Natural Bird House
If are you a bird enthusiast, then it is your duty to provide your bird with a natural birdhouse. Natural birdhouses are designed for birds, which normally use natural cavities or create their own house for nesting and raising their young. The most common birds that use houses are the bluebirds, swallows, chickadees, tufted titmice, nuthatches, wrens, and house sparrows.
The best time to put up your natural birdhouse is today! Actually, birds often choose the house they will use long before the nesting season, so it is best to put them up and leave them up. It is also a good thing as well as on the safer side to clean out the house after the young birds have left the nest. If the birds require a nest they build it again in no time and it will be much cleaner and healthier for the new one. The nest building is a part of bird bonding and not a chore!
A natural birdhouse is a perfect way to provide a nesting place for birds, which have lost much of their natural habitat. Many species of birds build their nests or house in hollow spaces in the dead or rotten trees in natural vegetation. Nowadays, unfortunately, many of these trees have been removed due to logging or real estate development.
How can you make Natural Birdhouse?
- Make a proper plan –You can find many sites on the internet, which provide information to make a natural birdhouse. The US geological survey has a very detailed publication available for a birdhouse plan.
- Use little lumber-Your birdhouse should be made up of 1” lumber so that it provides strength and some insulation to your bird. For smaller birdhouses, you can use 1-inch x 6-inch or 1-inch x 8-inch lumber. Since all of the widths of the walls should be the same, a single board of 4 inches to 6 inches long should be enough to build an entire natural birdhouse.
- Keep it outside-You can paint the exterior of your natural birdhouse. Avoid painting the interior side of the birdhouse. Try to limit the amount of paint around the entrances also. Since the paint fumes can be harmful to the birds nesting in your natural birdhouse
Tips for Natural Bird House Building
- The material used to build the natural birdhouse plays a vital role. Wood is the best building material for your natural birdhouse. Cedar and redwood provide natural water resistance and attractive finishes. For fasteners, you can choose galvanized screws or nails.
- Natural birdhouses should provide easy access for inspection and maintenance of the hinged roof. You will also need to clean your birdhouse at the end of each nesting season.
- You will need to provide drainage and ventilation holes in your natural birdhouse. ј inches of holes in the floor will allow for drainage. Similar holes in the side walls should be provided for ventilation
- Although many commercial birdhouses have perches installed, your natural birdhouse should not have perches. Since the perches provide easy access to predators like cats and squirrels.
You win the situation when the birds are happy in the natural birdhouse. When you find the birds happy in their new homes, you also get the joy of being able to watch them. Think about the proper placement of your natural birdhouse, since it plays a vital role.
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