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	Birdhouse

  

For other activities, see the Activities Chapter.

Attracting birds to your yard can be very entertaining. It's fun to watch them feeding, bathing, building nests, socializing, and taking care of their young. You will have the most success attracting birds if you provide for all of their needs.

Food - Natural foods such as berries, seeds, and insects are very important. Add plants to your landscape that are a good source of food like sunflowers, firethorn, cotoneaster, staghorn sumac, mountain ash, winterberry holly, and eastern red cedar. You can also supplement natural foods with black oil sunflower seeds, suet feeders, and peanuts (whole in shells, shelled, and parts). Limiting your use of pesticides will not only increase the amount of food available, but the birds won't be eating the poisoned insects.

For some extra excitement, add some plants to your landscape that attract hummingbirds. Almost any red, orange, or pink tubular flowers will do. Some of the best are: trumpet creeper hybrid, Turks cap, and red salvia. You might also add a feeder filled with four parts water and one part table sugar. Bring the water to a boil and mix in the sugar. Store it in the refrigerator. Change the sugar water in your feeder every three days as it will spoil.

While you are at it why not add some plants for butterflies: butterfly bush, milkweed, or butterfly weed.

Water - Birds need water for drinking and bathing to keep their feathers clean. This could be a natural source like a stream or pond, a constructed pond or birdbath, or a purchased birdbath. The water needs to be 1-2" deep. A sloping bottom is best because it allows the birds to go in as deep as they wish.

Shelter - Birds feel more secure when they have easy access to shrubs and trees. Evergreen shrubs and trees are especially attractive to them because they provide year round protection from enemies and weather. Some of the best are: juniper, eastern red cedar, hollies, and hemlock. Old, dead limbs and trees are great for attracting woodpeckers and many other species.

Place to raise their young - Some birds build their nests in tree branches or on platforms, some on the ground, and others in cavities or holes in trees or bird houses.

It is important to know what types of birds will be attracted to your yard. This will depend a great deal on where you live and what types of habitat you provide and what habitats surround you. Some of the more common birds in the continental United States that might be attracted to move into a birdhouse include wren, finch, chickadee, titmouse, and nuthatch.

You will find that most of these birds (and many animals for that matter) at the transition between forest and grassland. The trees provide cover and shelter and the grasslands provide seeds and insects.

Check with local nurseries especially those dealing with native plants, museums, nature centers, and the Audubon Society for more information. Libraries also have many great books on birds and the Internet is a great resource.

Of course, it's very rewarding to build a house and have a family of birds move into it. Cavity nesters are the easiest to attract. Different sizes of birds require different size houses. Below is a table that lists the sizes appropriate for different birds.

The diameter of the entrance hole is very important. If it is too small the bird can't get inside. If it is too large unwanted birds may take it over. This is especially true of the more aggressive non-native species.

This design has many features that will help you and the birds be successful.

• The side pivots to allow for easy cleaning (at least once a year in February) or to remove the nests of unwanted (non-native) birds like sparrows and starlings. The side is screwed in place to prevent predators like raccoons from raiding the nest.
• There are ventilation slots at the top of each side and holes in the floor for ventilation and draining any water that gets in.
• The sloped roof overhangs the sides by a couple inches and the front by at least 3 inches. This keeps the rain out, shades it more and prevents cats and raccoons from reaching in from above.
• The floor is raised up from the bottom of the sides and front to prevent rotting.
• There is no perch because native birds don't need them. They are preferred by predators and non-native species like sparrows and starlings.
• The wood is 3/4" thick to insulate from the heat.

Hints

• You can use pine wood, but redwood, cypress, and cedar will last longer. Don't use pressure treated lumber because it is poisonous.
• If the birdhouse is going to be out in the open in the sun, then the sides of the roof should extend 2-3" out to provide more shade.
• Rub ivory soap on the bottom of the roof and underneath the floor to keep wasps from building nests there.
• Remove non-native bird nests and eggs and other nests from mice, rats, and squirrels whenever they are discovered.
• Mount the birdhouse on a pole. Use a baffle (available at home repair stores and bird specialty stores) and grease the pole with a mixture of petroleum jelly and cayenne pepper.
• Place birdhouses at least 25 feet apart.
• To make construction go faster, you can lay out the lines and cut out the pieces ahead of time.
• If the wood splits when driving nails or putting in screws, drill pilot holes slightly smaller than the diameter of the nail or the inner shaft of a screw.
• The side that pivots should be slightly smaller than the other side to allow it to move.
• Of course, if you want to make the roof from a single piece of wood you can. Just make it wide enough to extend a couple inches over each side and 3" over the front.

The birdhouse featured here is for downy woodpeckers. Adjust the sizes and measurements as appropriate for other size birds. A few extra nails and screws will be needed for larger houses. You may want to change the sizes slightly to best fit the size of lumber that is available to you.

• Measure and draw lines where all the cuts are to be made as shown on the drawing above.
• Cut out the pieces and sand the edges. The side that pivots needs to be slightly smaller than the other.
• Drill a 1 1/4" hole in the front piece. The center of the hole is 7" up from the bottom.
• If the wood is very smooth, attach sticks (popsicle, dowels, ...) a couple of inches below the hole to help the babies get out. You can attach them with screws, nails, or glue. Another idea is to cut grooves into the inside of the front with a saw.
• Drill at least four 1/4" holes in the floor for drainage. You could also cut the corners off the floor with a saw.
• Nail one side (the wider one) to the back about 3" up from the bottom.
• Nail the floor to the back and the side - make sure it is straight, not at an angled. The floor should be about 1/4" up from the bottom of the side.
• Nail the front to the side and floor. The top of the front should be on a line with the side. Take a piece of wood and hold it where the roof is going to be then put the front is place. The inside of the front will be below the level of the side.
• Put the other side in place. It should be a little loose so that it will rotate. The floor should be about 1/4" up from the bottom of the side. Put a screw through the bottom of the side and secure it to the floor. You may want to drill a hole to make it easier to put in the screw.
• Mark on the front and back for places to attach the pivot nails. See the illustration above. The holes need to be straight across from each other parallel to the floor (NOT the roof). Remove the side and then drill 1/8" holes in the front and back. Replace the side and put the screw in place. Put nails into the holes and drive them into the side. When the bottom screw is removed the side should pivot freely.
• Nail the roof in place. The roof is in two sections - a top and a bottom. Nail the roof to the front, one side, and the back. Do NOT nail it into the side that pivots. Position the lower half of the roof first so it extends about 3" out beyond the front. The top half should overlap the bottom about 3". When the bottom half is in the correct position, nail it in place. The top half of the roof needs to fit as close as possible against the back to prevent rain water from running into the house. You may want to cut the top half of the roof at an angle so that it fits tighter against the back or cut a slot into the back board for the roof to fit into. Use the caulk to seal or fill in the gap between the roof and the back.
• Drill a 1/4" hole in the center of the top and bottom of the back about an inch for the ends for attaching the house to a tree or post.

The best time to put up your birdhouse is in the fall. Some birds will explore and roost in them during the winter. Place your birdhouse so that you can easily watch it from indoors so that you can enjoy all the action. Hang it so the entrance faces away from prevailing winds - generally the entrance should be facing the east. It should be at least five feet above the ground. It may take a year or two for birds to move in. If they don't after two years, change its location.

Don't forget to clean out your birdhouse every year in February.

Resources:
• The Complete Birdhouse Book by Donald and Lillian Stokes
• The Backyard Naturalist by Craig Tufts
• National Wildlife Federation's Backyard Wildlife Habitat
• Wild Birds Unlimited