A few simple tips on how to properly hang a birdhouse

2024 Author: Sierra Becker | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-26 03:47

Everyone knows the phrase that it is necessary to take care of our smaller brothers. And in support of this topic, now it will be told about how to properly hang a birdhouse.

A bit of history

People did not always build houses for birds. So, birdhouses in the vastness of our country appeared only 300 years ago, in the 17th century. The idea of their creation was brought from Europe. However, there such houses were no longer built for birds, but for the townspeople themselves, who loved to feast on the meat of these birds. Therefore, every cook wanted to always have a couple of such birds and their eggs at hand for quick meat production and cooking. Birdhouses were brought to our lands during the reign of Peter I, who was very fond of all sorts of new and interesting things. With his light hand, the tradition of making houses for birds has been preserved to this day.

On the benefits of birds

Every living being on the planet is useful in some way. The same applies to starlings. For many, information will seem interesting that just one brood of starlings in just 5 days caneat a whole thousand May beetles (including their larvae) and other pests. So it’s good to install such houses in summer cottages to save your harvest with the help of these noble birds.

House material

Before you start to figure out how to properly hang a birdhouse, you need to say a few words about what the ideal home for these birds should be like. So, it’s good to take a birch for making a birdhouse, but other boards are also possible, not even necessarily new ones. It is important to say that it is strictly forbidden to make birdhouses from planks of coniferous trees, because they may contain resin, which is very harmful to birds. It is also better not to take any processed compressed wood, because glue can be toxic and harmful for birds. If outside the birdhouse is most likely polished (for beauty), then inside it should remain with the original bumps, so the birds will be much more comfortable living there.

Height

Finally got to the main question: how to hang a birdhouse. So, you need to correctly determine the height. If the bird house is located far from human eyes - in remote parks or closed gardens, it can be moved to a height of approximately 3-4 meters. And at what height to hang a birdhouse in residential areas? In this case, bird houses are usually suspended to a height of 4-5 meters. This is also important so that cats do not reach them, which at any moment are ready to feast on the meat of this bird. To protect the dwellings of birds from cats, they can be hung on a wire so that the housesswayed a little. So the animal does not dare to climb for prey. Another option: a plywood circle (or sheet material) can be attached to the base of the birdhouse, which, with all its dexterity, this animal is unlikely to overcome. It is also good to keep birds away from cats by hanging birdhouses far from thick tree branches.

How to tie

The next tip on how to properly hang a birdhouse: use soft wire for this. It can be aluminum or annealed steel. If there are none, a simple synthetic rope or cord may also work (it is important that they are of sufficient thickness). However, it must be remembered that it is strictly forbidden to nail a birdhouse with nails to a tree, especially in spring, when sap flows along the trunk. This will not only injure the plant, but will also prevent the house from being freely removed if it needs to be cleaned or relocated to another, more suitable place. Another nuance on how to properly hang a birdhouse: it should be placed slightly tilted forward (this will not be necessary if the house is made a little uneven, narrower at the bottom and slightly wider at the top). If the bird house is placed slightly tilted back, it will never be inhabited by birds, and it will simply be empty all the time.

Accommodation

The next tip is how to hang a birdhouse, or rather, in which direction the nest box should be directed. So, southeast is preferabledirection than northwest. And all because in this case, slanting rains will not be able to flood the house, ruining the home for birds. Also, it is better not to direct the letok towards the streets, paths along which people can walk, it will be more comfortable for the birds. If there are already birdhouses nearby, the next one should be placed no closer than 20 meters from it. For birds this will be enough. It is not recommended to hang several nests nearby, because these birds are territorial and do not like close proximity.

Painting

It should also be said that the initial painting of the birdhouse is very important. So, you need to do this in order to protect the boards from faster wear. However, the color for the bird house should be soft, calm. It is better to choose natural shades. Green and brown are good colors, which are very familiar to birds.

Check

Having figured out where to hang the birdhouse and how to do everything right, you also need to be able to monitor the dwelling of these birds. In autumn, it is important to check whether the bird family lived there. If not, and this happened once, it doesn’t matter, but if the starlings didn’t settle in the house for two years in a row, it needs to be outweighed, most likely, this is just an unfortunate place for nesting. From time to time, preferably in winter, starling houses need to be cleaned, because birds can fill them up to the entrance hole in just a couple of years. You just need to get rid of everything accumulated there. Indeed, birds often do not settle in old houses, because nest parasites can live there (they start inblades of grass and twigs, which are applied by birds during the period of their residence). Birds will again fly into empty houses in spring with pleasure. If there are certain gaps or holes in the birdhouse, a person does not need to close them up, the birds will do this much faster and better.