Bird-watching is a wonderful and enjoyable pastime that many people have discovered. Watching the birds in their natural habitat while being out in nature is very relaxing, it reduces stress and it serves to remind us of the natural beauty that our world has. You can do different things in your yard to attract birds such as planting certain types of plants or placing birdhouses, bird shelters or bird baths around or you can go on a specific bird tour where the main purpose is to see birds in their natural habitat.

Going on a bird-watching tour is a wonderful activity for families, kids or even for a special date. Depending upon where you go you will see a variety of different birds but you will only see the birds that are in their preferred habitat. You can search for an arranged tour that takes you around to different places where there are a lot of birds to see in their natural habitat or you may choose to visit an aviary, which is set up similar to a zoo with a created habitat for the birds.

Bird House

You may decide that you love watching the birds so much that you would like to attract more of them to your own yard and home. It is not that difficult to attract birds but they do have their own habitat preferences. Not every bird will be interested in bird houses or bird baths. Bird houses and bird shelters typically attract cavity-dwelling birds. These are birds who choose a cavity or small enclosed space for their nests. Cavity-dwellers include wrens, chickadees, bluebirds and flickers. If these are the types of birds that you often see in your backyard you may want to build some houses or shelters that they will find appealing.

However, as tempting as it may be, building multiple different birdhouses to attract a variety of birds may backfire on your plan. Birds are very territorial and it is only likely that you will be able to one species more so than other species. Choose the one that you would most like to see and watch and design your bird-watching habitat around that.

There are certain specifications that you will need to follow in order to attract the birds that you want to see. Minor differences in features or specifications make a big difference to the birds. If you want to attract them you must make your bird-watching habitat the most attractive to the birds. This means that you select and choose what appeals to the birds and not what you like best. If you are putting out bird houses, shelters or bird bathes just for decoration it makes no difference whatsoever what you do, however, if you actually want to attract birds you will need to put out the types of houses, shelters or birdbaths that are actually appealing to them.

As you are designing your bird-watching habitat it is first important to identify the species of birds that visit your yard. After you have identified the birds then you must distinguish which birds are cavity-dwellers, who will likely be interested in your bird houses, and which ones are tree or burrow dwellers. The tree and burrow dwellers will not be interested in your bird houses and if that is the only type of bird that you have in your area and yard then you will be wasting your time.

Building A Cool Birdhouse

After you have investigated the types of birds that you may be able to attract you will then need to consider the size and type of birdhouse that might be attractive to them. Take a look at the size of the actual bird you are interested in and then you can go about determining the dimensions of the bird house or habitat. The dimensions that you will need to consider include the entrance hole, the height, the depth and the size of the floor. You should probably consult an expert, either online or from a book to determine the best measurements of the birdhouse for your type of bird. The smaller birds, like the wrens or the chickadees typically prefer a 4×4 inch floor size and about an 8 inch depth, while the larger birds will need a larger birdhouse.

It is also important as you are constructing your birdhouse to consider the types if materials that you will use. You want to create as natural a habitat for the birds as possible, not to mention that you want the shelter to be safe and free from the possibilities of poisoning or overheating. Untreated wood or lumber is usually best for birdhouses as it will best mimic the birds natural habitat along with reducing the chances for poisonings or other unnatural occurrences. Treated or processed lumber often contains potentially poisonous substances such as formaldehyde, which can be be a huge health hazard to the birds. You must also be very cautious of paint. Paint can chip and the birds may eat it as they can mistake it for food. Metal and plastics are not good for birdhouses or bird shelters as both of them have a tendency to hold in the heat and not really breathe which can cause a bird to overheat. Overheating can be very dangerous to the birds and their nests of eggs.

As you are considering the plan and design of your bird house you should take into consideration the safety of the bird against the elements and predators. A slanted roof will keep rain, snow, dirt and moisture from accumulating on top of the house, which can cause the roof to fall in on top of the bird. The roof should also extend over the sides and front of the house so the accumulated debris can fall to the ground instead of in the house itself. Drainage and ventilation are also important. You need to drill small holes in the floor of the birdhouse for drainage purposes just make sure that the holes are smaller than the bird’s feet. Place the holes towards the outer corners of the house so that rain will not accumulate on the inside. Baby birds can drown very easily and you will want to prevent that. You will also want to have ventilation holes towards on the back and sides of the house so that the air can travel through. This will also help heat to escape and keep the house cooler. If you place the bird house on top of a pole you can discourage some predators but not all. Squirrels are notorious for getting into birdhouses so you may have to be creative to discourage that.

Another important factor is building the birdhouse is a way to make it easy to maintain and keep clean. Bird houses that are unkempt and messy can encourage diseases in the birds so you will need to build your birdhouse so that is easy to remove the droppings and debris that may build up. Also you may need to disinfect the entire birdhouse after the season and the current bird residents move out so that it is ready for the next season and the next birds.

If you build a great birdhouse or bird shelter and you attract the birds you want to see you can have a bird tour right at home and that is something you can enjoy every day.