Nesting Materials for Backyard Birds

This is an item that we completely love and one a backyard bird watcher can appreciate. A beautiful door wreath made out of bird nesting materials. Not only can you use it to decorate your front door, but birds can land on it and take some of the fluff use it to build their nests. The wreath is very attractive with it’s earthy colors and is made out of all natural materials which are safe for birds. The nesting wreath is made from feathers, cotton, hemp and aspen fiber and it is so soft! We are really taken by the idea of having a bit of living art in the yard with birds landing at our very door. If you are going to decorate the outdoors, why not make it green and part of the overall wildlife habitat? It’s a great gift for that bird watcher on your gift giving list who has everything or just for yourself. The feather your wreath is one of those small items that you don’t need but is sure nice to spoil yourself with! Find out about the Feather Your Nest Wreath or visit our page of backyard bird nesting materials for an assortment of nest building helpers.

Red Bellied Woodpeckers are great backyard guests and a happy sight for the wild bird watcher. They will easily visit bird feeding stations and garden habitats. A red bellied woodpecker will frequent a yard for suet as well as black oil sunflower seed, and seem to be able to manage to access a wide variety of bird feeder designs.

Range and Habitat:
The red-bellied woodpecker may be found in nearly all of the eastern United States, with the exception of for northern New England. Birds in the northern most part of the range might migrate in the wintertime. The red-bellied woodpecker can be found in exposed and swampy forests. Red-bellied Woodpecker is found in open and swampy woodlands. It prefers forests, swamps or wooded suburban habitats below 600 meters elevation, but can be found at up to 900 meters in mountains. In the winter, birds in the northern most areas of their range may move south. Their breeding habitat is commonly deciduous forests in southern Canada and the northeastern United States, although they may roam as far south as Florida and as far west as Texas.

Food:
The red-bellied woodpecker consumes beetles, flies, grasshoppers,caterpillars, ants, beetle larvae and other insects. It also eats acorns, tree sap, beechnuts and fruits.They can also consume frogs, fish, nestlings and eggs. It applies its bill to dig for insects in trees and stumps. The red-bellied woodpecker occasionally stores food in a tree cavity. In the winter, the red-bellied woodpecker’s diet consists primarily of seeds and it can often be seen frequently at backyard bird feeders.

Attracting to Backyard Bird Feeders

Red bellied woodpeckers are common guests to backyard bird feeding stations. In our yard we have seen them most frequently on our double tail prop suet feeder, including having the male on one side and the female on the other:

Tail Prop Suet Feeder

This is only one style of suet feeder, there are may you can shop for at Wild Bird Suet Feeders. The red bellied wood[ecker’s preference in suet flavors has been peanut and peanut butter suet, but we have also watched them eat a lot of berry and fruit flavored suets.

In our backyard, their second favorite bird feeder is an open platform tray with black oil sunflower seeds. Now, we have our platform tray feeder mounted on a pole and not hanging. It is the same feeder shown below and we absolutely can’t say enough good about it. It’s made from recycled plastic, cleans very easily and the mesh is small enough to handle millet. This style feeder is highly visible to birds and goes a long way to attract new birds species to a yard.

Recycled Plastic Tray Feeder

A note on this feeder: ours is mounted on a pole. We used a threaded pipe flange and mounted it on a threaded pipe we purchased in the plumbing department of a hardware store. The recycled feeder itself has a bar on the underside which is not visible in the picture - it’s covered with seed - however, you can use this bar to screw a flange in for pole mounting. BUT! The manufacturer of this wonderful feeder offers a Manufacturer’s Lifetime Guarantee for good reason. These feeders last! However, due to the fact that it is designed as a hanging feeder we likely gave up our Manufacturer’s Lifetime Guarantee by drilling extra holes in it. So don’t take our advice on this one. Ours is used as a pole mounted platform feeder set aside from our smaller songbird feeders in order to give jays, doves, grackle invasions, etc a separate feeding area. We needed it to be solid due to the application and it can get pretty loaded with birds! We’re extremely happy with it our way but it’s a wonderful hanging feeder as it was made to be, and red bellied woodpeckers can land on it easily when it is mounted by hanging.

