You've got your bird house ready and looking nice. Maybe you bought one you liked or used a kit to build it. Now you just want to set it up and watch the birds. But how do you get the birds to actually come to your house? There are a few things to think about when you set up your birdhouse and the first is when you set it up.
While you can set up your bird house any time of year, the best time of year to put it up is late summer to early fall. All of the way up until early winter can work well too. This is the optimal time because it is before the bird's breeding season and birds like to situate themselves in their living space before it comes time to breed. If you want to attract a specific species, be sure to take time to learn what that species likes.
Timing is important, but the most important thing to consider when you set up your birdhouse is location. Birds are particular about where they live and if you don't set it up in a desirable location, birds won't want anything to do with it.
Different species of birds have different ideas of what is the optimal place to put a bird box, but most enjoy nesting in sunny areas where they are safe from predators. When placing the house, think about any predators that could get easy access to birds living inside. Of course, you'll also want to keep it somewhere close to a window or bench so you can watch the birds who decide to nest there.
Avoid placing the bird home inside a hole in a tree or hanging it from a tree. These make the birds easy targets for cats since they can climb up to it. Using a PVC or metal pipe or pole to attach your bird house to is a much better idea since they will be so much more difficult to climb. Aim to put it about 5-25 feet above the ground and other birdhouses. This keeps birds safe from ground predators as well as prevents territorial fights between birds.
Where you have placed bird baths or bird feeders is also important to think about. Birds don't want to live too close or too far away from these feeders because they want to be able to quickly get food but don't want to live too close to where many birds go to feed. Putting a bird feeder about 25-30 feet away from where you want birds to nest is a great idea because it meets both of those conditions.
Blue bird houses are probably the most popular seeing as blue bird bird houses attract some of the most beautiful and colorful birds around! Martin bird houses make great bluebird habitations and are quite decorative. Other species that love these cedar, ceramic, victorian, copper or wooden houses include wrens, finches, cardinals, hummingbirds, goldfinches, sparrows, chikadees, red birds and many more!
Bird watching is a hobby people of all ages can enjoy and with your new birdhouse set up and ready, all you have to do is sit back and watch for a new family to move in and make it their home. You can take pride in the safe house you have provided for the family of birds as you watch them live, grow, and maybe even have a few babies!