What Kind of Trees Are Best for Blue Bird Houses
For a real treat in your yard or garden this year, try putting upwards a bluebird house. These gorgeous birds are so sweet and charming, swooping from tree to post to guard their nests and see what you lot're up to. And if their stunning beauty weren't enough, they're also nifty for natural summer insect control!
Setting up and maintaining a bluebird house properly tin take a flake of attention, but it's really quite easy. Follow these tips to become started.
About Bluebirds and Bluebird Houses
Bluebird nesting season starts between February and April, depending on the weather condition, and goes until Baronial. Some areas take bluebirds year-round. They normally heighten at to the lowest degree two broods of three to vi eggs per year, with the babies fledging about four to five weeks afterward the eggs are laid. While spring is the best flavour to install a bluebird house, you tin can do it whatever time.
When shopping it's important to purchase an actual house made for bluebirds and not a decorative bird house. The firm has to be built just right in order to attract bluebirds and keep them safely, while deterring other competing birds.
Thankfully, near commercial bluebird houses are built to the proper specifications, but when in doubt be sure that your bird business firm has these characteristics:
- Well Built: A bluebird house should be watertight, yet ventilated and with drainage holes. It should be built of a rot resistant forest, like cedar, or untreated exterior plywood. You lot tin can paint the outside a light, neutral color or glaze it with linseed oil, but the inside should exist untreated woods.
- No Perch: Perches encourage competing birds and predators.
- Correct Size: Most bluebird houses are around five" wide and deep and around 8" to 12" high, with an entrance hole virtually two-thirds of the way up.
- Proper Opening: The opening is the nigh important factor for keeping out competing and predatory birds. Round openings should be 1 3/xvi" to 1 1/two" inches in diameter. Slot entrances should be 13/16" to ane one/8" wide. Oval entrance holes should be vertical, i 3/eight" by 2 i/four" high.
- Easy to Monitor: Near bluebird houses accept a hinged top or side that tin can be opened to check the nests and make clean them out during the off flavour.
How to Install a Bluebird House
Bluebirds like adequately open up areas, with scattered trees for perching. Organic farmland is perfect, with open up spaces bordered past fences and tree lines.
In more developed areas, bluebirds are likely to be found around big open up lawns, repose roadways, onetime railroad paths, parks, cemeteries, golf courses, new housing developments, and neighborhoods on the border of cities. They normally don't hang out in heavy woods or city centers.
When installing a bluebird house, consider:
- Location: While scattered copse or shrubs are fine, cull a fairly open spot away from forest.
- Mounting: A pole or fence mail is ideal, specially if you tin add a baffle to keep out predators such as cats, snakes, and raccoons. Mountain the business firm at around 5' high, then that you tin can easily achieve it to monitor and clean.
- Orientation: Ideally, confront the opening toward a safe perch, such equally a small tree or fence. Likewise try to confront it away from prevailing winds, and away from midday sun in hot climates. If you lot are installing the business firm near a route, face it parallel to the route, so the birds won't fly out directly into traffic.
- Spacing: Bluebirds are competitive and usually claim two or three acres, so be sure their houses are widely spaced. Eastern bluebird houses should be 100-150 yards apart, and Mountain and Western bluebirds should exist over 200 yards apart.
- Organic Garden: Since bluebirds eat insects, they can provide natural insect control, but avoid areas with heavy application of pesticides.
Dealing with Competitors
One of the biggest challenges to bluebirds is the threat of other birds competing for the nesting space. European starlings and house swallows pose the largest threat to bluebird nesting, and these non-native birds will attack bluebird nests and destroy the eggs.
You lot can reduce the risk by making sure your bluebird business firm has the right size opening (to go on starlings out), and locate it abroad from urban areas, houses, and barns (to deter house swallows).
House Pairing Tip
If other native species of birds are consistently taking over your bluebird firm, try installing a 2d one close past. Many native birds – such as tree swallows and bluebirds – are territorial with their own kind merely will alive happily alongside other species. So you can double the bird-watching fun!
Native competitors – such as tree swallows, titmice, house wrens, chickadees, and nuthatches – are beneficial birds and tin exist encouraged to nest past installing the house a lilliputian higher (ten feet or and then) in a wooded spot.
Disposed a Bluebird House
Once you've got your bluebird house in place, a piffling attention throughout the season volition keep it safe and snug for repeated broods of eggs. Clean your box every February before nesting season starts, and repair any damage. Then, make clean and brush out the box in betwixt each brood of eggs, making sure to throw away the old nesting fabric to get rid of whatever disease or parasites living in it.
If you lot monitor your bluebird house, be sure not to open up the box later the babies are about a week old, and leave information technology closed until they wing – y'all don't desire them accidentally leaving the box likewise early.
Further Information
- Landscaping Tips for a Bird-Friendly Yard (commodity)
- Wild Bird Feeding Basics (commodity)
- How to Make a Suet Bird Feeder (article)
- How to Brand a Bird Seed Wreath (commodity)
Source: https://todayshomeowner.com/attracting-bluebirds-to-your-yard-with-nesting-boxes/
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