BIRDHOUSES BY ARCHITECTURAL EDITIONS Pinehurst, NC 28374 (910) 295-2717 rtbarch@nc.rr.com
BIRDHOUSES BY ARCHITECTURAL EDITIONS Pinehurst, NC 28374
(910) 295-2717 rtbarch@nc.rr.com
According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 51.3 million Americans are avid bird watchers, and the number is growing. Did you know that over 57 million Americans feed and house birds? It's an activity second only to gardening as the most popular American hobby. The beauty of bird watching, building birdhouses or mere observing, lies in the fact that it can occur wherever you may be; city, town, country, apartment house, high-rise building balcony or right in your own backyard. Watching birds go about their business is sometimes taken for granted, but it shouldn't be. Urban sprawl, lost forests, and precious breeding grounds are being swept away for new development, severely threatening the natural habitat of birds and their ability to breed. Birdhouses help to provide nesting places to supplement those lost to willful destruction. Recent studies have shown that the population of certain species, like Bluebirds and Tree Swallows have actually increased through the use of man-made birdhouses, and volunteer programs that track their breeding habits. So if someone asks you why own a birdhouse, just tell them because they need us as much as we need them.
If you build a birdhouse, will they come? No, not necessarily. If you don't attract them, they won't. If you want to attract birds to your backyard or garden you must first determine what species you are likely to find in your geographical area. One way is by observation. A better way is to purchase a good field guide and a pair of binoculars. A regional guide, specific to your location, is a good starting point. Later you can branch out to cover a wider area since it is not uncommon for birds from one region to show up in several others. It's best to obtain a guide illustrated with drawings in lieu of photographs, as photos can be misleading, since birds can vary from one another within a given species. Field guides usually define the range of a species, which is a general reference defining the seasonal geographical area that a particular bird inhabits. Habitat is more specific, and defines where a bird actually lives, such as, forest edges, meadows, parkland and the like. Although scientists have established ranges for specific species, it can vary, shift or decrease due to environmental changes, climatic shifts, or human alteration of the environment. Then too, a bird may have more than one range. So it's not uncommon to see a particular bird only once in your garden, never to be seen again, for whatever reason. Aside from the proper physical characteristics of a birdhouse, the most important consideration for attracting birds is proper environment that includes shelter, food and water. Water can be provided in a variety ways, with a birdbath being the most common. Food can come from commercial sources, or be provided in nature by way of plants, shrubs or trees that exist, or can be planted in your garden. Another nice feature for attracting nesting birds is to provide them with nest-building materials. Twigs, plant stems, fibers, grass, bark, feathers moss, pine needles, cotton, string, yarn and even strips of cellophane are all of interest to the avian architect. It's even been reported that titmice have pulled human hair right off a person's head to build a nest, so you might want to keep your hat on. With so many natural sources for food available, you may ask the question why is it so important in attracting nesting birds? Fair enough but consider this; baby birds can eat up to 1 and 1-1/2 times their weight each day. With several little mouths to feed, the daily requirement for adult birds to provide, with all the comings and goings, is an exhausting task. With a food source nearby it makes the task that much easier. Okay, so you have provided food, water and shelter, when can you expect the first bird to nest in your birdhouse? Well, I forgot to mention one thing - patience. It may take several seasons before birds find your house or feel secure using it. On the other hand it could happen the first season out. Then too, you could just be lucky, like my sister, who put the birdhouse I gave her in the worst possible location; didn't provide food or water; didn't set out nesting materials, and you guessed it, she had a nester within a week. Which goes to show, birds are unpredictable. However, don't dismay. Birds not only use birdhouses to breed, they also use them to roost on cold nights, so who knows what service you might be providing.
I'm sure you've seen books with lists of birds that will nest in your birdhouse, and you'll find one here as well. But what about these birds, and why do they use nesting boxes, while others don't? Hold on now, one thing at a time. First of all, not all birds use birdhouses, because they all don't all nest the same way. In North America there are approximately 650 known species of birds. Out of that number only 85 build nests in natural cavities, and even fewer will actually use a birdhouse. The ones that will use birdhouses are known as secondary cavity nesters because they will use holes made by other birds, or those found in nature by way of dead or decaying trees known as snags. Primary cavity nesters are capable of making their own holes and normally excavate a new one with every breeding season. It's the secondary cavity nesters that are also known to use man-made birdhouses, and therefore the focus of our attention. Not to confuse you, but other species are known as open nesters, and as the name implies may build their nests on the ground, in bushes or in trees. You won't attract open nesters to your birdhouse but you certainly can attract them to your garden or yard. Birds that use cavities have different physical and behavioral needs distinct from open nesters. Cavity nesters have strong feet to cling to vertical surfaces of trees or nesting boxes, and an innate inclination to enter and explore small, dark spaces. An open nester, like a robin, won't venture into a small, dark hole. Even though only a small percentage of known birds use birdhouses, we provide them for good reason. Studies have shown that 60 to 80% of birds bred in birdhouses will fledge at least one offspring, as opposed to open nests that have only a 20 to 40% survival rate. As pointed out earlier, another good reason is the short supply of available nesting accommodations. During mating season good shelter is becoming harder to find. The once inviting nooks and crannies of old trees are becoming extinct, as forests are being cleared of dead trees because they don't look so neat, or being harvested early for maximum profit. In urban environments and private gardens, dead trees are seldom left standing and dead limbs are often pruned. We seem to have a real fetish for neatness. There is enough evidence from wildlife biologists and ornithologists that a scarcity of natural cavities for nesting birds exists, and to meet the rising need birdhouse placement programs have been initiated to meet the shortage and to track the breeding habits of birds, particularly bluebirds. My wife and I are part of such a program in our area and there is nothing more rewarding then to open a nesting box and find eggs, or see the stretched out mouths of hungry nesters.
Once you start, you may be inclined to start plunking birdhouses all over the place, so let me give you a couple of tips.
· Do not to erect a Purple Martin house unless you are sure there are martins in your area, otherwise it will most likely become filled with House Sparrows.
· In general, most gardens or yards will support different species; for example, one pair of chickadees, and one pair of flickers, or a pair of robins. · Each species will keep others of its own kind out of its territory, but will not usually be bothered by a different species.
· You might want to place several different sizes and types of houses around your garden in an effort to attract a variety of nesting birds.
You won't believe the pleasure of owning a birdhouse and appreciating your new
avian neighbors.