There is a similar wooden tray feeder available which is made to post mount:

Wooden Tray Hang or Post Mount Feeder

Shop for a wider assortment of platform feeders here: Platform Bird Feeders

Back to red bellied woodpeckers. They also like our shelled peanut feeder hand make us laugh since they don’t cling to the side mesh but instead cling to the tray, It all looks rather awkward but the woodpeckers seem quite happy. The titmice aren’t so pleased when their peanut feeder tilts with the weight of the woodpecker!

Mesh Peanut Feeder with Tray

Nesting:
Both parents select the nest site and excavate the cavity. Nest are hollowed in dead trees or branches with the cavity lined with wood chips. They nest in the decomposed cavities of dead and dying trees, old stumps, or in live trees that have soft wood such as elms, maples, or willows. Female lays 3 to 8 smooth and glossy white eggs. Incubation lasts approximately 12 to 14 days, Young are fed by both parents and begin to fledge at about 24 to 27 days old. They remain close to the nest for few days more, and then they follow their parents foraging. They are fed by their parents for up to 10 weeks. At the end of this period, parent birds will drive them away. Young may breed the next spring. This species may occasionally produce two clutches per season, but generally they raise a single brood. House and box height placement from ground in feet: 12-20.

Red Bellied Woodpecker House

Any tips or advice?
We’ve decided to try comments and hope the spam does not kill us…so…Please let us know if you have red-bellied visitors in your personal habitat. Leave a comment and give other visitors who may be trying to attract these wonderful birds a tip. Tell us what they eat, and if you have had any nesting experience, we’d very much love to hear about it!

A simple bluebird box. Other wild birds who can nest in this box are: Eastern Bluebirds, western bluebirds, chickadees (black capped, Carolina, chestnut backed & mountain), house finch, flycatchers (ash throated, great crested), nuthatches (white breasted, red breasted), Sparrow (house), Swallows (violet green, tree), titmice (tufted, plain), yellow bellied sapsucker, wren (Carolina, Becwiks, house), warbler prothontary. We call it a bluebird box, but it’s a great all around box.

This is the main size birdhouse we put up. While it’s designed for a bluebird, it’s suitable for such a variety of cavity nesting birds that we consider it our standard smaller species bird box. You can drive yourself dingy with trying to figure out the perfect dimensions for each species. If you start trying to build a very specific house for each bird species, they’ll do what they want anyway and some birds who may have otherwise been attracted to houses in your yard may get left out.

For example: a chickadee or a titmouse can live in the box size included in these plans. However, a chickadee can also nest in a smaller box with a smaller entrance hole, but a titmouse can not. So you go ahead and build a small house with chickadees in mind, and a second larger house with titmice in mind. Then the chickadee decides your best laid plans are your plans, not his, and moves into the titmouse box and not the special one you built just for chickadees.* The titmouse can not fit in the smaller hole of the chickadee box you built, so is left to find a different place to nest.

Meanwhile, with the chickadee happily settled into your titmouse house, the chickadee gets territorial during breeding season. This is about March-July and they have a territory of around 10 acres. They will not allow another chickadee couple to nest in their area, therefore another chickadee couple will not be using the smaller special box that is still empty. However, they will let a titmouse (a titmouse has a 2-5 acre territory, breeds March-July) nest in their territory, or a nuthatch, or other species. Breeding chickadees primarily care about other chickadees. If you build two boxes which will suit either a chickadee or a titmouse, you have a better chance of attracting each to nest on your property.

So, we put up several boxes in this size to accommodate a wider variety of birds and to avoid confusing ourselves with dimension mathematics since really, that’s a topic with a million human opinions and the birds aren’t talking. We’ve had great luck with this size house for Eastern bluebirds, chickadees, titmouse, Carolina wrens and red breasted and white breasted nuthatch. All have nested in one of these on our property.

*in reality what happens is some industrious little wren comes along and builds a house in both. And then builds a nest in your garage just in case.

Plans here! click image for larger

WOOD: We recommend a rough textured cedar for these plans. It weathers well and has a texture that is easy for the birds to cling to. This helps the babies when it’s time to fledge - the have better grip when trying to crawl out of the nest. Also, cedar does not have to be painted. Do not paint bird houses. Paint isn’t good for them and natural is more attractive to the birds. Do not put a perch on the box - the birds do not need it, and it only helps potential predators to get to the entrance and to the nestlings.

