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Abert’s Towhee Acadian Flycatcher Acorn Woodpecker Alder Flycatcher Allen’s Hummingbird Altamira Oriole American Avocet American Bittern American Black Duck American Coot American Crow American Dipper American Golden-Plover American Goldfinch American Kestrel American Oystercatcher American Pipit American Redstart American Robin American Three-toed Woodpecker American Tree Sparrows American White Pelican American Wigeon American Woodcock Anhinga Anna’s Hummingbird Arctic Tern Arizona Woodpecker Ash-Throated Flycatcher Atlantic Puffin Audubon’s Oriole Bachman’s Sparrow Baird’s Sandpiper Baird’s Sparrow Bald Eagle Baltimore Oriole Band-tailed Pigeon Bank Swallow Barn Owl Barn Swallow Barred Owl Barrow’s Goldeneye Bay-breasted Warbler Bell’s Vireo Belted Kingfisher Bendire’s Thrasher Bewick’s Wren Black Guillemot Black Oystercatcher Black Phoebe Black Rail Black Rosy-Finch Black Scoter Black Skimmer Black Swift Black Tern Black Turnstone Black Vulture Black-and-white Warbler Black-backed Woodpecker Black-bellied Plover Black-bellied Whistling-Duck Black-billed Cuckoo Black-billed Magpie Black-capped Chickadee Black-capped Vireo Black-chinned Hummingbird Black-chinned Sparrow Black-crested Titmouse Black-crowned Night-Heron Black-footed Albatross Black-headed Grosbeak Black-legged Kittiwake Black-necked Stilt Black-throated Blue Warbler Black-throated Gray Warbler Black-throated Green Warbler Black-throated Sparrow Blackburnian Warbler Blackpoll Warbler Blue Grosbeak Blue Jay Blue-footed Booby Blue-gray Gnatcatcher Blue-headed Vireo Blue-throated Hummingbird Blue-winged Teal Blue-winged Warbler Boat-tailed Grackle Bobolink Bohemian Waxwing Bonaparte’s Gull Boreal Chickadee Boreal Owl Botteri’s Sparrow Brandt’s Cormorant Brant Brewer’s Blackbird Brewer’s Sparrow Bridled Titmouse Broad-billed Hummingbird Broad-tailed Hummingbird Broad-winged Hawk Bronzed Cowbird Brown Booby Brown Creeper Brown Pelican Brown Thrasher Brown-capped Rosy-Finch Brown-headed Cowbird Brown-headed Nuthatch Buff-bellied Hummingbird Buff-breasted Flycatcher Buff-breasted Sandpiper Bufflehead Bullock’s Oriole Burrowing Owl Bushtit Cackling Goose Cactus Wren California Condor California Gull California Quail California Thrasher California Towhee Calliope Hummingbird Canada Goose Canada Jay (Previously Gray Jay) Canada Warbler Canvasback Canyon Towhee Canyon Wren Cape May Warbler Carolina Chickadee Carolina Wren Caspian Tern Cassin’s Auklet Cassin’s Finch Cassin’s Kingbird Cassin’s Sparrow Cassin’s Vireo Cattle Egret Cave Swallow Cedar Waxwing Cerulean Warbler Chestnut-backed Chickadee Chestnut-collared Longspur Chestnut-sided Warbler Chihuahuan Raven Chimney Swift Chipping Sparrow Chuck-will’s-widow Chukar Cinnamon Teal Clapper Rail Clark’s Grebe Clark’s Nutcracker Clay-colored Sparrow Cliff Swallow Colima Warbler Common Eider Common Gallinule Common Goldeneye Common Grackle Common Ground-Dove Common Loon Common Merganser Common Murre Common Nighthawk Common Pauraque Common Poorwill Common Raven Common Redpoll Common Tern Common Yellowthroat Connecticut Warbler Cooper’s Hawk Cordilleran Flycatcher Costa’s Hummingbird Couch’s Kingbird Crescent-chested Warbler Crested Caracara Crissal Thrasher Curve-billed Thrasher Dark-eyed Junco Dickcissel Double-crested Cormorant Dovekie Downy Woodpecker Dunlin Dusky Flycatcher Dusky Grouse Eared Grebe Eastern Bluebird Eastern Kingbird Eastern Meadowlark Eastern Phoebe Eastern Screech-Owl Eastern Towhee Eastern Whip-poor-will Eastern Wood-Pewee Elegant Tern Elf Owl Emperor Goose Eurasian Collared-Dove Eurasian Tree Sparrow Eurasian Wigeon European Starling Evening Grosbeak Ferruginous Hawk Field Sparrow Fish Crow Flammulated Owl Florida Scrub-Jay Forster’s Tern Fox Sparrow Franklin’s Gull Fulvous Whistling-Duck Gadwall Gambel’s Quail Gila Woodpecker Gilded Flicker Glaucous Gull Glaucous-winged Gull Glossy Ibis Golden Eagle Golden-cheeked Warbler Golden-crowned Kinglet Golden-crowned Sparrow Golden-crowned Warbler Golden-fronted Woodpecker Golden-winged Warbler Grace’s Warbler Grasshopper Sparrow