Wooden Bird Houses Are a Great Way of Attracting Birds to Your Backyard
Wooden Bird houses come in all shapes and sizes. You just need to decide what is best for your backyard.
You can find all kinds of bird houses from unique bird houses and decorative ones to very simple ones. Yes, what you get might be driven to some extend by your landscaping and the look you are going for, but it will also be driven by the types of birds that you want to attract as well.
You know, not all birds will use a bird house.
This is a very fancy bird house and a decorative look. Quite unique actually.
The first thing you need to do is look at what part of the country you live in and what types of birds migrate to and live in your area. Beyond that you can then decide which birds you want to attract to your backyard.
Many types of birds use bird houses to nest in, you just need to decide which ones you want around. Some finches, wrens, nuthatches and martins will live in wooden bird houses. Also some type of woodpeckers will use a bird house as well.
If you have a ton of insects in your yard attracting wrens might be an option for you. Heck if you have a great deal of mosquitoes in your area you might even consider a bat house.
Fun fact: Martins and swallows not only will use a bird house, but all they eat are flying insects.
These are great birds to attract if you have a problem. Depending on the type, swallows can be found all over the United States and Canada. Purple Martins can go as far north as British Columbia and do cover much of the United States.
You might also look at your landscaping to see if that offers the type of habitat that the bird you want to attract likes. Depending on which birds you are trying to attract, maybe some simple and inexpensive things can be added to your backyard to create the habitat you are looking for.
Beyond that, put your wooden bird houses in the right location for the particular bird you are trying to attract, keep it clean and you should be good to go.
You might even want to have some nesting material around that they prefer if at all possible.
Not all houses have to be fancy and expensive as you can see with these houses
Basic features
When shopping for bird houses there are certain features that you might want to consider. - Wooden bird houses should be made with untreated wood like pine of cedar. - Make sure the house has an overhanging and sloped roof. - It should have rough interior walls. - It should be made sturdy. - I highly suggest that it is easy to monitor and clean. - You might even want to have a couple of drainage holes in the floor. - I would suggest a couple of ventilation holes if possible.
Cleaning your outdoor bird houses
Here are a few simple tips to help you out. - Make sure the birds are gone for the year. - Hopefully you have a house that has a hinged roof for easy cleaning. - Using rubber gloves remove the old nest and throw it out. These harbor disease that could hurt future generations. The birds will build a new nest next year. - Mix a simple bleach solution using 9 parts hot water and one part bleach. - Scrub the bird house with a stiff brush or a rag inside and out using the solution. - Rinse it out and let it dry thoroughly. Once you have cleaned the house and it is dry you can either put it into storage for the winter or put it back out in your yard. If you do put it out, just know that small birds or mice could use it and you might have to clean it again come spring time.
You should clean your wooden bird houses every year if you want to keep the birds healthy and coming back year after year.
I hope you have found our basic information helpful. If you need any information on bird feeders or bird baths just follow these links. Also if you are not sure of what type of seed to buy, this link will take you to that section of our site.
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