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blue bird houses with no roof!
We have a gazillion birds around the farm in North Georgia, a bald eagle was even spotted last year. A loud ruckus with crows dive-bombing it in order to block the eagles’ access to their nest. Unfortunately much of the population is house sparrows, who compete (fiercely) with native songbirds for nesting cavities.You won’t find any blue bird birdhouses around the farm, or any birdhouses for that matter, but there’s certainly no shortage of nest sites and activity! Between the swallows and house sparrows around the three barns, and mockingbirds’ thick-stick nests in the crepe myrtles out front, that leaves about 400 acres of pure, natural habitat. Oh, and the heron, he loves to fly out of the ditch when folks are trail riding in the back. It spooks the horses every time… and he knows this (little fart!) A person could literally get a great start their bird list right here!
With some of the old wooden fencing still intact, the posts have deteriorated over time, and these bluebird chicks seem perfectly at home in one of those posts. If you catch the angle of that photo, you can see it was taken from above… No roof! What if it rains, and what about storms? We were like nervous mothers with concern for the babies. But a moms’ instinct is usually right on… four nestlings, and four successful fledges! You know, it did rain and it did storm on those babies, so I guess natural bird houses with no roof work too!
But I still wouldn’t recommend it!It really wouldn’t behoove any of the birds to install nest boxes due to the sheer numbers of house sparrows on the property. There would be more fatalities than fledges as far as bluebirds, and we don’t need to encourage the house sparrows! In most of suburbia there is indeed a shortage of natural nest cavities. No rotted fence posts, very few dead trees, and less of the mature (we’re talking like one hundred year old) trees. Birdhouses really do help cavity-dwellers thrive and flourish. Are there some do’s and don’ts? Sure, but one only learns by doing, and everyone who accommodates and enjoys backyard birds started somewhere.
I did a painting of “the back 40” a few years ago, showing the old hay barn and shop. Tons of natural nest cavities and bird activity around this place!
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Don’t let this happen to your blue bird houses
Just ironic that this old blue bird house had a predator guard on the entrance! Of no use to any bird now, it’s downright dangerous for any nestlings. Wide open to predators, though I’ve probably discarded a fine squirrel home 🙁 Because it was attached to a tree, surrounded by brush and limbs, it wasn’t exactly bluebird real estate. Someone had nested in there, the thick moss nest was likely built by a Titmouse, Nuthatch or Carolina Wren.Now is the time to check blue bird houses (and all nest boxes) for repairs and nest removal. They’ll still be a welcomed environment during the off-season! As swell roosting spots for lots of feathered friends… through fall and winter. Adding shavings to your houses helps to insulate them, but always opt for pine, as cedar shavings can cause irritation.
Be sure to discard any nests in the trash, as predators will be attracted to them. Grabbing them with a plastic bag (from the grocery store) is pretty quick & easy. It’s a good idea to clean and disinfect blue bird houses to rid them of mites or other pests. A solution of bleach and water does the trick well, at a ratio of 1:10. Scrub with a hard-bristle brush, rinse well, and let air-dry.
As far as the rotted house pictured? It was headed for the trash, but second thoughts say leave it for the squirrels!
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Monitoring blue bird houses is starting early
Because of the mild winter, everything “spring” is happening early. Budding trees are flowering and bulbs are blooming, this means nesting season is underway! And we’ve been slammed with orders, not to mention a spring newsletter… yikes! So this guest post is by my room mate, Tango Dressage, kindly helping out 🙂Watching blue bird houses is starting early! I only know this because every day my roommate, Beth (The Birdhouse Chick) grabs her binoculars and looks with anticipation to the blue bird houses to check for signs of nesting. It’s a yearly ritual that she has fostered by maintaining blue bird houses and feeders, and providing live worms (yes, we have worms in our refrigerator) to attract them to the yard.
It’s not just the bluebirds though, most all wild birds are welcomed and catered to. The bins on the screened porch store several different types of seeds, nuts, and treats for every avian diet. Feeders are cleaned and filled daily (she’s got it down to a science). Several houses built for the needs of different birds are and maintained to ensure good nest sites too. The squirrels even have their own area with corn bungees. Fresh water is abundant, with heated baths for winter, and these cool leaf misters for hot summer days, it looks like a bird spa!
Until I moved here I knew little to nothing about birds. After three years, Beth’s passion for birds and caring for animals has given me a new perspective on her. I thought she was crazy opening an online birdhouse boutique before I really knew her. After seeing how passionate and knowledgeable about birds she really is, I would think she was crazy not to!
When you call you are not dealing with a clerk, every order is checked for quality, packed with care and any questions you have answered enthusiastically by someone that really cares that every product is durable and appropriate for your needs. I guess what I’m getting to is that when you deal with thebirdhousechick.com you’re not dealing with a “big company” or “entity” You’re dealing direct with the real birdhouse chick.
Birding Tips, Information & News
