BUT, BIRDIE IT'S COLD OUTSIDE


BUT, BIRDIE IT’S COLD OUTSIDE

By Peggy Williams AKA Birdie of Mississippi



Yes, it’s cold outside, but January and February are the months that Birdies begin to look for sites to build their new spring nests to nurture baby birds.  It is also a good time for Birders to go ahead and put out birdhouses for spring nesting. By putting birdhouses out early, this will ensure that they would be available as temporary shelter for birds should we have a cold snap, bad weather or as a refuge from predators.  Birds that have more than one brood of birds nest early so that they can have time to do it again later in the season.  You will begin to see them scouting your yard any time now to see if it would be a safe place for their babies. 



If you have bird houses already hanging, it would be good to clean out any old nesting material that may still be there from last year and scrub the house with one part bleach to nine parts water.  Rinse the house thoroughly and let it air dry.  This will give the birds a fresh and clean home to move into.  Parasitic mites and insects can move into abandoned nests so removal of nesting and cleaning will help prevent this!



If you do not have existing birdhouses and plan to buy new ones here are a few tips to keep in mind for attracting birds to your birdhouses.  Birds - like humans have things that they are looking for when they choose a new home.  Birds want their homes to be safe from bad weather and predators and it must be large enough for the adult birds and their growing family.  If you are looking to attract specific types of birds such as bluebirds or purple martins there are birdhouses available that are usually labeled for these birds.  If you plan to make your own birdhouses, then it would be good to check out pre-built ones in the stores or online to get a general idea of the style and size to make them.  The entrance hole is important to make certain that it is the right size for the bird that you want to attract so that larger, aggressive birds or predators don’t take over the house that you hang.  I had never thought of snakes getting into my birdhouses, but I have seen some photos of snakes inside birdhouses that eat the eggs, chicks and adult birds!  Many predators will scratch or gnaw on the entrance holes to get inside, so you can install a metal plate which is a “hole restrictor” over an existing entrance to prevent them from doing this!



The size of the roof is also important because some predators such as raccoons, squirrels and even cats will actually sit on a roof and reach in to get whatever is inside!  An overhang on the roof that extends 5 to 6 inches from the front of the house and 2 or 3 inches on the sides helps to keep predators from being able to reach inside.  A baffle above or below the house or a large, smooth sheet of metal wrapped around the tree trunk or post will also serve as a means of preventing predators from reaching inside the birdhouse.



 Do not have perches on the birdhouse because it serves as a handhold for the predator as they raid the nest!  Hang your birdhouses 4 to 8 feet from the ground for chickadees and titmice, 5-10 feet for bluebirds, wrens, nuthatches and up to 15 feet for purple martins and away from buildings, trees, fences or anything that the predator can spring from. 



So bundle up and brave the cold if you want to make your feathery friends come live in your yard.  It is well worth the effort as you see them flying about and hear them singing their cheery songs in the early mornings of spring.  So “look at the birds of the air” (Matthew 6:26) and begin preparing homes for them now.  


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E-mail: birdieofmississippi@gmail.com - Read my Blog @ http://www.birdieofmississippi.blogspot.com













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