- Designing a birdhouse is more than just making a home for the birds. Their main concern is that they feel safe and secure in their new home. Birds don't care if the house is painted or paneled. Having fun designing a birdhouse is an experience in creativity. Adding touches such as a welcome sign or white picket fence make the birdhouse personal. However, birds don't have meetings to determine their new house based on the curb appeal. Birds are territorial and have been known to steal a home from another bird. It would also be useful to add a hinged door to the back of the house to make cleaning easier.
- In order to determine what type of birdhouse to build, it is important to know what birds live in the area. A book such as "A Field Guide to Western Birds," published by Houghton Mifflin, will supply items such as markings, voice, natural habitat and nesting habits.
Birdhouses should be put in different locations in the yard in order to attract certain species. A highly wooded yard will draw different birds than a yard with few trees or little covering. A residential district will not attract the same birds as a country setting.
Birdhouse sizes and entrance holes will vary by the type of bird. A chickadee will need a box that is about 8 to 10 inches in height and an entrance hole no larger than 1 1/8 inch. A red-headed woodpecker would require a box about 12 to 15 inches in height with an entrance hole of 2 inches. - Building a pest-proof birdhouse takes some planning. Using PVC pipe for the pole may deter some animals from robbing the nest. Putting some distance between the birdhouse and trees may provide the birds with an escape route.
A double-thick entry makes it difficult for a predator to reach inside the birdhouse and eat the eggs. Add a second piece of wood the same size as the entrance hole, or cover a portion of the front of the birdhouse with metal. This prevents animals such as squirrels from clawing the opening large enough to get inside the house.
Avoid adding a perch to the entrance hole, as the perch gives predators something to cling to as they rob the nest of its eggs. A bird will be able to get in and out of the house without a perch.
Consider adding an overhanging roof to the front of the birdhouse for added protection from predators. - Purple martins like birdhouse condominiums situated high on a pole in a field or near a lake. They build only one nest per year, but there could be a dozen families in one house. Generally, they do not like a well-shaded area, but thrive in a large, open field.
A hummingbird won't be attracted to a house but may come calling to a red nectar birdfeeder. Since hummingbirds use plants and spider silk to build their nest, planting flowers such as foxglove or columbine, which are attractive to the birds, may encourage them to build a nest nearby. - Cleaning a birdhouse after the birds have left the nest is suggested in order to rid the nest of bird lice or rodents that may have taken up residence. Using a mild bleach solution will dispel any pests that may have roosted in the birdhouse. (Be sure to wear cleaning gloves and perhaps a mask, so you don't inhale the bleach.) Maintenance of a birdhouse should consist of replacing worn boards, perhaps adding a new roof or replacing the pole on which it sits. Repainting the birdhouse may help brighten it up a bit. However, if the birdhouse is falling apart, it may be easier to replace it with a new birdhouse.
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