Bird House Tips

Bird House Tips

Black-capped chickadees,  Prothonotary Warbler, House Wrens, Deer Mice, and Flying Squirrels (entrance hole 1 1/8”)/Eastern BlueBird (1 ½”)

1)   Position the birdhouse so it’s opening does not face into direct sunlight or prevailing winds. Full or partial shade will help keep the house cooler, and a more protected location will be safer.

2)   Clean the birdhouse seasonally or whenever a family of birds vacates the premises. Remove all nesting debris and rinse the house with a sanitizing solution of one part bleach and nine parts water. Rinse the house again with clear water, and allow it to air dry thoroughly before storing it for the winter or repositioning it for new tenants.

3)   Position the birdhouse far enough away from brush so predators cannot stage an ambush, but close enough to plants so parent birds can easily scout the area. Five to eight feet of distance is sufficient for most birdhouses. Similarly, keep birdhouses away from popular feeding areas to prevent territorial conflicts between feeding birds and nesting parents.

4)   Whichever method you choose to erect your boxes, be sure your box is secure enough to withstand high winds and severe weather. The best way to erect small nest boxes is on freestanding metal poles or PVC pipes. These pipes or poles offer several advantages: Nest boxes can be mounted higher than when mounted on a fence post. Many predators find poles difficult to climb. Poles can also be easily equipped with predator guards.

5)   For mounting on Trees you can use a bungee cord or aluminum nails to secure it.

6)   Spacing between boxes as follows: (Chickadees=1 box/10 acres, House Wrens=1 box/50 feet, and Prothonotary Warblers/BlueBirds=1 box/300 feet)

Black-capped Chickadee forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows, area should receive 40-60% sunlight, spaced one box per 10 acres, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1" shaving can be placed in box height: 5-15 feet

House Wren variety of habitats, farmland, openings, open forests, forest edges, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubsbox height: 5-10 feet

Prothonotary Warbler lowland hardwood forests subject to flooding, stagnant water, swamps, ponds, marshes, streams, flooded river valleys, wet bottomlands; box should be over or near water box height: 2-12 feet

Eastern Blue Bird:  open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; Mountain and Western bluebirds will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west facing directions

If you are interested I design, build and sell birdhouses and bathhouses   You can contact me at 413-348-4505 or email at landscape@scottharringtonservices.com

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