Birdhouses

Somehow I completely neglected to write about the birdhouses we installed last winter, but I will remedy that now. So far we have two birdhouses: one with a 1 1/8" entrance hole which is well suited for chickadees, and one with a 1 1/4 " entrance hole which is well suited for downy woodpeckers, titmice and nuthatches.

These birdhouses we made from a pre-cut kit from our local nursery; we just had to assemble the pieces and mount it to the tree. There are plenty of resources for building your own birdhouses from scratch, including one of my new go-to books Attracting Birds to your Backyard by Sally Roth. But the main things you want to keep in mind when building a house are:

• The size of the birdhouse should be appropriate for the type of bird you are trying to attract (for instance chickadees like small houses, flickers like large houses, screech owls like extra-large houses, etc.).
• The entrance hole size should be appropriate for the type of bird you are trying to attract.
• The bird house shouldn't made out of treated wood (you don't want to poison the birds!).
• If you want birds to nest in it that summer, you should try to get it up by late winter/very early spring.

Why go through all the trouble of installing bird houses in your yard? Their are numerous benefits:

• Habitat Replacement. As man continues to develop, cavities that are appropriate for cavity-nesting birds become less available. It may not seem like putting up a bird house will make a big difference, but cavity-nesting birds really do have trouble finding nesting sites these days.
• Native Species. Invasive species, like house sparrows, are numerous and out-compete native species for nest cavities. Appropriately sized and placed birdhouses can give native species a better chance.
• Baby Birds. Who doesn't love seeing baby birds visit their yards and feeders?
• Diversity of Species. Having a variety of birdhouses will attract a variety of bird species to visit your yard, giving you the opportunity to enjoy their colors, antics and songs. 
• Protect the Ecosystem. Birds are a vital part of ecosystems, and by helping conserve birds, you are helping to promote healthier ecosystems (which benefits all life on earth).
• Controlling Pests. Birds eat insects and will help to eliminate unwanted pests.
• Weed Control. Birds enjoy eating weed seeds...which mean less weeding for gardeners.
• Learning Opportunity. Birdhouse building is a great hobby, an easy way to teach children simple woodworking skills, and a great way to teach children how to care for the environment and develop and interest and love for wildlife.

I encourage everyone to have at least one birdhouse, they are a fantastic addition to any property!