WHEN: Early spring is the best time to get your bird houses up. You can also put them up before the snow hits in the fall. Chickadees will start courting as early as February and the females are looking for males with the best territory, which means a home and a large food supply.
WHERE: It varies by species, but you can place the houses in a sheltered area that won’t be preyed on by larger birds (crows, magpies, blue jays, ravens, etc.) and feral or household cats that are in the neighbourhood. Generally best to put feeders and houses a fair distance from each other (or else the birds won’t use the house due to intense competition and activity).
WHAT size for WHO:
The hole size is usually measured in inches. We carry a very wide selection of bird houses for:
Wrens = 1″ hole
Chickadees = 1.125 (1 1/8“) hole
Nuthatches (red-breasted) = 1.125 (1 1/8“) to 1.25 (1 1/4“) hole
Nuthatches (white-breasted) = 1.25 (1 1/4″) to 1.5 (1 1/2“) hole
Swallows = 1.5 (1 1/2″) inch hole (to keep sparrows out, go for a half moon shaped hole)
Bluebirds = 1 1/2″ to 1 9/16” hole
Purple Martins = generally condo style houses with average 2″ hole size
We also carry a couple of different purple martin houses (made from cedar or plastic). We also have Natural and Plastic Gourds that come as singles or with a gourd rack (to put on a pole). We also have the pole systems that would work with both the condo houses and the gourds.
We also carry Owl Boxes, Flicker Boxes, Squirrel Boxes, Duck Boxes and
Winter Roosting Boxes for species such as our resident Chickadees and Sparrows.
Bird Cameras!!
We also carry the latest and greatest in bird cameras. Set up a tiny bird cam right inside the nesting box OR use a motion activated camera to watch the comings and goings of the parents.
These cameras are also great for taking real close up shots of your birds at a feeder or birdbath!
