Birdhouse Placement
This page provides useful tips for placing your nest boxes.
When to place birdhouses
Make sure your
birdhouses are in place well before the breeding season begins. Don’t be
discouraged if the birds do not begin nesting in your box immediately; sometimes
it takes time for the birds to find it.
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In the south, place your birdhouses by
February.
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In northern regions, place your birdhouses
by mid to late March
Where to place birdhouses
Because different
species of birds prefer different kinds of nesting habitat, the habitat
surrounding your box will play a role in determining which species will nest in
it. You may be limited in the habitat you have available. Refer to the habitat requirements page for more
information.
Nest boxes for bluebirds should be
placed in open habitat.
If you are looking to attract a variety of species to
your nest boxes and have ample room, you might consider pairing your boxes. This
involves placing boxes in pairs on poles 15 to 25 feet apart; or you can put two
boxes, back to back, on a single pole. Birds such as Tree Swallows and bluebirds
will nest closely to one another, although conspecifics will be driven away.
Pairing boxes has the advantage of allowing more birds of both species to
coexist peacefully within the same habitat.
A word of caution: Golf courses, cultivated fields, gardens, and
yards are potentially good habitats for nest boxes, but avoid areas
where pesticides and herbicides are used. These agents are not only
harmful to birds, they decrease and sometimes eliminate insect
populations—the primary food source for many cavity-nesting
species.
How to place your birdhouse
Whichever method you
choose to erect your boxes, be sure your box is secure enough to withstand high
winds and severe weather.
The best way to erect small nest boxes is
on free-standing metal poles or PVC pipes. These pipes or poles offer several
advantages:
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