Smart Houses for Birds

BIRDHOUSES by Francis Mangels:

When I bought my first table saw, I made birdhouses. I don’t like insecticides, and the birds did a much better job. I don’t have bug problems any more.

Any pine or fir board over 6” wide will do, nails, knots, and all, but unpainted because most birds hate paint and some paint is toxic. I’ll give you a pattern or make houses.

Many birdhouse designs are out there, but if you can make a box with a hole in it, most birds will use it locally under certain conditions. Audubon and bird websites can show you good basic models. Artsy designer models are often lethal to any birds that try to nest in them. A birdhouse must be made of standard boards.

I use the basic simplest and best type. The sides are identical, and therefore any other error in cutting is inconsequential. The front must be removed by screws every 2-3 years for cleaning. The box must have small gaps or holes in the floor for drainage/ventilation.

All local backyard birds like 6-7” boards and a house about 10-14” high with dry grass, leaves, or coarse sawdust floor.

The size of the hole determines which bird will use it. Locally, a 1¼“ hole is ideal for most birds. A bluebird uses a 1½” hole, but the house must be near a wet meadow area. A wren uses a 1” hole, but other birds usually widen the hole out to its preference.

Never put a perch on a birdhouse. This provides a platform to scrub jays and crows, which will eat the helpless fledglings inside the birdhouse. I’ve seen it done many times, so don’t put a perch on a birdhouse.

The box must be solidly mounted, not swinging on a wire. Most birds don’t like motion.

Location is everything. It must be where birds can see it, with food nearby, and somewhat safe from cats. Sun exposure is usually good, like the warm wall of a home.

Generally for Mt. Shasta, orient the hole to the north, east, or west. Our spring storms usually come from the south, and nesting birds don’t like rain in the front door.

Mounting a birdhouse under the eaves at a corner of your house/garage is the best place in town. This spot is cat proof and weather-safe. Birds prefer this place to trees.

You’ll get nuthatches, chickadees, tree swallows, and house sparrows in most cases. Maybe a wren, bluebird, or titmouse will use birdhouses in the right location.

Each birdhouse occupied will eliminate about 20,000 bugs per month. This is a good payback for 20 minutes building a birdhouse. This is a good deal for both of us.

Don’t feed the birds, but if you must, remove all feeders at the first frost, the fall equinox, or anytime in September. A bird has to eat on the way south, and if they are held here too long, they can’t find enough food on the way south. They eat well off you, but then they starve or get frozen in the first storm. This is not nice to the birds, so don’t kill them.

Birds need housing, not a handout. Suburban environments are loaded with bugs, but we cut down dead trees birds nest in. A birdhouse is a good substitute that helps the bird and helps us live sustainably together. Forget pesticides and let the birds do the job. It’s nice.

I’ll build the houses. Somebody find some old boards and call Francis at 926-0311. I’d like to make a mountain of houses by Earth Day and the migratory birds are arriving already. We need to kindly sustain these little feathered friends with new homes.