You"ve Done Your Homework Selecting a Birdhouse, Now What?
You've selected the type of bird you want to attract and have done your homework.
You've selected a home with the right size floor space, the right size entry hole and the right height above the floor for the location of the hole.
You've done as much as you can to protect the home from predators.
This column now tells the beginning birder what to do to help attract birds to the backyard.
You can say to yourself, "I want many Eastern Bluebirds in my small backyard so I'll put up 10 houses and they'll flock to my yard, right?" Don't waste your money.
Some birds, like the Eastern Bluebird are very territorial and that territory is quite large.
If you have many Eastern Bluebirds houses near each other you can almost guarantee that only one of them will be used by the Eastern Bluebird.
Other species may use the other homes but those may be species you're not interested in.
If you have a small yard your safest bet is to set up a couple of houses.
Have one for an insect eating species and another for a seed eating species.
This way a breeding pair is not competing with another species for mates or for food and they would be generally agreeable to share their territory.
Other birds, such as the Barn Swallow enjoy communal living.
They do not require a territory anywhere near as large as the Bluebird and you could easily place several nesting shelves within 15-20 feet of each other without a problem.
It all depends on the type of bird you want to attract so do your homework.
The houses are in place for the birds you want in your backyard and you've set them up so it's difficult for predators to get to them.
Is there anything else you should do? You know I wouldn't have asked that if the answer was no.
Imagine being a small bird and having to build a next far larger than yourself.
It's quite a bit of work.
If you could help by providing nesting material you cut down on the work and make it more attractive for birds to live nearby.
Fur taken from pets during grooming or brushing always works well.
If you shred your documents you can also put those strands of paper, minus any cellophane, out in your yard and birds will use that as well.
The houses are in place and you have material set out that the birds can use for nesting material.
Is there anything else you can do? If you are trying to attract seed eating birds a nearby feeder with the food they prefer will help a great deal.
It will also help cut down on any territorial protection if they determine the food supply is plentiful.
Put the food and the birdhouses out early.
Birds returning from their wintering grounds often find it difficult to locate a good food source immediately.
With a nearby nesting spot designed just for them and a plentiful food supply you are definitely putting out the welcome home sign for your backyard friends!
You've selected a home with the right size floor space, the right size entry hole and the right height above the floor for the location of the hole.
You've done as much as you can to protect the home from predators.
This column now tells the beginning birder what to do to help attract birds to the backyard.
You can say to yourself, "I want many Eastern Bluebirds in my small backyard so I'll put up 10 houses and they'll flock to my yard, right?" Don't waste your money.
Some birds, like the Eastern Bluebird are very territorial and that territory is quite large.
If you have many Eastern Bluebirds houses near each other you can almost guarantee that only one of them will be used by the Eastern Bluebird.
Other species may use the other homes but those may be species you're not interested in.
If you have a small yard your safest bet is to set up a couple of houses.
Have one for an insect eating species and another for a seed eating species.
This way a breeding pair is not competing with another species for mates or for food and they would be generally agreeable to share their territory.
Other birds, such as the Barn Swallow enjoy communal living.
They do not require a territory anywhere near as large as the Bluebird and you could easily place several nesting shelves within 15-20 feet of each other without a problem.
It all depends on the type of bird you want to attract so do your homework.
The houses are in place for the birds you want in your backyard and you've set them up so it's difficult for predators to get to them.
Is there anything else you should do? You know I wouldn't have asked that if the answer was no.
Imagine being a small bird and having to build a next far larger than yourself.
It's quite a bit of work.
If you could help by providing nesting material you cut down on the work and make it more attractive for birds to live nearby.
Fur taken from pets during grooming or brushing always works well.
If you shred your documents you can also put those strands of paper, minus any cellophane, out in your yard and birds will use that as well.
The houses are in place and you have material set out that the birds can use for nesting material.
Is there anything else you can do? If you are trying to attract seed eating birds a nearby feeder with the food they prefer will help a great deal.
It will also help cut down on any territorial protection if they determine the food supply is plentiful.
Put the food and the birdhouses out early.
Birds returning from their wintering grounds often find it difficult to locate a good food source immediately.
With a nearby nesting spot designed just for them and a plentiful food supply you are definitely putting out the welcome home sign for your backyard friends!
