can cook nestlings and adults on hot days.

• Rough slabs with the bark left on make ideal material for rustic-looking houses.

• For easy disassembly for cleaning, the house should be constructed with screws.

Roof of Birdhouse:

• Should be constructed with a sufficient pitch to shed water.

• Eaves should be at least 3 inches of overhang to protect the entrance from driving rain.

Exterior of Birdhouse:

• Entrance holes should be near the top of the box and proportional to the size of the bird which will use the house.

• The birdhouse should not have a perch.

• For the exterior color, white is best to deflect heat when placed in direct sunlight; otherwise a subdued color tone is best.

Interior of Birdhouse:

• Since rain water may seep into the house, drill a few holes in the floor to allow drainage.

• Drill several holes near the top of the box to provide ventilation in hot weather.

• Interior walls roughened or grooved to assist the young in climbing to the opening.

• The floor should be enclosed by the walls and recessed upward by at least a centimetre.

Placement of Birdhouses:

• Place in locations inaccessible to natural predators, with the opening facing away from the prevailing wind, and if possible, in partial sunlight and away from noisy areas.

• Some birds insist on territorial rights and conflicts could result over bird houses. Do not place house too close together. If possible allow at least 1/4 acre per house.

• Birdhouses placed along the edge of a wooded forest can attract House Wrens, Tufted Titmice and Black-capped Chickadees

• Birdhouses placed in the open field can attract American Kestrals, Tree Swallow and bluebirds.

• Nesting Season Shelter is especially important during the spring (about 6 weeks) as the birds seek an environment free from animals and humans.

• Putting your birdhouses up in the fall will weather it over the winter, making it ready for the birds in the spring (by mid-March).

• Do not place the birdhouses in trees or on wood posts. To keep the predators from climbing to the nest, install your birdhouses on metal posts encased in a strip of galvanized metal, stovepipe, or PVC pipe.

Birdhouse Maintenance

• At the end of the breeding season discard the old nest.

• Pour a pot of boiling water over the empty nestbox to kill mites, blowfly eggs and larvae, other parasites, and bacteria and mould spores.

Attracting the Birds:

If you build it -- will they come? Yes, if you make the birdhouses environmentally friendly and safe.

Shrubs and trees that attract birds:

• Apple
• Blackberry
• Blueberry
• Cypress
• Dogwood
• Elderberry
• Euonymous
• Fir
• Hawthorn
• Hemlock
• Hollies
• Juniper
• Maple
• Mesquite
• Mulberry
• Oak
• Pine
• Pyracantha
• Raspberries
• Rose
• Russian Olive
• Spruce
• Viburnum
  

Bird Feeders and Feed:

A combination of natural food sources and bird feeders will attract a variety of birds all year long. The type of feeder you choose will determine the type of birds that eat there. Most tube feeders with individual perches will attract the smaller songbirds.

Common winter feed is suet. It is especially attractive when offered with seeds. Beware though, as it can spoil in the heat as can shelled nutmeats like sunflower seeds.

Feeding year-round will encourage some of the birds to nest nearby. Commercial mixtures of bird food are readily available and are formulated to attract certain birds. Be sure to store all bird food in a cool/dry place to avoid moisture/spoilage.

A year-round supply of clean water is also essential.

Foods and the Birds they Attract:

• Sunflower Seed: Chickadee, tufted titmouse, evening grosbeak, white-breasted nuthatch, blue jay, cardinal, purple finch, American goldfinch.

• Thistle: Dark-eyed junco, American goldfinch, purple finch, house finch, pine suskin, house sparrow.

• Cracked corn: Mourning dove, blue jay, house sparrow, tree sparrow, song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, brown-headed cowbird, red-winged blackbird.

• Millet:Mourning dove, house sparrow, tree sparrow, song sparrow, white-throated sparrow, brown-headed cowbird, red-winged blackbird.

• Suet:Downy woodpecker, hairy woodpecker, starling, chickadee, white-breasted nuthatch, red-breasted nuthatch.

Water is important for drinking and bathing.

While outside the other day with my dog, I saw two doves in the bird bath. They looked at me and started cooing. Then one flew off the bath and right past my head. I thought "he certainly wants my attention." Then the other flew off past me as well. I walked over to the bird bath and sure enough it was dry. It made me realize that now that summer was here I'd have to be more vigilant in replenishing their water supply.

• A bath helps a bird keep its feathers maintain waterproofing and insulating properties as well as keeping them in perfect condition for flying.

• A perch or rim near the water allows the birds to alight before entering the water. Nearby protective shrubbery can help the bird make a quick getaway from predators if necessary.

• A pedestal birdbath with its wide, shallow bowl is a good choice, but make sure that the surface is rough so the birds will not slip as they drink and bathe.

• Create shallow areas for song birds by using various rocks and stones.

• The water should be free of lead and/or chemicals of any kind and the bath should be often cleaned with a scrub brush and water then refilled.

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