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Simple Bird House

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Simple Bird House

Sometimes all you want in your backyard is a simple bird house that is easy to install. Simple or extravagant, certain rules should be followed to ensure that your guests are as safe and comfortable as possible.

You should look for overhanging roofs and adequate drainage. This will keep the nest dry and also make it harder for predators to attack from above. To keep predators from attacking below, a predator guard should be installed around the opening. If your simple bird house is mounted on a pole, a raccoon baffle can prevent a raccoon, cat or possum from climbing up and into the bird house.

Make sure the simple bird house has adequate ventilation. Overheating can cause harm to the nestlings. For the same reason make sure that the bird house is either natural wood or painted white. Avoid dark colors, as these will raise the internal temperature.

When nesting season is over, you will want to be able to open the bird house and clean it out, ready for next year. A simple opening panel will be satisfactory. If you do not clean the nest out before the next season, you could be encouraging disease to spread.

If you are housing a wren, they do not mind a hanging birdhouse, but for nearly all other species, you should mount and secure the simple bird house. If you are housing a woodpecker or a chickadee, you will need to mount the box onto a tree. For other birds such as bluebirds, use a mounted bird house. When you mount the house make sure that you do so at least ten feet away from trees or fences.