Wooden Nesting Boxes Encourage Bird Returns in Spring

Wooden Nesting Boxes

Valentines Day kicks off National Nest Box Week, a 7-day period in which environmentalists and recreational birders alike encourage the public to put out wooden nesting boxes for the returning birds. The goal of the week is to promote conservation of breeding birds, allowing them safe haven as they return from their winter flight. If looking to have a garden full of birds this spring, make sure to put out wooden nesting boxes.

What is National Nest Box Week?

Owl Wooden Nesting Box

National Nest Box Week is sponsored by the British Trust for Ornithology, though they encourage nesting boxes for all birds across multiple continents. The BTO studies and preserves garden birds and has been doing so for a decade. They advocate coexistence between species, offering information for the protection of local wildlife and encouraging layman participation.

What is a Wooden Nesting Box?

Wooden birdhouses are most used as nesting boxes. The perfect nesting box is large enough for the bird to build a nest at the bottom but small enough to offer safety. The hole of the nesting box must be approximate to the size of the bird living in it. For instance, a wood duck nest box would have a larger entrance than a chickadee nest box.

These wooden nesting boxes are then placed anywhere from 3' to 16' in the air away from predators to allow for the birds' safety. The BTO recommends placing these nesting boxes away from cluttered areas, giving the birds a straight and safe flight path to and from their nests.

Why Offer Wooden Nesting Boxes?

Bluebird Returns for Spring

Because of deforestation and the removal of old homes, birds must look harder for shelter for their nests. Offering the birds a wooden nesting box stimulates their population and gives them an edge when returning. It also fosters bird visits in your garden as they raise their young, filling your garden with families of birds in the spring.

What Birds Use Wooden Nesting Boxes?

Several types of birds use wooden nesting boxes such as:

• Blue tits
• Sparrows
• Owls
• Robins

Any bird that leaves for the winter will need a wooden nesting box upon its return. To be best prepared, find out what birds are in your local area and prepare a nesting box for them.

Wooden Nesting Boxes Help the Environment

Wooden nesting boxes are important to the environment as they shelter birds from the still dangerous elements and foster bird re-population. Whether making or buying wooden nesting boxes, make sure you participate in National Nest Box Week.

Read more on birdhouses and their importance:

• Birdhouses Protect Birds from Coming Winter
• My Neighbors Share the Joys of Being a Birdhouse Owner
• How Decorative Bird Houses Make Wonderful Garden Art

Birdhouses Protect Birds from Coming Winter

Birdhouse in Snow

Winter is Coming

When winter comes, we expect the birds to go South for the warmth and comfort of the summer. Some birds, however, do not migrate, but are instead year round visitors. Birds that tend to linger even during the winter include woodpeckers, owls, the northern cardinal, the tufted titmouse, the bluejay, the chickadee, the white-breasted nuthatch, the Carolina wren, and some doves.

Because these birds never leave, they must store up food and fat for the winter and work harder to survive. There are several things you can do help the birds during this tough time.

Bird in the Winter

Birdhouses Can Protect Birds from the Elements

While it is tough for birds to survive in the winter without migrating, it is possible. Birds need shelter and birdhouses can offer the shelter that they so desperately require. While their feathers do keep them warm, they've also stored up fat for the winter. Some birds shiver to raise their body temperature, but oftentimes this isn't enough to keep them fully warm. The birdhouses do that for them, allowing them a place to roost at the coldest times with other birds.

Make sure that the birdhouse you choose is large enough for the type of birds that you have in your area. Some birds need large houses while others need smaller, cozier homes. If you want your yard to stay active in the winter, the best thing you could do for your bird friends is to provide them with appropriate shelter as well as other necessities for the winter.

Large Birdhouse

Other Things that Help Winter Birds

Offer good food filled with high fat content such as seeds, suet, and scraps. Make sure to keep the feeders full so that the birds do not go hungry through the cold nights as they may need the food to raise their body temperatures.

Offer liquid water for the birds to drink as it helps them to hydrate and replenish themselves. Even frozen water is better than none. Every creature needs water to survive, and birds are no exception.

Enjoy Your Winter Friends

If you follow these easy steps then your yard birds will have an enjoyable winter. Take good care of your feathered friends and they'll reward you with glimpses of their gorgeous winter feathers.

Bird House Giveaway at Yard Envy

Spring is here - at least here in Georgia - and to celebrate the beginning of the season, Yard Envy has announced a bird house giveaway. The giveaway is actually a contest, but the winner is a bird house. Yard Envy is seeking to find the Most Popular Bird House of 2011. Among the six best selling bird houses competing for the title are the Clubhouse Birdhouse, the Copper Songbird, Cape Cod Cottage, Hobbitt House, Country Church and Victorian Manor.

Yard Envy felt it was fitting to tie the giveaway in with the 2011 Masters, since one of the houses that is eligible for the giveaway is the Clubhouse - an architectural replica of the Southern plantation style clubhouse at the Augusta National Golf Club.

How will the giveaway work? Simply visit Yard Envy and vote whichever of the six best selling bird houses you most want to win. The bird house contest ends the day of the 2011 masters, and whichever bird house received the most votes is the winning bird house, and will be sent to one of the lucky voters.

