Bird Houses

Bird Houses

One of the most decorative ways of attracting birds to your yard is by putting up bird houses. There is a little more involved then just throwing up a box with a hole in it though. You will have to do some research for the types of birds that are in your area that will use a bird house and where you should place them.

What types of birds nest in your area will be the first step in determining what types of bird houses you should have and where you should place them. Martin's for example like a house that is high up and will use bird houses that have multiple nesting boxes in them. Bluebird nesting boxes only need to be about five feet above the ground. Wren's like to nest in shrubs and Flickers like the Martin like to be about 30 feet up and have an opening that faces the south east. Some birds like the Bluebird and Swallows like to be close to water, so a small pond would be ideal to place their bird houses by. At the very least you should provide a bird bath for the birds as this is something almost all of them will like.

Some simple bird feeders placed around your yard will also give the birds a good reason to nest near by. You can make a simple and very inexpensive bird feeder using an empty coffee can. Clean the inside of the can and strip the label from the outside. At this point, you can choose to paint the can if you like, but leave the inside unpainted. Colors of red, yellow, and orange will attract some bird species. Other species may not care what color your bird feeder is, as they have no known color preferences. After the paint dries completely, find a hard plastic plate that will allow the can to fit nicely in its center.

Before attaching the can however, you will need to cut a few holes into it. The first hole should be at the top edge of the can. This will allow the food to spill out when the can is upside down. The next hole should be at the bottom of the can, in the center. This will allow you to fill the can with seed when it is turned upside down. After cutting the holes, turn the can upside down onto the middle of the plate and use super glue or a hot glue gun to glue the two together. There should be a rim of plate around the can to give the birds something to perch upon.

When you are finished, you will need to find a way to attach the feeder to your tree or other area. You can also just place the feeder on a tree stump or other flat object. If you want to hang the feeder from a tree, you will need a small chain or rope and S hook. You can cut another hole in the can to loop the chain through and attach the S hook at the end of the chain. Then attach your feeder to the tree.

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