Have Some Pictures Of Your Birdie Oasis??

Email me them with your name and state your in.. Ill add them here :) monij26@yahoo.com

Make Your Own..

Free Bird House Plans Here One result of the increasingly popular interest in birds has been a definite movement to protect them and to concentrate them where they are especially desired. It is during the breeding period that birds are at their best, and people who love to see and hear them or who need their help in fighting insect pests are eager to offer inducements in the way of nesting sites to invite their presence at this season. The transformation of a primeval wilderness into cultivated land has modified the distribution of birds to a marked degree. Species originally peculiar to treeless regions follow the ax and become common where previously unknown. At the same time, water birds disappear from the sites of ancestral marshes when they are drained and turned into cornfields. Perhaps no group of birds has suffered greater disturbance by this process than those nesting in hollow trees. Forests have decreased to a small part of their former extent, and decaying trees suitable for occupancy by such birds are usually the first to be cut. From an economic point of view, hole-nesting birds rank exceptionally high, and there are strong grounds for the evident desire to keep them in the vicinity of homesteads. To accomplish this the practice arose of erecting houses for the use of the more familiar species. Gradually, as the nesting requirements of other birds have become better understood, the number of species occupying bird houses has increased. This website contains instructions on how to make a bird house suitable for the different kinds of birds known to use them or likely to do so. It is designed to encourage the protection and study of birds in all sections of the United States.

Bird House Info

A nest box, also spelled nestbox is a man-made box provided for animals to nest in. Nest boxes are most frequently utilized for wild and domesticated birds, in which case they are also called birdhouses, but some mammalian species may also use them. Birdhouses are the most common types of nest boxes as they are small and easy to take care of while attracting many birds. Birdwatchers often use them to lure birds into their private land for mark and recapture tracking.Construction Nest boxes are usually wooden, though some for birds are made from a mixture of wood and concrete, called woodcrete. Metal nest boxes are also marketed, but these are generally unsuitable for outdoor use, as they can overheat easily in sunshine. Many nest boxes are cuboid and have a sloping roof, with a hinged top, side or front to provide access for cleaning, bird ringing or, when used for domesticated species, to give the breeder access to the young. Boxes may either have an entrance hole or be open-fronted. Some nest boxes can be highly decorated and complex, sometimes mimicking human houses or other structures. Nest boxes may also contain nest box cameras so that use of, and activity within, the box can be monitored. Birds Western Bluebird leaving a nest box Different sizes of nest-box suit different species of birds with very small boxes attracting wrens and treecreepers and very large ones attracting ducks and owls. The maintenance of nest-boxes to remove old nest material and any parasites is important if they are to be successfully re-used. Blue Tits, Great Tits and Tree Sparrows have been shown to prefer woodcrete boxes to wooden. Birds nesting in woodcrete sites had earlier clutches, a shorter incubation period, and more reproductive success, perhaps because the synthetic nests were warmer than their wooden counterparts. Bats A typical bat house affixed to a tree trunk Bat boxes differ from bird nest-boxes in having a (usually) much smaller opening, often on the underside of the box. Populations of many bat species are becoming threatened because of ecological pressures and the provision of appropriate bat-boxes can help support locally important populations. Bats are a means of natural mosquito and insect control in some parts of the world. A single bat can eat 500 to 1,000 mosquitoes a night[2] as well as other insect pests.[3] Directions for making the open bottom bat houses for small and large colonies,[4][5] as well as locations to purchase them are available on the internet.[6] Bat houses are an ecologically friendly way of controlling mosquitoes as pesticides mostly kill the mosquitoes' predators rather than mosquitoes.[5] Australian Bat Box projects have been running for over 12 years in particular at the Organ Pipes National Park. Currently there are 42 roost boxes using the "Stebbings Design" which have peaked at 280 bats roosting in them. The biggest problem with roosting boxes of any kind is the ongoing maintenance; problems include boxes falling down, wood deteriorating and pest such as ants, the occasional rat, possums and spiders. Other creatures Nest boxes are marketed not only for birds and bats, but also for butterflies[7] and other mammals, especially arboreal ones such as squirrels and opossums. Depending on the animal, these boxes are used for roosting,[citation needed] breeding,[citation needed] or both or, as in the case with butterflies, hibernation[7]. Wasps may build their nests inside a nest box. ^ García-Navas, Vicente; Arroyo, Luis; Sanz, Juan José; Díaz, Mario (2008). "Effect of nestbox type on occupancy and breeding biology of tree sparrows Passer montanus in central Spain" (PDF). Ibis 150: 356–364. doi:10.1111/j.1474-919X.2008.00799.x. ^ "Bats and Bat Houses". Mosquito Abatement District-Davis Headquarters, Kaysville, UT. Retrieved 2007-11-17. ^ McAvoy, Gene. "Hendry County Horticulture News: Bats Eat Mosquitoes as Well as Numerous Garden Pests". University of Florida; Cooperative Extension Service. Retrieved 2007-11-17. ^ "Single chamber bat house (wall mounted)". Bat Conservation International. Archived from the original on 2007-10-31. Retrieved 2007-11-17. ^ a b Brown, Carla. "Why I Built A Bat House". National Wildlife Federation. Retrieved 2007-11-17. ^ Boleky, Vaughan (2005-2006). "Why Are Bat Houses Important?". Organization for Bat Conservation. Archived from the original on 2007-11-10. Retrieved 2007-11-17. ^ a b Nina Bergström. "Fixa fint för fjärilarna", Expressen, 16 June 2011. Retrieved 28 June 2011. (In Swedish)

