Decorative Birdhouses Beckon Spring to Return

Spring can be a tease, giving us a few warm days with the promise of green leaves and budding tulips, and then taking it all back with a foot of snow and a week of blistering cold winds. We get so excited to run outdoors and seize a 60° day, and we want to hang on to the hope that soon the snow will end and Spring will be here to stay. These gorgeous weekends are often spent hiking, clearing away decomposing wet leaves, and pruning fruit trees with the hope that the last deep freeze has passed.

Preparing for Spring wakens our senses, allowing us to smell the fresh air while planning new landscaping designs for curb appeal and outdoor entertaining. This is also a great time for cleaning and putting up bird houses before the birds return for the season. Many rustic bird houses can withstand heavy snowfall, and decorative bird houses brighten up dull yards with vibrant colors and designs, while offering a safe residence for bird families.

Sconset Cottage Decorative Bird House

Choices in decorative bird houses include Victorian houses, beach houses, cottages, churches, and castles. From cabin bird houses to club houses and the historic San Francisco Row bird house, decorative bird houses offer memories, beauty, and safety. Beckon the return of Spring and birds while enjoying the view of a brightly painted decorative bird house.

Victorian Cottage Decorative Bird House $31.95

Medieval Castle Decorative Bird House

San Francisco Decorative Bird House

Bird Houses Brighten Up Spring

Bird houses add detail and design into yards and gardens for spring. You can add a splash of color and beauty while welcoming birds to new warm, safe, and decorative homes. Bird houses come in different sizes, shapes, and styles so every taste can be met. Larger houses are available for multiple birds like purple martins, along with smaller houses for wrens.

White Decorative Little Wren Bird House

From wooden bird houses and nesting houses to decorative bird houses and houses made from recycled wood, the choices of homes you can provide is plentiful. For a nice decorative appeal, Gingerbread bird houses and Medieval Castle houses have unique and eye catching looks. Churches and large estate homes are also a great way to attract the attention from guests and birds alike. Hadley Park birdhouses take up a small space along with wren houses and Fairy Cottages. So whether you plan to put one bird house or five in your yard and garden, there are sizes and styles for every possible area of placement.

Le Chateau Bird House

Bird houses make great gifts and are a beautiful accent to yards year round. With Spring right around the corner, it's the perfect time to start sprucing up the yard as birds are looking for homes to breed and start their families. Most birds return to the same spots they nest year after year, so you'll never have to worry about the houses going to waste, as your backyard birds will return to see you again. Decorating your outdoors couldn't be easier than placing a few bird houses around your garden and decks, also allowing nature to show itself to you daily.

Gingerbread Bird House

Birding is an enjoyable activity the whole family can take part in, and starting is as easy as placing houses for birds to nest and live in your yard. From there you can watch and learn as different breeds of birds come by and start to flourish in your view. Bird houses create an inviting environment where birds feel safe and can withstand the weather. You provide shelter to birds as you also create a lovely piece of decor to your garden. Invite nature to thrive around with you while adding glam to your landscape.

Clubhouse Bird House for Purple Martins

Hobbitt House Bird House

Highland Park Bird House

Glass Hummingbird Feeders for the Garden

Glass hummingbird feeders welcome one of the most peaceful creatures nature provides into your garden. Hummingbirds are great to invite to your yard with their dexterity and beauty. Glass hummingbird feeders are a beautiful accent to any yard or garden setting. The nectar that hummingbirds drink can be placed inside delightful little glass stakes that plant easily into the ground, adding design and brilliance to your garden. Larger hummingbird feeders are also a nice touch to hang from trees or decorative posts in your yard and near your entryways.

Hummingbird feeders come in many sizes and varieties including basic, small feeders that accommodate two or three hummingbirds to the larger ones that can accommodate six to eight hummingbirds. Glass hummingbird feeders come in many designs to please any one's taste and style. There are the beautiful Cloud Glass Hummingbird Feeders to the Bloom Hummingbird Feeders and the basic basin hummingbird feeders that are easily cleaned and maintained. Many glass hummingbird feeders also have shelters and are made from recycled glass, giving them more detail and style to perfect your garden design.

If you are looking for the perfect finishing piece to your garden, the glass hummingbird feeder is exactly what you need. Not only are you providing food for the small and graceful creatures, but also adding the ideal decor to your landscape. You can decorate your garden as well as help feed and welcome nature back into your yard with decorative glass hummingbird feeders.

Here are some of my favorite designs.

Dew Drop Hummingbird Feeder

Bloom Hummingbird Feeder with Shelter

Glass Hummingbird Feeder Stakes

Purple Martin Bird Houses Open for Season

Purple Martin Bird Houses

Purple Martin bird houses are essential for the survival of the Purple Martins. Purple Martins rely almost completely on man's support for housing, and once martins establish a residency, they return every year. The annual return of the Purple Martin is an exciting and much anticipated event, and martin owners need to clean out and prepare their houses in advance.

Purple Martins return to their homes in the United States starting as early as mid-January for Florida residents, and continue to arrive through May in northern states. March is often considered the month martins return for the majority of the states, and they will return looking for their previous home.

