How To Build Your Birdhouses - Wintu Audubon Society

1 The Definitive Guide to Building your Own BirdhousesBy Larry JordanCopyright NoticeAll rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmittedin any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical. Any unauthorized use,sharing, reproduction, or distribution is strictly prohibited. 2010 1 of 45 The Definitive Guide toBuilding your Own BirdhousesTurn your Backyard or Garden IntoA Beautifully Tranquil Paradise and Be The Envy of All your Friends!Welcome to your Definitive Guide to Building your Own Birdhouses . I have created this guide because I have seen so many mistakes made by people who just want to Build a simple, effective birdhouse that the birds will be attracted to and use year after year.

2 I have been building Birdhouses for over 25 years and I wanted to make an easy to use guide that would lead you step by step through the process of building your own Birdhouses . These birdhouse plans with diagrams and pictures will show you each step along the way so that you know exactly how to complete your call this a complete guide because I have also included information on how to find which species of birds live in your area, what those birds are looking for in choosing a specific birdhouse and what materials you should use to Build a safe and effective birdhouse . I have also included tips on everything from the best tools to use for making your houses to what types of feed your birds want and how to protect them from hope you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed writing it.

3 The information you will get and the skills you will learn from this book will help you get more enjoyment out of your backyard and your life while helping your fine feathered friends live longer healthier lives too! your Backyard Birdman,Page 2 of 45 Table of ContentsChapter 1 -Important Things to Consider How many Birdhouses should I putup? Where should I place them and how far apart?Chapter 2 -Birds In your Area How do I know which bird species are found in the area where I live? Which birds do I want in my yard?Chapter 3 -What You Need to Get Started What tools will I need? What kindof wood and fasteners should I use?Chapter 4 - birdhouse Dimensions For Various bird Species Specification tablefor various bird speciesChapter 5 -The Most Basic and Easiest birdhouse to Build This is the basicbirdhouse built from one six foot 1 x 6 boardChapter 6 -The Alternate Bluebird, Flycatcher, Titmouse and Nuthatch Plans This is a great alternative style birdhouse I really likeChapter 7 -The Alternative Wren House Plan This is an alternative plan tothe basic plan for smaller birds like the wren and they love itChapter 8 -The Basic Robin.

4 Phoebe and Barn Swallow House Plan This is anopen sided birdhouse plan for these speciesChapter 9 -The Basic Owl House Plan This birdhouse plan is excellent for theBarred Owl and Screech Owl as well as the American KestrelChapter 10 -The Basic Wood Duck House This rather large house can bemade from two six foot 1 x 12 boardsChapter 11 - bird Baths, Feeders and Nesting Materials Other essential thingsneeded to keep your birds healthy and happyPage 3 of 45 Chapter 1 Important Things To Consider When Building your BirdhouseProviding houses for cavity nesting birds is a popular hobby for people who enjoy wildlife around their homes. Building Birdhouses according to proper specifications, placing them in the best habitat and maintaining the houses regularly can benefit both the birds and us.

5 However, if not built and placed properly, you might have no visitors at all. Natural cavities in trees will always be important homes for wildlife. But in some locations, intensive forest management, firewood cutting and the replacement of wood with metal fence posts has reduced the supply of natural cavities. In these and similar situations, nest boxes ( Birdhouses ) can be helpful for many cavity nesting species. Birdhouses are especially useful around fields and farmsteads where the limited number of natural cavities have, in most cases, been taken over by starlings and house sparrows. Nest boxes can be designed and placed so that use by these more aggressive species is minimized.

6 Building, placing, and maintaining nest structures should be considered a technique for enhancing existing habitat and adding to our personal opportunities to see and enjoy wildlife. Many birds establish territories where they will not tolerate other birds and some allow other species of birds to share their territory. Still other birds, such as Tree Swallows or Purple Martins, love to have lots of other birds of the same type around. To help decide how many Birdhouses to put up, check the chart below for information about many common North American birds that use Birdhouses . You can put up several houses for different types of Birdhouses with the hole facing away from the prevailing winds to keep as much rain out as possible.

