Think Bird Houses to Attract Aviary Friends to Your Home & Garden

Bird houses add charm, whimsy, and beauty as well as a place for birds to nest.  It is no wonder that the bird house and bird feeder industry is growing.  There are safety factors to consider when buying or building a bird house.  There are some birds that will use a bird house and others that are not attracted to them. 

Types of Bird Houses

The type of bird house you will use depends on the type of bird or birds that you want to attract to your home.  Bird houses come in many shapes, sizes, colors and materials.  One of the best types of bird houses is the wooden one.  There are several reasons to choose this type of bird house.  Wooden bird houses can breath for ventilation, are durable and have a good insulation quality to them.  Gourds are another good material for bird houses.  They are functional, breathable, and pretty as well.  Properly designed pottery, concrete, and plastic houses will breathe and are also durable. When choosing the bird house that you will use for your feathered friends always check for proper ventilation, drainage, and easy access for maintenance and monitoring.  When considering the type of bird house that you want another thing to think about are safety and maintenance.

Safety and Proper Maintenance

Items to consider once you have chosen the type of bird house that you want are ventilation, drainage, ease of access for maintenance and protection from predators.

You should also make sure that no harmful chemicals where used on the materials used for the building of your bird house.  You would not want your new friends to become sick.  Part of proper maintenance of your new bird house is to check them for unwanted critters, such as fleas, wasp, or flies.  Sometimes mice and others will want to take up residence in your bird house. The main thing to remember if this happens is to remove them.  If insects are the problem, use only pesticides that are not harmful to your feathered friends.  “If wasps are a problem, coat the inside top of the box with bar soap” (US Fish & Wildlife Service “Homes for Birds”).  One of the problems that you may encounter while cleaning the nest and parasites or insects are present, baby birds may also be present.  If one of the baby birds gets out of the nest you can pick it up and put it back where it was.  Birds have a lousy sense of smell and they will not reject the babies because you helped them. 

Don’t let the care and safety be a deterrent in deciding whether you want a bird house or not.  The upkeep and maintenance is part of the joy and can be a wonderful way to learn more about your new birds. You will quickly become a backyard birder with your new bird house or houses. The joy of watching beautiful bird is an immeasurable pleasure. 

Related Reading:

The New Low-Maintenance Garden: How to Have a Beautiful, Productive Garden and the Time to Enjoy ItDo you ever lament that you’d love to be able to garden more, but just don’t have the time? The demanding pace of modern life leaves little space ... Read More >

1001 Gardens You Must See Before You DieGarden lovers and discriminating travelers will relish this armchair tour of the most beautiful and interesting gardens around the world. Succinct des... Read More >

In Search of Paradise: Great Gardens of the WorldIn Search of Paradise is a survey of the great gardens of the world, presented through photographic images and the descriptions of the garden designer... Read More >

The Forgotten Garden: A NovelFrom the #1 internationally bestselling author of The House at Riverton, a novel that takes the reader on an unforgettable journey through generations... Read More >

The Curious GardenOne boy's quest for a greener world... one garden at a time.

While out exploring one day, a little boy named Liam discovers a struggling garden... Read More >

In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin
Erik Larson has been widely acclaimed as a master of narrative non-fiction, and in his new book, the bestselling author of Devil in the White City... Read More >