MOUNTING: This set of bird house plans may be post or pole mounted, or attached to a tree. To pole mount, one choice is to use plumbing pipe straps on the back to attach a pole to the back of the house. Pipe straps are very inexpensive and you can use a non-threaded pole this way. Don’t bother with the PVC style - they can be a pain in the buns and break.

A second method of pole mounting is to use a female threaded conduit pipe flange on the bottom of the box and a threaded pole. Galvanized threaded poles are available in hardware stores inexpensively - check the plumbing and conduit departments.

The bluebird house in these plans may also be mounted to a tree.

ACCESS Method One: Here are two methods for providing a way to open your bluebird box. Below is an illustration of the first method using piano hinges on the inside. This is a bit more difficult than the second method as you have to chisel a space where the hinges attach to the panels in order to recess the hinge into the wood. A nail or dresser hook in the front can be used as a fastener to keep the door panel closed, and a slightly protruding screw on the side acts as a doorknob. Why we like this method is because we feel that it is the safest for the babies - when you open the box, there is less danger of the babies falling out or disturbing the nest in any way.

ACCESS method two: The second method is easier. Please note that the birdhouse pictured is a front opening box, but the same thing can be done on the side.

This one is simple. A small. 1/4″ gap is left between the roof line and top of opening door side panel, and the sides screwed in from the top only. A dresser hook is used on the bottom front as a fastener to keep the access door closed. When you open the access door, simply remove the dresser hook and the door swings upward, which pivot on the top screws.

In the picture below, the block on the front interior is a small block of cedar which we have scored to help nestlings climb out of the box when it is time to fledge. This feature is optional - if you use a rough cedar, they should have enough grip. We add them because maybe it helps the birds and it’s a quick, simple step.

Notes: The predator guard on the front of both bluebird houses pictured are 3/4″ blocks with a metal ring around it to help keep squirrels from chewing the opening and to help keep squirrels or raccoons from reaching into the house to get nestlings or eggs. The metal ring can be purchased at a local wild bird watcher’s supply. We do recommend adding these.

So far this season, both of the houses in the photos have been inspected by a chickadee couple and an eastern bluebird couple. It’s early February and they are just house hunting, but during the season we will post updates on how successful various boxes are. Both the chickadees and bluebirds spent quality time checking out the potential homes, going inside repeatedly. They are placed on the edge of a woods with low shrubs and tree branches nearby for perching, at a height of about 5 feet off the ground. One box is on a tree and one pole mounted.

And as we tend to do, we encourage you to participate in NestWatch Birdhouse Network should you put up a bird house, or if you have wild birds building nests that you can keep an eye on.

This style bird house is classically called a wren house, but other smaller species can use it as well. Chickadees and titmice are two birds besides wrens who may pick this house to nest in. Often the problem with this bird house style is the size: usually they are not big enough on the interior and deep enough for birds to build a nest in. Make certain that a wren house is at least 6″ on each side with an entrance hole at least 5 1/2″ from the bottom of the house.

GET THE PLANS! click image for larger

An option for a circular hole as the front entrance is to cut out the top corner where the birds may enter. Advantages of this are: It is easier to cut the triangle out than drill a circular hole. A circle as the entrance needs to be so close to the top of the front panel that you risk splitting the wood.

If you use a triangle cut-out entrance and the wren house is going to be hung, an overhead baffle should be used since it is too easy for predators to access. Clear hanging baffles are available in dome shapes. On houses with circular holes, you can add a 3/4″ thick wood hole extender and metal ring around the entrance to offer some protection , but on the triangle shape you may not.

MOUNTING: This wren style bird house may be hung or post mounted. Post mounting is safest for the birds!!! To post mount, screw a 3/4 to 1″ thick board to the back of the house, just under the roof line and extending at least 10″ below the house to use as a mounting bracket. You may then screw the mounting bracket board into a post. This is more difficult than hanging as you will have to screw the top of the mounting bracket from the interior of the house.