7 I like to mount my Birdhouses on the East side of a tree so they get some morning light but are out of the hot afternoon sun. In Northern California, where I live, it can get well over 100 degrees in the 4 of 45 Type of BirdHeight of House fromGroundPlacementTerritory sizeAmerican Kestrels15 30 Open fields or near the edge ofa forested areaSeveral hundred acresBluebirds5 10 Facing open areas or 5 acresChickadees6 15 Near trees and open areas9 10 acresDucksWhen on land: 10 +,when box is over water:4 +Facing lakes, streams, marshesNoneFinches4 10 Can be anywhere, usually nearyour houseArea near birdhouseFlycatchers8 20 Near the edge of a forestedareaUnknownNuthatches10 20 Wooded areas or mixture ofopen fields and forested areas20 50 acresOwls10 30 Forested areasVaries by type of owlPurple Martins10 20 Near your house, preferablywith a pond, stream, birdbathnearbyNear their hole of themartin communitySwallows8 15 Open fieldsArea near nestTitmice6 15 Mixture of open fields andforested 5 acresWoodpeckers andFlickers10 20 Forested areasVaries by type ofwoodpeckerPurple Martins, mergansers and wood ducks do not defend territories around their nests.

8 Therefore, Martins should be provided with apartment type houses. Duck and Merganser boxes can be clustered in groups of two or four. Houses for other bird species should be spaced far enough apart to reduce territorial conflicts. Bluebird houses need 100-yard birds will inspect several houses before deciding on a particular one. You may wish to give the birds a few to look over in your yard, knowing that only one will be 5 of 45 Chapter 2 Birds in your AreaWhen you succeed in attracting resident birds to your yard the benefits are two fold. First, birds like swallows eat several times their weight in mosquitoes and other insects, including garden pests! Second, your family will have the pleasant and educational experience of observing bird families go through their seasonal cycle from mating to rearing their types of birds that will nest in your yard or property are determined partly by the habitat that you have.

9 Many trees and dense shrubs in your neighborhood and yard will attract the forest-loving birds while open expansive fields will attract different ones. Obviously, no matter how wonderful a house you Build for flickers, they will not set up their home in your yard if you live on a treeless prairie. If you have a mixture of habitats, you may be able to attract a great number of birds to your houses as well as to your planning your Birdhouses by determining which species are most likely to become residents. The birds you are able to observe yourself is a start but don t assume that they are the extent of the local bird population. Check with your local Audubon Society or wildlife club for a rundown of birds you may attract and information on what dates they arrive from their seasonal migrations.

10 A great source for this information in North America is the National Geographic Society s Field Guide to the Birds of North America . You can purchase this great field guide by clicking this link: National Geographic Society 's Field Guide to the Birds Of North AmericaIf you are interested in a comprehensive guide to birds of the world click hereto purchase the Birds Of The World by Les Beletsky:Birds of the WorldPage 6 of 45 Here Is A List Of North AmericanBirds That Prefer To Nest In Cavities:American Kestrels, Eastern Bluebirds, Mountain Bluebirds, Western Bluebirds, Snow Buntings, Black-capped Chickadees, Mountain Chickadees, Boreal Chickadees, Carolina Chickadees, Siberian Chickadees, Chestnut-backed Chickadees, Brown Creepers, House Finches, Great Crested Flycatchers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, Purple Martins, Common Mergansers, Hooded Mergansers, Brown Headed Nuthatches, White-breasted Nuthatches, Red-breasted Nuthatches, Eastern and Western Screech Owls, Common Barn Owls, Barred Owls, Northern Saw-whet Owls, Northern Hawk Owls, Pygmy Owls, Boreal Owls, Barrow s Goldeneyes, House Sparrows, Tree Swallows, Violet-green Swallows, Tufted Titmouse, Oak Titmouse.