By: Rylan Suehisa - Public Affairs Officer based out of Portland, OR

Often, when we think of spring migration, we might imagine more northern destinations being the objective for traveling birds. For birds such as chickadees, wrens and sparrows though, the Pacific Northwest is the final destination where these birds will settle down to build nests and raise young. If your yard has the materials and food resources, your bird-watching highlights could extend through the summer and into the fall.

And maybe you’re like me, sharpening your aesthetic sense and expanding your DIY knowledge through projects around the house. I’m paying more attention to my comfort with all this time at home and that sparks ideas. Do you also get to the bottom of your to-do list and wonder “What else can I do?” We can put all that bubbling DIY energy and attention to comfort towards installing houses for resident birds.

An icicle-laden birdhouse after winter rains in North Dakota.
Photo Credit: Krista Lundgren/USFWS

Here are several things to keep in mind as you get started. A link with all the specifics follows these general concepts.

Design with a specific bird in mind but be open to surprises

When it comes to birdhouses, there’s no such thing as “one size fits all.” You need to decide which bird you want to attract, then design a house for that particular bird. Don’t get too hung up over what happens though. It’s important to remember that nature and birds pay no mind to the rules that humans set. So don’t be surprised when you find tenants you never expected in a house you intended for someone else.

How elaborate you make your bird house depends on your personal sense of aesthetics. For the most part, all the birds care about is their safety and the right dimensions: box height, depth and floor, diameter of entrance hole, and height of hole above the box floor.

Placement is key

Where you put your bird house is as important as its design and construction. No matter how perfect your nest box, if you don’t have the right habitat, the birds aren’t likely to find it.

There’s lots you can do to modify your land to attract the birds you want to see. It can be as simple as putting out a bird feeder or as ambitious as re-landscaping your yard with native plants and fruit-bearing shrubs or installing a pond with a waterfall.

But it’s much easier just to identify the birds most likely to take to your backyard as it is and put the appropriate nest box in the right place.

Be an attentive and responsive landlord

Part of being a responsible bird house landlord is your willingness to watch out for your tenants. Bird houses should be easily accessible so you can see how your birds are doing and, when the time comes, clean out the house.

A Service employee inspects a birdhouse at Seatuck NWR. Credit: USFWS

Monitor your bird houses every week and evict unwelcome creatures: house sparrows, starlings, rodents, snakes, and insects. Proper box depth, roof, and entrance hole design will help minimize predator intrusions and harm to the birds within. Sometimes all it takes is an angled roof with a three-inch overhang to discourage access to mammals such as raccoons, cats and opossums .

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By putting up a birdhouse, you’re creating a safe and well-maintained place for birds, and you’re also creating exciting bird-watching opportunities for you and your household too. From the to-and-fro flitting of the Mama and Papa birds as a nest takes shape within, to the fledging of the absolutely adorable chicks preparing for migration, the summer into the fall will be a must-watch spectacle indeed. Now with these general ideas in mind, find all the in-depth information you need to get started on your own birdhouses here.

Tune in next week as we look at bird-watching and how this fast-growing hobby can help expand our knowledge of birds and the ways that they travel.