We personally hang this style bird house by using an eye hook in the front panel and the back panel and suspending by a chain but we go the extra distance to tie it down securely. PLEASE BE AWARE: if you hang this house, you must must must make sure that it is secure and does not blow around much. A wind or storm will shake the daylights out of it, break eggs and harm birds. ANOTHER WIRE can be used to anchor the house from the back to another stabilizing mount such as a tree or even the ground if needed. We ALWAYS anchor these with a second chain or wire.

ACCESS: We have found that the easiest access method for a hanging wren house is to hinge the roof. This is done with a hinge attaching one roof panel to the side of the box, and a hook and eye on the back exterior of the house to secure it closed, OR a dresser hook pin drilled through the roof into the back side edge as a fastener. Please refer to the photo - it is worth a thousand words and all that. A piano hinge may be used on the interior, but remember that there is a 1/4″ ventilation gap between the side of the house and roof line. Ventilation holes may also be drilled in the back. A bird house needs drainage - Drain holes may be drilled in the bottom sides, 1/4″. In the case of the photo, the bottom is not a perfect fit as the board was slightly warped so these holes are not needed. There is a small gap in the bottom seam.

We have seen wren house plans where the access is on the sides, with a side panel that removes to open, but this does not wok out too well for monitoring nests. If there are babies in a nest, they should be checked on, and you can not remove the

side without disturbing the nest itself. The nest is built on the sides of the box.

Notes: the metal ring at the opening was purchased at a local wild bird watcher supply. It is now January here and the birds are just checking boxes but not actively nesting. In a few weeks we will hang this house under a clear dome baffle (we have snakes) and hang it by a more decorative chain, but for right now, this give the birds the opportunity to house hunt. After a couple of seasons the cedar will age and blend well with it’s surroundings.

It has been up a week and the chickadees and titmice have inspected it, and ironically, an Eastern bluebird couple. The bluebirds spent a lot of time on it, going inside over and again, along with checking out the surrounding area. This particular bluebird couple also looked at the other bird houses in our yard but seemed to like the wren house style best. Our other bird houses the bluebird couple inspected are designed to be specifically suited for bluebirds. Of course at this time it’s just inspecting potential homes, not nesting, but we’d think it would be amusing if they did decide to nest in a wren house and ignore the bluebird houses.

Our Carolina Wren couple hasn’t look at it yet that we know of - but they are battling us for our grill which they really are very determined to move into.

If you build a bird house, buy a bird house, or just have wild birds nesting on your property, please consider participating in NestWatch Birdhouse Network!

LATER NOTE: we had Carolina chickadees successfully nest and raise a family in this box.

Here is a super easy set of bird house nesting platform plans. This one has no roof which is fairly natural for the birds. If mounted under eaves and on the non-weather side of a building, the nestings will be given some weather protection.

We build bird houses out of cedar. It’s a personal preference on our part - other untreated wood such as white pine may also be used, but pine requires painting. Cedar is very durable and weather resistant, and also more bug resistant than other woods. It will last for years and many birds will be able to raise their young without having to re-paint.

Birds who may use a nesting shelf are: American robins, Eastern phoebe, black phoebe, Says phoebe and barn swallows. Other species do occasionally make use of shelves.

Holes can be drilled through the back to allow for mounting.

click on image for larger picture

Nesting shelf platforms may appeal to a few species of wild birds which do not nest in cavities. This can include American robins, Eastern phoebe, black phoebe, Says phoebe and barn swallows. Of these, the American robin is most likely to use a shelf.

Wood: We always use cedar for building bird houses. It does not need to be painted, wears very well and has a rough surface which is easy for birds feet to grip. As cedar weathers, it turns a beautiful color which blends well with natural surroundings.

Placement: Place nesting shelf platforms under eaves of buildings in an area not well traveled by humans. Place facing away from the direction wind and weather blows in from. Another option is to place in low growing shrubs. A short pole is perfect for this - about 3 - 5 ft tall.

Options: Feel free to leave the roof off of a nesting shelf you build! It may be more appealing to the birds without a roof as it would be more natural. Experiment! Build two!

click on image for larger version

Bluebird boxes should be mounted 4-15 feet from the ground. Wee have found a height of 5 feet to be perfect - this allows for us to easily reach the box for monitoring and nesting, plus it seems to make the bluebirds quite happy.

