You’ve bought or built a new birdhouse, and you want to bring those singing lovelies into your garden. You might have bought the most expensive birdhouse, or maybe, you’ve built your aviating pals a top-o’-the-line birdie townhouse. For the birds, it’s just like the old real estate adage– the three most important things in selling real estate are, “location, location, location.”
Of course, timing matters too. The house is for a nest, the nest is for eggs, and eggs only happen in the springtime. The best time to place your birdhouse is late winter to early spring, before the birdies meet their mates. Don’t stress if you’re a little behind because there are plenty of reasons to go ahead and hang that house any time of the year. First of all, young males may take a little longer to find their first mate, so those couples will be nesting a little later. Also, some birds are going to have more than one nest of chicks, and even if they don’t, Mama Bird may just move her first one, if she likes your house better. Your birdhouse will also be a good shelter in the colder months for those birds that do not migrate.
The specifics of birdhouse placement depend on the species you are targeting, because some species are looking for a very particular arrangement. There are birders who know all of this information, but I prefer to generalize and maximize my potential of getting a visitor, because sometimes you can wait for a very long time before a new family decides to pick your house. Generally, place the birdhouse about 6-12 feet above the ground– hanging them on metal or PVC poles secured about 18” into the ground will the best way to defend against predators. If you are hanging your birdhouse on a tree, you may want to fix a piece of aluminum around the trunk below the birdhouse to deter potential egg-thieving villains. Never hang your nesting house near birdbaths or feeders because the patrons of those facilities may not be so friendly with your nesting family. Make sure there is a tree or shrub for Mama Bird to perch on near the nest. Point the birdhouse away from the winds of summer that might direct rain into the nest, and if you live in a warmer area, face the bird house north or east to avoid over-heating in the hot summer sunshine.
To attract birds to your yard and increase the chances that your birdhouse could become a birdhome there are a few ways to enhance your garden and make it more “bird-friendly.” Feed the birds with a bird feeder or with fruit trees and shrubs. Try to minimize your use of pesticides, which are not only dangerous for the birds, but also destroy a large part of their food supply. A bird bath or a pond with a waterfall will also be a plus for any bird scouting for a new home.