Will birdhouses bring more birds to my yard? ASK THE HORT AGENT
Question Will birdhouses bring more birds to my yard?
Answer The presence of birds is almost universally welcome among gardeners. The birds’ contributions of movement, color, sounds and pest control to the landscape are unique and desirable. In order to attract birds to your yard, a landscaped environment must provide shelter, nesting sites, water and food.
Most folks attempt to provide food and water. Be careful not to overlook the shelter and nesting sites. Difficulty in finding natural shelter near the food and water sources may tempt birds to look elsewhere for a safer environment.
A number of birds will nest in trees. But you must keep in mind, within the same habitat, each bird species may have a different preference for an elevation at which it feeds and nests. This is apparent in natural forests where some birds sing and feed in the high canopy level but nest in the lower canopy. Others may feed on the ground and nest in shrubs. These bird movements demonstrate that a multilevel planting design is important. The use of open spaces, shrubs, small trees and larger trees will broaden the appeal of your yard.
Birds that nest in the cavities of dead trees find few sites available in our landscapes since dead trees are usually removed. Birdhouses can substitute for dead trees, caves, and other natural structures that may not exist in a typical backyard. Birdhouses are often used by birds such as the purple martin, house finch, woodpeckers, Carolina wren and eastern bluebird.
As a general rule, birdhouses can be placed in the landscape at anytime. However, they have a greater chance of being used if they are available during the times that a bird is looking for a house. For example, owls are looking for a house in the fall because they raise their young during the winter when the nights are long. Bats are looking for a house in late winter when the weather starts to warm and the insects begin to stir. Bluebirds are also insect feeders, so their timing is similar to that of bats.
Birds may ignore the houses you’ve installed for them. Reasons for not lodging in a manmade structure include too much traffic (human or animal) near the house, wrong dimensions, wrong height, or too close together. Be patient. A brand new birdhouse may be viewed at first with suspicion. Birds are more likely to accept it after it has weathered a bit. February is a good time to put up birdhouses, since they would have some time to weather before the birds start to use them this spring.
For more info on backyard bird management, visit http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/agpubs/backyards-birds.pdf If you do not have internet access, call 910-893-7533 or email gpierce@harnett.org
By the way, bats aren’t birds. Birds have feathers, and bats have fur. The entrance to a bat house is on the bottom and not the side. Plus, birds carry West Nile Virus and bats only carry good old-fashioned rabies.
Gary L. Pierce
Horticulture Extension Agent
Harnett County | 