Face your birdhouse front away from the weather side of your yard to avoid rain angling in during storms.

Bluebird houses may be kept up year round. Bluebirds seem to always be checking for homes! In winter, birds will use houses to roost in, and bluebird parents begin the search for a nest site as early as February in southern states.

Bird houses made just for bluebirds help provide nesting sites for them is one of the surest ways to attract bluebirds to your garden. While these beautiful birds may not be interested in regular bird seed offered at feeders, they need cavity nesting sites and may be encouraged to nest in your personal wildlife refuge. Bluebirds have lost much of their natural habitat through land clearing and with the introduction of non native birds who compete for the same nesting sites, so including a bluebird box in your habitat will help conservation efforts.

Always clean out your bluebird box as soon as the babies fledge. Remove the used nest and clean out all debris, then was and scrub with warm, soapy water. Rinse thoroughly! The nest should be removed. You don’t want a pile of nest on top of nests building up. They can harbor parasites and disease. Also this pile can bring the level up to where predatory animals could reach the babies and eggs. Also if it is the first or second family the female may have started a nest somewhere else, and if another pair sees a nest there they may think the bluebird box is already occupied.

Bird House Dimensions Chart

If you have any woodworking skills or know anyone with woodworking skills who you can talk into building bird houses (Mom, that means you) - we encourage you to do so! Buying a birdhouse is a great idea and many are very well made, but there is also no reason at all not to make your own. If you have some land with a field or the like, setting out a row of bluebird boxes for example can get costly. We have both purchased and build bird houses.
Our object here is to help you build a straight, practical bird house which will actually be used by wild birds. We have provided a list of dimensions to use with various species of north American cavity and shelf nesting birds.
Check with our Bird House Building or Buying page for basic advice, but here are a few more tips for building:
Wood Type: We use untreated cedar. It weathers well, looks natural as it weathers to the birds and offers some predator protection due to it’s more natural look. and we like the rougher texture which helps baby birds get a foothold when climbing out of the box for the first time. Pine may also be used but keep in mind that yellow pine often has pitch or resin pockets, so consider white pine.
For pole mounted bird house, use a squirrel/predator guard. Squirrel, rats, snakes and other critters will climb poles and eat eggs or baby birds. If you are building several bird houses, some metal flashing in a cone shape around the pole often does the trick. We have tried this on houses with success.
A good idea is to put a metal ring around entrance holes. Squirrels will instantly chew the daylights out of your bird house entrance hole and customize it for themselves. There are specialty bird house metal rings for sale which are specifically for woodworkers building boxes, but we have also had good luck finding metal rings in the plumbing department of the hardware store. The metal ring will keep a squirrel from chewing the wood on the side of the entrance hole.

CAVITY NESTING BIRDS - will use classic bird house

                                  Entrance             Placement
                Box      Box      height                above
                interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species      inches   inches   inches     inches     feet
   =============================================================
   Eastern & Western
   Bluebird      4×4-5×5   8-12     6-10     1-1/2      4-6
   ————————————————————-
   Mountain
   Bluebird   5-1/2×5-1/2  8-12     6-10     1-9/16     4-6
   ————————————————————-
   Chickadees
   Black Capped,
   Boreal
   Carolina      4×4-5×5   8-10     6-8     1-1/8 to 1-1/2   4-15
   ————————————————————-
   Titmice       4×4-5×5   10-12    6-8     1-3/8 to 1-1/2   5-15
   ————————————————————-
   Flycatcher
   Ash-throated  5×5-6×6  8-12      6-10    1-1/2 to 2-1/2   5-15
   ————————————————————-
   Flycatcher
   Great
   Crested       5×5-6×6   8-12     6-10    1-1/2 to 2-1/2   5-15
   ————————————————————-
   Nuthatch - Brown
   headed, Pygmy and
   Red & white
   Breasted      4×4-5×5  8-10      6-8     1-1/8 to 1-1/2   5-15
   ————————————————————-
   Warbler
   Prothonotary  4×4-5×5  9-12      4-5     1-1/4 to 1-1/2   4-8
   ————————————————————-
   Purple
   Martin        6×6        6       1-2     2-1/4            6-20
   ————————————————————-
   Swallows
   Tree and
   Violet Green  4×4-5×5     9-12   4-6     1-1/4 to 1-1/2   5-15
   ————————————————————-
   Wrens
   Bewick’s &
   House         4×4-5×5     9-12   6-8     1-1/4 to 1-1/2   5-10
   ————————————————————-
   Wren
   Carolina      4×4-5×5     9-12   6-8     1-1/2      5-10
   ————————————————————-

