It's Bird House Time!

It seems we will have an early spring, and that means it is already bird house time.  I need to hurry and make sure all of my boxes are ready for the nesting season.  My "bird house time" routine is simple - first, I check each box to be sure it is still securely mounted and not likely to fall off soon.  This is particularly important for houses mounted on trees.  The tree's growth tends to push the bird house outward until it pops off the nails or screws.  Next, I pull out any old nesting material since I forgot to do it in the fall.  This will remove any parasites such as feather lice or blowfly larvae that may still be lurking there.  I usually take the extra precaution of using a garden hose to blast out any dried droppings and remaining nest residue.  Leaving the door open a while will allow the bird house to dry.

Make sure the bird houses are securely mounted, and make sure they are clean.  This is even easy enough for me to remember!  When I’m done, my bird houses are good to go.  Now it is up to the birds.

Even with this warm spell, it is still a little early for birds to actually start nesting -  but they are actively looking for that special place now.  This is also why February is a great time of year to add a new bird house to your yard or replace one that has seen better days.  The more nest boxes you have the more choices the birds have, and that makes your chances of having nesting birds in the yard that much better!