Wild About Wild Life

If you haven’t done so already, NOW is a good time to get your bird houses set up and put out. The best way to get birds to inhabit your artificial cavities is to have them out before breeding season begins which should be right around late summer or early fall. This will give your local and native wild birds plenty of time to locate the houses, as it may take some time to do so. The time frame you set them out should be more than enough to allow the houses to be well-weathered by the time the birds occupy. If you want to provide a safe haven for annual migratory birds, then it would be a good idea to keep the bird houses up all year around for them to have a “rest area” of sorts, or a place to hang their hat while on their journey. After the nesting season, you can take them down for cleaning and then put them back up again. 

There are instances that birds will not begin nesting immediately as it takes time for birds to find a birdhouse. If it is impossible to set-up birdhouses by fall, they should be in place as early as possible in the winter. Bird watchers should not wait to see birds in their yards before mounting or hanging their nest boxes.

As discussed in earlier posts, location of the birdhouse is just as important in attracting certain kinds of birds as the size of the box. For instance, Purple Martins are very particular about the size of the box, the hole, the height, etc.  Birds, depending on the species,  may prefer wooded to shady area or open grassy areas. (For more information on what the local birds in your neck of the woods prefer, visit: http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=13&products_id=307&osCsid=8d168d8ac0d7a5bf1f2436f6dedc2b0f     However, dense shade is not recommended, as most wild birds prefer a sunny open space. It is not advisable to mount birdhouses on the sides of trees as this can give squirrels and cats easy access to it.

The last thing you want to do is to put up your birdhouses and artificial cavities in the Spring, as it just may be too late and you’ll miss out on enjoying the inhabitation and activies of joy that your native birds bring as they occupy your bird house.

The Birdhouse Guy!

For those of us who want to help native birds by building birdhouses, here are a few tips for you to consider. Now really, for these type of “tenants”, a wood shack is as good as a palace. If you shop at Walmart, just look up into the bar joists of the building and you may see a nest or two. A birds demands are quite simple: a floor, a foof over its heae, walls and a door just large enough to squeese through. Birds like chickadees, tufted titmice and bluebirds are just a few  that nest in tree cavities, which are numerous in dead trees. But in suburban and urban areas, dead trees tend to be cleared away and young trees don’t have near the cavity capacity needed to house your local feathered friends. So what is one to do? Well, you can build your own birdhouse if you’d like to try your hand at something new.

MATERIALS NEEDED:

• Raw, unpainted / untreated wood about 1/2 inch thick
• Galvanized or brass shank nails, hinges and screws
• Saw
• Drill
• Hammer
• Screwdriver
• Wood glue
• Paint, for EXTERIOR painint only (Do not paint the inside of the birdhouse or risk fatally injuring them)

In considering how you build your birdhouse, be sure to stay away from metal as the sun heats it up in the daytime. Birdhouse walls should be about 3/4 inch thich and this is suggested from the Fish and Wildlife Service. If the wood is smooth, try scoring the interior walls with a knife of roughing it up with some heavy grit sand paper so the baby birds will be able to climb out. One of the walls or the bottom should be able to pivot out to accomodate cleaning.

The Roof should be sloped, to allow water to drain off. And the enterance hole should be about 2/3 up from the bottom, which makes it less accessible to predatorss and allows the birds to build their nests without blocking the door. Don’t Forget: Drainage ! Small holes cut in the corners of the floor, and ventilation in the tope. You don’t want the roof and the top to fit to tight at the sides as stated in the Audubon Society Guide to Attracting Birds. If there are some cracks, it’s fine.

Regardless of the type of birdhouse, it should be hung at least 4 – 5 feet off of the ground. Northern states birdhouses should face the east so the sun warms them a little earlier which can make a big difference in the spring.

To attract local birds to the birdhouses, landscape with native plants, reducing the amount of closely cropped lawns and forgoing chemicals and fertilizers. All of these measures make for a healthier environment for birds and people.

**Not a Master Craftsman/woman? Then check out some of the 100’s of varieties of different birdhouses, nesting shelves and dwelling places here: www.wildlife-houses.com  You’re bound to find something you’ll……I mean they’ll…like. )

What a great idea for a 2 for 1 birdhouse! This Roost can convert into a Winter home as well as a place to hatch their brood in the Spring. Something to consider when trying to save some money on a man made cavity for the birdies in yer neck of the woods. This is something that you and your family will enjoy in the Spring and Summer. 

Great Roost for Winter and Spring!

The front of this bird house roost can be flipped to convert it to a birdhouse after the winter season. Position the front with ventilation slot at the top and remove the three interior perches and the roost becomes a nest box. This model does have similar dimensions to the Small Winter Roost.

For more information on how you can aquire one of these “room and board” pieces for your yard, simply visit:

http://www.wildlife-houses.com/product_info.php?cPath=1&products_id=29&osCsid=971fb716e920548ae71500dfb8e58e61

Here are some interesting facts and ideas to think about, when planning to set out bird food in your yard, near your bird bath and to fill your bird feeders to feed and attract orioles.

Here are some things to keep in mind about Orioles.

ORIOLES migrate at night so they are tired, cold and hungry when they arrive in your neck of the woods.
If you wait until you see’em, you are “too late” to attract Orioles, in maximum numbers, to your yard.
Not so much wild bird seed but bird food like ORANGES are one of the “keys” to attracting Orioles. Cut oranges in half and provide them “juicy side out” for a refreshing snack for these beautiful birds.

You can also attract these wild birds up close by offering oriole feeder nectar, jelly and fruit on the feeders by the house and patio.
They love the bright orange feeders and they are inexpensive and slip right on any Smuckers ™ or other 10-12 ounce jelly jars.
Many people feed jelly year-around, not only Orioles, but Woodpeckers, Robins, Warblers and others enjoy it.

Many people tell have said that they keep Orioles longer now that they feed grape jelly!!!!
Our favorite Oriole nectar feeders are Orioles Feeders. Why? Their wide mouths and flat tops, make ‘em easy to fill and clean (base also comes apart easily to clean), and some have bee guards to make sure that Orioles – not bees – enjoy the nectar.

If you’re worried about ants bothering your jelly or Oriole nectar, simply hang oriole feeders with clear nectar protector ant moats above them and fill with water.
This acts like a moat around a castle.
In case you already didn’t know, ants can’t swim, and for a few extra bucks you’ll never have to mess with cleaning hem out of the feeder. These also work well with hummingbird feeders.

While it is often advised that it is good to mix their own humming bird nectar from sugar, some opinion is that commercial Oriole nectar will attract and hold more Orioles and other wildbirds at the feeder longer.

The Birdbird Guy!

Pollination is not a free service. We must do our part to conserve all pollinators if we want to live in a natural, pesticide free environment.

Bats, birds, owls and other creatures are Cavity and Cave dwellers by nature. One way we can help this shortage is to provide artificial cavities known as nesting boxes. They will help boost the population of these natural insect controllers and pollinators and provide our lands and neighborhoods an alternative solution to man made chemicals which harm our environment.

Few people realize that the U.S. now applies twice the amount of pesticides it used in 1962. In Canada during the mid-1970s, aerial spraying of coniferous forest pests reduced native bee populations to the point that blueberry yields fell below the norm for four years.

A large number of insecticides used in agriculture are toxic to pollinating insects and wildlife that are premiere carries of pollination.
Interactions between plants and their pollinators are essential to healthy functioning of wild and agricultural communities.

Instead of being part of the problem, we can be a part of the solution.