  OWLS:

                                   Entrance              Placement
                 Box      Box      height                above
                 interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                 floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species       inches   inches   inches     inches     feet
   =============================================================

   Barred Owls   13×15    15-18       4          6       12-18
   ————————————————————-

   Barn Owls                 16       4          8
   ————————————————————-
   Screech
   Owls and
   Kestrel       8×8      12-15     9-12          3      10-30
   ————————————————————-
   Saw-
   Whet Owl      6×6     10-12     8-10       2 1/2      12-20
   ————————————————————-

  WOODPECKERS:

                                   Entrance              Placement
                 Box      Box      height                above
                 interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                 floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species       inches   inches   inches     inches     feet

   =============================================================
   Downy
   Woodpecker    3×3-4×4  8-10     6-8      1-1/4 to 1-1/2    5-15
   ————————————————————-
   Golden Fronted
   Woodpecker    6×6      12-15    9-12     1-3/4 to 2-3/4    12-20
   ————————————————————-
   Hairy
   Woodpecker    5×5-6×6  12-15     9-12    1-3/4 to 2-3/4    8-20
   ————————————————————-
   Lewis’s
   Woodpecker    7×7     16-18    14-16     2-1/2     12-20
   ————————————————————-
   Northern/
   Common
   Flicker       6×6-8×8 16-18    14-16     2-3      6-20
   ————————————————————-
   Pileated
   Woodpecker    8×8    16-24    12-20      3-4      15-25
   ————————————————————-
   Red Bellied
   Woodpecker    5×5-6×6  12-15  9-12    1-3/4 to 2-3/4   12-20
   ————————————————————-
   Red Headed
   Woodpecker    5×5-6×6  12-15  9-12   1-3/4 to 2-3/4    10-20
   ————————————————————-
   Yellow
   Bellied
   Sapsucker     5×5    12-15   9-12    1-1/2     10-20
   ————————————————————-

  DUCKS:

                                   Entrance              Placement
                 Box      Box      height                above
                 interior height/  above      Entrance   ground
                 floor    depth    floor      diameter   height
   Species       inches   inches   inches     inches     feet
   =============================================================
   Black-Bellied          22 front
   Whistling     11×11   -20 rear               5
   ————————————————————-
   Wood Ducks    10×18   10-24    12-16         4       10-20
   ————————————————————-
   Bufflehead    7 dia.     16              2 7/8
   ————————————————————-
   Common                                   3 1/2 x
   Goldeneye     12×12      24              4 1/2
   ————————————————————-
   Common
   Merganser     11×11      34      20        4 3/4
   ————————————————————-

  SHELF NESTING BIRDS:

                                   Placement
                 Box      Box      above
                 interior height/  ground
                 floor    depth    height
   Species       inches   inches   feet   

   ===============================================                  

   American
   Robin         7×8        8      6-15
   ————————————————

   Barn
   Swallow       6×6        6      8-12
   ————————————————
   Doves,
   Rock          12×12      9      12-15
   ————————————————
   Phoebes       6×6        6      8-12
   ————————————————
   Swallow,
   Barn          6×6        6      8-12
   ————————————————
   Osprey       48×48 platform     OPEN ALL SIDES
   ————————————————
   Red tailed
   Hawk &
   Great
   Horned Owl    24×24 platform    OPEN ALL SIDES
   ————————————————-

If you build a box and have luck with it, please leave a comment with the sizes. This will help the next person! Our birds here never seem to read these charts when picking out a home but instead nest in boxes made for vastly different species, like our titmice who decided to nest in a screech owl box. We thank you!