Make Your Birdies Happy!

The History Of Bird Houses

Today, birdhouses come in a wide array of colors, shapes, sizes and uses. Some are meant to attract rare birds so they may be studied by researchers, while others are purely decorative. Most bird houses are enclosed and dark and dry inside with a small to medium hole, the best environment for birds wishing to nest somewhere safe and quiet. The history of birdhouses is long and extends to several different areas of the world. Turkey Birdhouses were built in Turkey as far back as the pre-Ottoman Empire. They were created primarily as sanctuaries for birds to protect them from rain, wind and the harsh sun. The design of these birdhouses often paralleled the popular architecture styles of the time, making dating them easier. Birdhouses can be viewed as one of the simplest expression of compassion for wild animals, a testament to our own capabilities as a people. Birdhouses in Europe Birdhouses built in Europe were often used to collect eggs or trap birds for food. Rather than a shelter, European birdhouses were built more like natural bird nests, attracting birds to lay their eggs there and making it easier to retrieve them for food. The nests were often made out of clay, sticks, wood or old woven baskets. Native American Birdhouses Native Americans, like the people of Turkey, enjoyed and respected the animal life around them. Often made out of wood or hollowed-out gourds, birdhouses fashioned by Native Americans were created as a shelter for the birds and as a nesting ground to help them breed. They also might have helped the Native Americans by acting as a scarecrow. The gourds, hung up on long sticks, often scared away scavengers from their fields. Birdhouses Today Like gardening or hiking, birdwatching has become a popular hobby to do in nature. Birdhouses today, like their predecessors, can be made from the simplest items, or be complex works of art, and enjoyed for a long time. Building a birdhouse can be a fun craft to do with children or a relaxing hobby for your spare time. Read more: The History of Birdhouses | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8246774_history-birdhouses.html#ixzz1dbVaTz6n Birdhouses today come in many different types and styles. From large and ornate to small and simple, their design is for nesting, feeding, shelter and, in some cases, purely ornamental. The history of the birdhouse begins in three different areas of the world. European Birdhouse In Europe birdhouses were first used to capture chicks and eggs. Going back to the 15th and 16th century, birdhouses in the European countries of Belgium and Holland were used to trap birds for food. The eggs and chicks would be gathered from the nests built in the house. They were built from baskets, wood and clay; clay became the preferred material for its durability. Eurasia Birdhouses Turks built birdhouses to shelter the lonely bird. In Eurasia, the Turkish culture has evidence of birdhouses from before the Ottomon period of the 1500s. Small and simple in design in the beginning, they progressed to ornate structures. The houses were built as a refuge for the lonely birds of the sky and to protect them from the elements of nature. American Birdhouse Native Americans would hollow out gourds to provide shelter to the birds. In America, Native Americans built simple birdhouses out of birch bark and hollowed out gourds. They were designed to not only shelter the birds from storms, but also to help the birds breed and multiply. The Native Americans passed this tradition on to the English and German immigrants. Read more: The History of the Birdhouse | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/facts_7526986_history-birdhouse.html#ixzz1dbUc2DFG