For the Birds by Carline

 

Spring is finally here!  I have been looking forward to warmer temperatures, the budding trees, shrubs and flowers.  I also really look forward to watching the birds in my yard as they build their nests and raise their families. 

Over the years, my husband and I have put up several types of bird houses and have been lucky a few times when birds have actually nested in them.  Mostly though, we have had birds build nests in our hanging ferns, in the large hosta pots on the front porch, in various types of hanging flower pots, and even in a woodpile!  This has created somewhat of a problem because when we go in and out of the house we usually scare the “mamas” off the nest.  Fortunately, they come right back and we have enjoyed watching the nesting, hatching, feeding and fledging process!

This year we decided to try to build some bird houses ourselves and place them around the yard in out-of-the-way places.  I found a wonderful book at the library, “Bird-Friendly Nest Boxes and Feeders” by Paul Meisel, that is full of different kinds of nest boxes and feeders for a variety of birds, along with detailed diagrams on how to build them.  There is also useful information on feeding habits, ranges, etc.

There are quite a number of books about building bird houses and feeders available at the library.  “The Big Book of Bird Houses & Bird Feeders” by Thom Boswell, Bruce Woods and David Schoonmaker is all about unique, whimsical type houses and feeders with building instructions; “The Backyard Bird Feeder’s BIBLE, the A-To-Z guide to feeders, seed mixes, projects and treats” by Sally Roth is another very informative book.  Most books on this subject can be found in the 500-700’s at the library.

If you love watching birds and listening to their beautiful songs, try putting up nest boxes, feeders and birdbaths.  This will attract birds to your yard and you can have hours of enjoyment watching and learning!