HOMES FOR BIRDS WEEK ® One week this Spring is designated as Homes for Birds Week ® by a member of The National Association of Independent Wild Bird Stores. This event sponsored by The Birding Consultant Group is held each year to encourage people to clean out and fix up their existing bird house as well as put up new homes for wild birds. The birds who use bird houses are known as cavity nesters. About 85 of the 650 breeding birds in North American use cavities for nesting. Nature provides cavities in many ways. Dead and decaying trees are a good source. Woodpeckers create cavities for their own nest, these later become homes for other birds. In nature there is usually a shortage of natural cavities - especially now that most people think trees that are dying or have holes are ugly and cut them down. Because of this cutting and trimming, plus the natural shortage in nature there are usually many more pairs of birds needing a cavity than there are cavities. Fortunately for the cavity nesting birds, they will accept one of our bird houses as a substitute. Which is why you can usually attract a bird to your yard with a bird house. Most people list approximately 41 different birds that are willing to use man made bird houses. This list includes Bluebirds, Wrens, Nuthatches, Finches, Wood Ducks, Purple Martins, Chickadees, Swallows, Titmice, Flickers, Woodpeckers and some Owls. About Your Bird Houses: Existing bird houses need be cleaned out before the nesting season begins and again after the baby birds have fledged. Here are a few suggestions concerning cleaning out your existing birdhouse. First if possible wear some kind of filter mask because you really do not want to breathe in the dust caused from the cleaning process. Next be sure that you clean out all old nesting materials and check the sides of the box for insect larva or egg cases. Scrape them away. Finally wash out the house with a mixture of nine parts water and one part bleach. This will help insure that the house is disinfected to help prevent further insect infestations. New birdhouses should be made with 3/4 inch wood. This insures that they are sturdy and will provide adequate protection from the elements. To be most effective houses should have ventilation other than just an entrance hole. This is necessary to provide a flow of fresh air which helps prevent overheating of the birds’ eggs. Bird houses should be made so they can be cleaned out with a minimum of trouble. Concerning painting birdhouses - our advice is don’t. But, if you do, then use a light color, latex paint, on the outside only. The light color will reflect the sun and reduce heat build up. As woods and forest are cut and dead trees and limbs trimmed away from our yards and gardens the more important bird houses become. Birdhouses can be of real benefit to the birds. In addition birds bring you many hours of joy as you watch them build their nests, feed their young, and become a part of your backyard habitat. Homes for Birds Week ® is a registered trademark. You may use our Milk Carton Bird House as an educational activity for Children All information on this page is copyrighted © 1999-2009 by John F. Gardner