Be sure to sign up to receive notice on weekly specials posted on the Yard Envy company page on Facebook as well. Each week a new weekly special will be announced, so don't miss out!

Don't forget to cast your vote and sign up for a chance to receive a free bird house from Yard Envy. Here is a brief look at a few of the best selling bird houses you will be voting for:

Clubhouse Birdhouse

Victorian Manor Bird House

Country Wildwood Church Bird House

Using Decorative Bird Houses to Influence Negligent Neighbors

Bird houses and I have always been on good terms. I look at them and smile, thinking of all the cute birds that can find a new home, returning year after year. Bird houses appreciate the maintenance I provide - the free maid service. In return for my dedication, bird houses gift me with rustic appreciation, getting weathered and more charming with each season.

My neighbor, however, does not appear to be on as good of terms with his bird house. It is attached to a wooden fence, a nail is falling out of its sideboard, and it looks to be a good year behind in cleaning. While I desperately want to jump the fence, reattach the walls, clean out the old leaves, and quickly exit their yard, I feel that might be considered borderline behavior. So instead I sit and watch, imagining all the new bird houses I could erect to try and spark interest in a once-doting landlord.

I am a fan of rustic, recycled, and natural bird houses. I love a red door, or a cabin look, but I feel for my neighbor, I need to step up the decorative look. I am considering between the following:

Victorian Cottage Bird House

Sleepy Hollow Bird House

Kottage Kabin Bird House

The Kottage Kabin in red is the bird house I am leaning towards. I want to catch my neighbor's attention, so I think the red will be perfect.

He has a stranded Purple Martin house that has been up all year, far too low to the ground and close to the trees, but I am not even going to start on that one... If it is still up after my decorative bird house attempts, I may have to get to know my neighbor and offer a few landlord tips on bird houses.

Bird Houses Get Feature Review

Bird houses are a popular solution for increasing the aesthetic and curbside appeal of a yard or garden. The October 2009 issue of This Old House featured YardEnvy.com's Red Cape Cod Wren Bird House, as well as a few additional models that can be found at YardEnvy.com. This Old House magazine is dedicated to helping freshen homes inside and out, providing home solutions, tips, DIY projects, and product reviews. Below are some of the bird houses highlighted in the "Architectural Birdhouses" article.

Cape Code Wren Bird House
featured in "This Old House"

Painted Bird Houses
Arts and Crafts Bird House

Victorian Bird Houses

Decorative Birdhouses

Bird houses are available in so many styles and designs, from rustic wooden bird houses to elaborate chateaus. The sweet and gentle sounds of a songbird in the morning and the joy of watching birds communicate and flutter peacefully can ease the stresses caused by a long work week and busy schedule. When spring nears, bird houses are erected quickly, in an effort to attract new birds as well as to continue to provide a home for previous residents.

While it is extremely enjoyable to be a bird landlord, there are a few steps that should be followed to improve your birds habitat. Birds are natural prey to House Sparrows, snakes, raccoons, squirrels, and owls. Position your bird house strategically to offer birds protection from invasion by predators. Try to use posts or poles that will keep bird houses at least 5 feet above the ground, and use a baffle to make climbing the posts difficult. Place the bird house 10 feet or further from trees and buildings to ward off jumping squirrels and raccoons. Bird houses typically offer holes too small for House Sparrows to enter, so as long as you select a bird house with a small opening, invasion by Sparrows will be less of a concern.

Bird houses should not be monitored too closely, but be sure to check on your birds during periods of extreme heat or heavy rains lasting for than just a couple days. White bird houses are suggested in hot climates to reflect the sun's rays, and consider placing a bird feeder close to the bird house if rain is a concern. Birds who feed on insects lose their food supply during continuous rainfall and may need supplemental nutrition.

Birdhouses for Christmas

Medieval Castle Birdhouse

Birdhouses make a great Christmas gift idea for so many types of people. From children to grandparents, birdhouses bring out our nurturing capabilities as we learn to attract, feed, and protect our bird friends. Most decorative birdhouses are suitable for beginner birders as well as seasoned enthusiasts. Holes are typically cut for 1.25" diameter, which is good for small birds like chickadees, but is too small for larger aggressive birds, and hungry squirrels. Fun birdhouse designs include beach houses, castles, cottages, churches, and clubhouses. Decorative birdhouses make great gifts because you can personalize the gift to be designed according to the receivers interests.

This year, try sending a birdhouse to a niece or nephew far away, or to your favorite uncle who already has a dozen birdhouses. Easy to attach to a tree or post, or connect to a post, most basic birdhouses require little maintenance, and you are doing your part to shelter a bird family. All bird houses at YardEnvy.com also include free shipping!

Hobbit House Birdhouse

Recycled Wooden Birdhouse with Vines and Ladybugs

Prairie Birdhouse

Bird Houses at Yard Envy

Bird houses at YardEnvy.com are often considered a bird's delight. While Yard Envy does offer both rustic and recycled bird houses, there is also a huge selection of painted and historical bird houses. Bird lovers can choose from San Francisco Victorian bird houses, cottages, mansions, beach houses, and churches.

Not every house is for every bird. YardEnvy.com provides houses designed specifically for purple martins, wrens, finches, and all sizes of birds. With great resources available to assist in bird identification and education, as well as designs for bird gardens, Yard Envy proves that birds are a serious matter.