Bird House Placement
Before putting up your bird house it is very important that you consider the needs and preferences of the birds that you want to occupy it.
Habitat is Important for Nest Box Placement
Nest box placement is just as important as the design and construction of the box itself.
Birds that nest in cavities like a box are real picky about where they will live. If they do not think it is in a safe place they will not move in and who would blame them. Also if the habitat in the area near the box is not right they will stay away.
However perfect you might think that the nest box is, if you do not locate it in the right habitat the cavity nesting birds may have trouble finding it and if they don’t like where it is they will not move in!
Some birds like a robin, titmouse, wren, or chickadee are quite easy to attract, but it is unlikely that everyone will have the right habitat for a wood duck, purple martin, or even perhaps a screech owl.
So if you have put up what you think is the perfect nesting box and it has been up for a while but nothing is happening then you need to determine what is wrong.
It may be that you don't have the right habitat, or it might be where you put the box.
There is actually a lot of things you can do you can do to modify and improve the habitat in your yard to attract the birds you want. It can be as simple as installing a bird bath or as could be as complicated as planting several fruit trees or shrubs or going one further and installing a pond and maybe a waterfall.
What to Consider when Hanging a Bird House
However it is so much easier to try and identify the birds most likely to visit to your yard as it is and put up the right nest box for those birds in the right place, unless of course it really is a bad bird habitat.
Your bird house nest box can be hung from a tree limb, nailed to a fence or mounted on a pole or even a tree trunk.
You need to know that there is a wide range between the highest and lowest positions at which you can put a nest box. If you can pick a height that is also convenient for you it makes access to the nest box a whole lot easier.
This will help you to watch what goes on and easily keep the box clean and maintained.
For instance if you wanted to watch chickadees from a second floor window or high patio then twelve feet might be good but it will be a lot easier for you to clean out the box if it located at eye level.
Tips on the Placement of Bird Houses
- All bird houses which are mounted on metal poles will be less vulnerable to predators than similar houses which have been nailed to tree trunks or hung from tree limbs.
- Do not use more than four small nest boxes for the same species or one large box in a single acre.
- Make sure there is at least 100 yards between different bluebird boxes and about 75 yards between any swallow boxes.
- If you have bluebirds nest boxes and swallow bird houses you can pair the swallow houses with a bluebird box about 25 feet from the swallow box. Keep all pairs at least 100 yards away from any other pair.
- Do not put any bird houses or nest boxes any where near a bird feeder.
- Do not put more than one box in the same tree for the same species.
- If a tree is extremely large you could put up 2 boxes but the must be for different species.
- If you live in area with very hot summers you must make sure that the entrance holes face north or east to avoid overheating the box from sun light shining in through the hole. If possible put the box in a position where it is shaded by foliage etc.
