Birdhouses - How to Be a Good Landlord for the Birds

My gardening experience has taught me that gardening is a multi-faceted endeavor that not only provides food for humans, but also for our feathered friends. Birds that come to our gardens for food also like to live nearby their newfound food source, so providing lodging for our feathered friends comes as second nature to gardeners. To be a good landlord for the birds and make your garden sing, follow these tips for hanging birdhouses.

Prepare Birdhouses Early

Don't wait until you see birds in your garden to put up birdhouses or they will find lodging elsewhere and move on. Clean out old birdhouses at least once per year, according to BirdHouses101 and hang new ones in late winter or very early spring and the birds will come and stay. Birds will seldom nest in a birdhouse that already contains last year's bird or mouse nesting material, so it's imperative to clean out the birdhouses if you want birds to return to your garden. Cleaning the birdhouses each year also control the population of mites, lice and other parasitic insects.

Upgrade Birdhouses

Some birds aren't picky about where the build their nests and are happy to reside in the roof eaves, mailboxes or even seldom worn work boots left outdoors. But for the most part, birds prefer a box with one small entry hole which is mounted on a tree or pole. Upgrading a bird house by mounting it on a free standing pole allows you a better field of view for bird watching and also allows for easy installation of a predator guard if needed.

Curb Appeal

Mount the birdhouses about five feet off the ground with a clear pathway in front of the birdhouse for an open flight indoors. The height allows for easy house cleaning (by you) and provides a quick escape flight pathway for birds fleeing from predators.

Perch-Free Front

Birds don't need a perch on the front of their house and a perch can actually create a problem. Perches can be used as paw holds for predators seeking to make a meal of the occupants inside a birdhouse. Ensure there are plenty of natural bird perches nearby the birdhouse by placing the birdhouse near a tree or shrub.

Sources : BirdHouses101

the-scoop-on-wild-birds-and-feeders