Attract Wild Birds to Your Yard with Nesting Boxes

Approximately fifty species of cavity-nesting birds will use bird houses, thirty-five species will do so on a regular basis. Man-made nesting boxes can provide important cavities for many of these wild birds, because natural cavities in snags and large live trees are, more and more, in short supply in city and suburban yards. The birds don’t find much in the way of housing in these areas, so if you provide artificial holes for them and give some attention to detail, you’ll be able to attract the wild birds you want and exclude those that are less desirable. If you offer a place for them to nest, you’ll enjoy seeing them frequently at close range.  Also, the types of birds that use nesting boxes tend to be extremely busy eaters of insects, which is an added reason for offering them a home.

Carefully choose the site for putting up a birdhouse. Nesting boxes for woodland birds such as chickadees and woodpeckers must be mounted directly on trees. Those hung in or fastened to trees for other species should be clear of the main trunk and placed where sunshine can reach them. Choosing the time of year to put up birdhouses is important, too. In the autumn before the leaves fall is ideal, so you can be sure the spots won’t be too dark and gloomy. All growing things, including baby birds, need sunshine.

Nesting time will vary with the bird species, as well as with your geographical location. For same year occupancy, nesting boxes should be in place no later than January in the southern tier of states, February for the middle tier and March in the northern states and Canada. If birds seem to be avoiding the houses you’ve installed, just try to be patient. Sometimes a brand new house is viewed with suspicion, and the birds will be more likely to accept it once it has weathered a bit – another reason why fall can be the best time for putting up new houses.

It’s easy to provide features that will make the nesting boxes more attractive as residences. Choose boxes with ventilation holes near the top of the sides (or you can drill your own if need be) to provide some light as well as fresh air, as birds might spook if they peer into the entrance hole and the inside of the box is pitch black. Wood chips and shavings on the bottom of the box will be welcomed, and for chickadees and small woodpeckers you can completely fill the box with shavings and let the bird make its own cavity. Don’t use sawdust as it doesn’t ventilate and dry out as well as chips. Offer nesting materials where the birds can find them easily if you really want to make them happy!

Make sure you can access the box yourself without trouble, as it should be cleaned out each fall when the nesting season is over to cut down on parasites like mites and lice and discourage mice from nesting there. If you have birds that raise more than one family a season, clean between broods as well.

Pick an area without lots of human disturbance and avoid having the entrance to the nesting box face a busy road. Make sure to place it near shrubbery so fledglings have a place to hide while developing their flying skills, and avoid being eaten by the neighborhood cat. In southern regions, it just makes good sense to have the entrance facing north to avoid heat buildup inside; in northern regions, having the entrance face south will likely help to keep it warm.

You don’t want to create a bird slum as, so putting up four to five houses per acre is about right.

Predators, such as cats, squirrels, raccoons, rats and snakes, will always be a problem, so in most areas complete protection is not really possible. However, there are a few things you can do to help keep the nest safe:

·        Wrap the post with sheet metal, if the birdhouse is mounted on a post that cats or squirrels can climb.

·        The size of the entrance hole should be correct for the birds you wish to attract.

·        Mount a cone-shaped metal guard beneath the house.

·        Attach a block of wood 1 inch thick with a hole the same size as the entrance hole over the front of the box, creating a short tunnel which will help prevent squirrels or raccoons from reaching into the nest. Make sure to sand the hole in the block so it is smooth.

·        Perches will only serve to attract house sparrows and starlings – they aren’t needed on a nesting box.

It’s hard to predict what birds will like when it comes to their houses, but the consensus is that most birds prefer natural-looking ones, so use brown, tan or gray stain or paint for the exterior. Some studies have suggested that wrens prefer red or green houses and will choose white ones only as a last resort. The interiors of nesting boxes should always be left unfinished.

If this all seems like a lot of work, rest assured you will be repaid many times over with the joy of watching birds at close range as they raise their young in your backyard.