How to Provide Shelter for Birds
From songbirds to colorful jays, birds are not only beautiful to look at and listen to, they also feed on garden pests and help polinate the flowers. If you would like to attract birds to your backyard and garden, you need to provide the right kind of shelter, a little bit of food and the perfect location. Here are a few tips to help you turn your yard into a bird sanctuary. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Build or purchase a multilevel house with multiple openings for colony nesters, such as purple martins. Because they tend to swoop when they fly, make sure the birdhouse hangs in an open area, away from trees and buildings. Attach it to a pole approximately 20 feet high, and paint it white to keep the house from overheating.
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Make bluebird houses out of wood, and create entrance holes 1 1/2 inches wide and about 8 inches from the bottom of the house. This may help to keep the sparrows from taking over the site--a typical problem for bluejay nests. Make the floor about 4" X 4", and hang the house on a post near an open field.
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Attract robins and pheobes by creating or purchasing a birdhouse with an open platform where they can nest. They prefer weathered or dull wood, and the house should be hung under the eaves of a garage or barn or from a porch roof.
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Use a hollow log or bark-covered box to attract screech and saw-whet owls. Attach the house to the trunk of a tree with nails and at least 10 feet from the ground. If there are no owls in your neighborhood, chances are likely that the house will be taken over by flickers or nuthatches. These are cute, too, and will help with any garden pest problems you may have.
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Place bird feeders near trees but not right under them, unless you want to feed your squirrels, as well. Make sure to do a bit of research on the types of birds you would like in your yard, and match the food supply to their tastes.
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Use a wide, shallow container for a birdbath, which will give the birds something to drink, as well as provide a place for bathing. You don't have to get fancy--any type of container will do, as long as it isn't too deep and is big enough to host a small bathing party.
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Tips & Warnings
Cornmeal mixed with a little peanut butter makes a great bird snack and is inexpensive. Go easy on the peanut butter, though, because it can become stuck in a bird's throat if not mixed well with a dry ingredient. Crushed eggshells, crackers, nuts or leftover meat scraps will also attract feathered foodies to your yard.
When landscaping, destroy as little as possible of the natural bramble and foliage. Dead trees and thickets serve as homes to many birds and animals, and toxic pesticides will kill birds, as well as the pests they feed on. Stick to organic, and use sparingly when attempting to control the natural elements of your yard.
Resources
- Photo Credit morguefile.com
