Birds are a beautiful part of nature but with increased human population growth we are seeing less of them  in our gardens.

If you are a person that enjoys  a responsible closer encounter with birds.

Building a bird house, placing a bird feeder, knowing what to feed birds and placing plants in your garden can attract them back to our gardens.

We will also be looking at native birds of Australia and other countries as well as exotic birds.

Bird health help and more.

Hope you enjoy the following entries.

Birds are fun, interesting creatures with their extensive variety of colors, behaviors, songs and tweets that  entertain and delight us.

Fond childhood memories of my grandmother feeding the wild birds in the back yard of my home has only helped to deepen my appreciation of  all birds.

As an adult I find it pleasurable being in my garden with birds singing and fluttering around, they are great additions to any backyard.

Buying or building a bird house is an excellent way to attract them, thus greatly adding to your enjoyment of them.

If you decide to place a bird house in your yard consider that not all birds want to nest in bird houses. There are many different species of  birds and each have their  individual habitat preferences. Bird species such as cavity-dwellers are the species  probably most interested in bird shelters in your backyard, common cavity-dwellers are wrens, chickadees, bluebirds, and flickers. However these common cavity-dwellers also have their own specifications about the kind of house they like.  Before placing a bird house it is important to identify the species of bird you would like to attract and  then do research into what house measurements and feature issues are important for that species of  bird.  Birds are territorial animals so its best to just build or buy one bird house for your yard to minimize the risk of fighting.

•   First thing to do is distinguish which are the cavity-dwellers from the tree and burrow dwellers in the area you live.
•    Choose which one you would like to attract, then  focus your bird house design on it, determine the required dimensions of your chosen bird.
•    Dimensions of bird houses include entrance-hole, height, depth, and floor size and smaller birds such as wren and chickadees usually prefer 4×4 floor size and a reasonable 8″ depth. •    What your bird house is made of is just as important as dimensions. The best material you can use to construct a home for your birds is untreated wood and timber.
•   Why is it important to use untreated wood?
Natural wood not only mimicks the birds’ natural habitat but also minimizes risks of poisoning and overheating. Treated and processed wood like plywood contains preservatives like formaldehyde, which poses serious health hazards to birds. Timber that is classified as pressure-treated often contain toxic chemicals which can poison the nesting birds. Painted bird houses can also be a health hazard to birds, paint specks can be ingested by the bird as chips of paint are mistaken for food. Metals and plastics are not suitable for building avian shelters because they are both prone to overheating.
Location is also important when putting up a bird house. A bird house on top of a pole helps protect  the birds’ against the elements and predators as well as giving them privacy from other birds.
The roof design of your bird house is better to be a slanted roof to help protect against  rain, dirt, and moisture. Slanted roofs make it harder for these three things to collect on top and rot the wood. Another simple form of protection is to have the roof extend over the sides and front.
Drainage and ventilation  can be addressed by drilling  holes on the floor,  along the house’s walls, back and corners of the house to assist in draining water out in case of rain, water build up in the house can easily drown baby birds.
These holes must be smaller than the bird’s feet, but will allow heat to escape keeping the  house comfortably cool, while also providing water drainage.
A bird house is a useful and cute addition to your garden but also consider maintaining a clean house – a dirty house can be the cause of diseases in birds. A simple way to help with  maintaining cleanliness in the bird house is to add a backdoor to your house. The back door will allow you to easily remove droppings, dirt, sticks and unused nests and also make it easier to disinfect the vacated house so as to cut down the risk of diseases infecting other birds that nest in your house.

With these tips, you are on your way to designing and building your own bird houses that will bring you years of pleasure with your feathered friends.