There is a lot of responsibility in being a Purple Martin landlord, but also a lot of reward. Purple Martins need protection from both predators and weather. If a colony is attacked due to predation, martins will typically never return to their home, and will set up residency elsewhere, but martins are more forgiving regarding fatalities due to weather. Measures can be taken to stop predation, as well as to lessen the effects of harsh weather.

Purple Martin House
Safety System Utilized

Predators of the Purple Martin include snakes, owls, raccoons, House Sparrows, and Starlings. Landlords often erect their Purple Martin bird houses and try to form colonies without the proper precautions because these predators are not common to the area. These predators will make themselves known very quickly once Purple Martins become active in your yard, so take the proper measures from the beginning. Purple Martin bird houses should always be placed high in the air, far from tall trees and above any trees that are nearby. Owl guards and baffles make it difficult for owls, raccoons, and snakes to get up the poles and into the compartments. Compartments should also offer numerous rooms so that martins can set up nest in the back of the house, out of reach and sight. Starling resistant holes are exceptionally useful and are much too small for Starlings and Sparrows to get in.

Little can be done with regards to weather, but every effort is helpful. Purple Martins can get wiped out when there are consecutive days of heavy rainfall or extreme hot and cold temperatures. Purple Martin bird houses in northern states are often wooden, and southern states prefer aluminum houses for keeping the interior as cool as possible. Houses should always be white on the outside for this same reason as well, as white reflects the sun. Baby martins will jump from the openings to escape the heat before they know how to fly, and houses painted with white exteriors are often over 10° cooler inside. Hole openings should be dark on the contrary, to allow for martins to easily see access points and to get into the houses quickly and easily, and trim can also be dark. When the weather is very cold or rain is severe and lasting more than a couple days, Purple Martins can be fed a supplemental diet of mealworms or crickets, although not every martin will necessarily accept the meal. Martins will only eat the crickets and mealworms when the weather is inclement and they can't get their own food. Some people like to fling crickets in the air with a spoon to catch the attention of the martins and allow the martins to still catch their food mid-air.

Purple Martin bird houses come in many designs, although they typically all have the same features and are easily recognizable from a distance. Purple Martins love to socialize, so houses are designed with multiple compartments, and good houses also offer porches and perches so the martins can bask in the sun and sing their pretty melodies. Purple Martins are popular for their open beak throaty songs, and they enjoy the hustle and bustle of busy human life. Purple Martin bird houses need to be open and ready when the martins return within the next few months. Make sure winter guards are removed from windows, and nests are emptied and cleaned. Check the houses periodically to ensure other birds are not attempting to nest, and do not relocate your martin house. Your birds may not be able to find the new location, even if the house has only been moved a few feet.

Popular Purple Martin bird houses:

Purple Martin Clubhouse Bird House

Wooden Purple Martin House
with Starling Resistant Openings

Aluminum Purple Martin Bird Houses

It's always fun to look at historical pictures. Below are pictures of the ornate Purple Martin bird houses once crafted by the noteworthy J. Warren Jacobs in the early 1900's. These houses were large and intricate, but quite difficult to maintain and clean.

Purple Martin Bird Houses
Photo taken August 1907 by J. Warren Jacobs
Foreground: Independence Hall, Background: The Capitol

Purple Martin Bird House
Photo taken July 8, 1907 by J. Warren Jacobs
The Library

Purple Martin Bird House
Photo taken April 28, 1909 by J. Warren Jacobs
Independence Hall

Purple Martin Bird House
Photo taken May 1902 by J. Warren Jacobs
Independence Hall

To help with Purple Martin research, visit the Purple Martin Conservation Association for forms to track martin arrival, document colony locations, and to view scout maps. Make the most of your Purple Martin houses by increasing your own personal knowledge of "America's Most Wanted Bird".

Vinyl Arbors Covered In Snow

Vinyl arbors are well respected in the landscape and garden realm. Able to withstand years of heavy snows, freezing rains, and scorching sun and heat, vinyl arbors last years longer than traditional wooden arbors. Vinyl arbors offer colors of white, tan, and black, and look beautiful when placed along a fence or used with gates, benches, and wings.

Vinyl arbors are picturesque in any environment, but look exceptional when standing tall and proud in a garden blanketed with snow. Vinyl arbors are strong and durable, and YardEnvy.com offers a selection of vinyl arbors that promise 20 year warranties against cracks, discoloration, and any other defects. Vinyl arbors are intended for years of outdoor use, rain or shine, snow or dry heat.

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.

Teak Patio Furniture Endures Long Winters

Teak Patio Furniture endures the coldest and longest of winters, from blizzards in Montana to wet and windy rains in Georgia. There is never a need to bring teak patio furniture in from the cold - it holds up just fine covered in two feet of fresh white snow. Teak furniture also holds up to hot, humid climates, and the wood never gets heated under the blistering sun.

Teak wood contains an abundance of natural oils that serve as a barrier against the elements, no matter how extreme the weather may be. Teak wood can be protected or returned to its original color at any time, although many people prefer the natural patina finish of weathered teak. It takes approximately one year for untreated teak wood to reach the uniform patina finish, but this weathering process will only occur if the teak is left outdoors.

Teak patio furniture is an excellent choice for any home or landscape. Teak is often considered a luxury, but with manufacturer warranties covering upwards of 20 years, teak is clearly more of a sound investment than it is a luxury.

Teak Patio Furniture