Bird Houses
You can build your own bird house using some very simple materials. Pine works well. The size of the opening is critical. Make it too large and you may not attract the birds you want!
It is best not to paint your bird house. But if you do, make it a light color so the nest does not get too hot. Drill small holes in the bottom to let water drain out.
Over 50 species of birds have nested in man-made bird houses. A few more, like Robins and Osprey, will nest on man-made platforms. Here are some of the birds that may nest in your new Bird House:
Black-bellied Whistling-Duck
Wood Duck
Common Goldeneye
Barrow's Goldeneye
Bufflehead
Hooded Merganser
Common Merganser
American Kestrel
Barn Owl
Eastern Screech-Owl
Western Screech-Owl
Barred Owl
Boreal Owl
Northern Saw-whet Owl
Red-headed Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Red-bellied Woodpecker
Golden-fronted Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Hairy Woodpecker
Northern Flicker
Guilded Flicker
Ash-throated Flycatcher
Great Crested Flycatcher
Purple Martin
Tree Swallow
Violet-green Swallow
Black-capped Chickadee
Carolina Chickadee
Mexican Chickadee
Mountain Chickadee
Boreal Chickadee
Chestnut-backed Chickadee
Bridled Titmouse
Plain Titmouse
Tufted Titmouse
Red-breasted Nuthatch
White-breasted Nuthatch
Brown-headed Nuthatch
Pygmy Nuthatch
Carolina Wren
Bewick's Wren
House Wren
Eastern Bluebird
Mountain Bluebird
Western Bluebird
European Starling
Prothonotary Warbler
House Finch
House Sparrow
Eurasian Tree Sparrow
Question: Which direction should the front of a wren house face? Also, should the house be mounted in a fixed position or can it hang from a tree limb? I've been trying for a long time to get wrens to nest near my house but I'm not having any luck. I live in Michigan. Hope you will be able to help me.Thank you. ---Gay
Answer: Bird houses should face away from the prevailing winds to prevent rain from blowing in. You might want your wren house to point east, since most bad weather in your area comes from the west. Wrens seem to prefer houses hanging from a tree limb. They will be safer from predators than if you mount it in a fixed position.
Courtship and nest building begins around April 10th and may continue into early July. Wrens often have two broods per season. House Wrens are more likely to nest in your birdhouse than Carolina Wrens since you are at the northern edge of the Carolina Wren's range. Place the house 6 to 10 feet above ground. The entrance hole should be 1 1/8 inches in diameter (1 1/2 inches for Carolina Wrens) and be 7 inches above the floor. Both Wrens prefer dense shrubs, vines and woodland edges. If you have a well-manicured lawn with no place to hide, you will not have much success in attracting Wrens. Wrens nest in tree holes, so leave dead trees standing to attract Wrens and other cavity nesting species.