Gray Catbird Gray Flycatcher Gray Kingbird Gray Partridge Gray Vireo Gray-cheeked Thrush Gray-crowned Rosy-Finch Great Black-backed Gull Great Blue Heron Great Cormorant Great Crested Flycatcher Great Egret Great Gray Owl Great Horned Owl Great Kiskadee Great-tailed Grackle Greater Pewee Greater Prairie-Chicken Greater Roadrunner Greater Sage-Grouse Greater Scaup Greater White-fronted Goose Greater Yellowlegs Green Heron Green Jay Green-tailed-towhee Green-winged Teal Groove-billed Ani Gull-billed Tern Gunnison Sage-Grouse Gyrfalcon Hairy Woodpecker Hammond’s Flycatcher Harlequin Duck Harris’s Hawk Harris’s Sparrow Heermann’s Gull Henslow’s Sparrow Hepatic Tanager Hermit Thrush Hermit Warbler Herring Gull Hoary Redpoll Hooded Merganser Hooded Oriole Hooded Warbler Horned Grebe Horned Lark Horned Puffin House Finch House Sparrow House Wren Hudsonian Godwit Hutton’s Vireo Inca Dove Indigo Bunting Ivory-billed Woodpecker Juniper Titmouse Kentucky Warbler Killdeer King Eider King Rail Kirtland’s Warbler Ladder-backed Woodpecker Lapland Longspur Lark Bunting Lark Sparrow Laughing Gull Lawrence’s Goldfinch Lazuli Bunting Le Conte’s Sparrow Le Conte’s Thrasher Least Bittern Least Flycatcher Least Grebe Least Sandpiper Least Tern Lesser Black-backed Gull Lesser Goldfinch Lesser Prairie-Chicken Lesser Scaup Lesser Yellowlegs Lewis’s Woodpecker Limpkin Lincoln’s Sparrow Little Blue Heron Loggerhead Shrike Long-billed Curlew Long-billed Dowitcher Long-eared Owl Long-tailed Duck Louisiana Waterthrush Lucifer Hummingbird Lucy’s Warbler MacGillivray’s Warbler Magnificent Frigatebird Magnificent Hummingbird Magnolia Warbler Mallard Mangrove Cuckoo Marbled Godwit Marsh Wren Masked Duck McCown’s Longspur Merlin Mew Gull Mexican Jay Mississippi Kite Montezuma Quail Mottled Duck Mountain Bluebird Mountain Chickadee Mountain Plover Mountain Quail Mourning Dove Mourning Warbler Mute Swan Nashville Warbler Neotropic Cormorant Northern Bobwhite Northern Cardinal Northern Flicker Northern Fulmar Northern Gannet Northern Goshawk Northern Harrier Northern Hawk Owl Northern Mockingbird Northern Parula Northern Pintail Northern Rough-winged Swallow Northern Saw-whet Owl Northern Shoveler Northern Shrike Northern Waterthrush Northwestern Crow Nuttall’s Woodpecker Oak Titmouse Olive-sided Flycatcher Orange-crowned Warbler Orchard Oriole Osprey Ovenbird Pacific Golden-Plover Pacific Loon Pacific-slope Flycatcher Painted Bunting Painted Redstart Palm Warbler Pectoral Sandpiper Pelagic Cormorant Peregrine Falcon Phainopepla Philadelphia Vireo Pied-billed Grebe Pigeon Guillemot Pileated Woodpecker Pine Grosbeak Pine Siskin Pine Warbler Pinyon Jay Piping Plover Plain Chachalaca Plumbeous Vireo Prairie Falcon Prairie Warbler Prothonotary Warbler Purple Finch Purple Gallinule Purple Martin Purple Sandpiper Pygmy Nuthatch Pyrrhuloxia Razorbill Red Crossbill Red Knot Red Phalarope Red-bellied Woodpecker Red-breasted Merganser Red-breasted Nuthatch Red-breasted Sapsucker Red-cockaded Woodpecker Red-eyed Vireo Red-faced Warbler Red-headed Woodpecker Red-naped Sapsucker Red-necked Grebe Red-necked Phalarope Red-shouldered Hawk Red-tailed Hawk Red-throated Loon Red-winged Blackbird Reddish Egret Redhead Ring-billed Gull Ring-necked Duck Ring-necked Pheasant Rock Pigeon Rock Ptarmigan Rock Sandpiper Rose-breasted Grosbeak Roseate Spoonbill Roseate Tern Ross’s Goose Rough-legged Hawk Royal Tern Ruby-crowned Kinglet Ruby-throated Hummingbird Ruddy Duck Ruddy Turnstone Ruffed Grouse Rufous Hummingbird Rufous-capped Warbler Rufous-winged Sparrow Rusty Blackbird Sabine’s Gull Sage Sparrow Sage Thrasher Saltmarsh Sharp-tailed Sparrow Sanderling Sandhill Crane Sandwich Tern Savannah Sparrow Say’s Phoebe Scaled Quail Scarlet Tanager Scissor-tailed Flycatcher Scott’s Oriole Seaside Sparrow Sedge Wren Semipalmated Plover Semipalmated Sandpiper Sharp-shinned Hawk Sharp-tailed Grouse Short-billed Dowitcher Short-eared Owl Slate-throated Redstart Smith’s Longspur Smooth-billed Ani Snail Kite Snow Bunting Snow Goose Snowy Egret Snowy Plover Solitary Sandpiper Song Sparrow Sooty Grouse Sora Spotted Owl Spotted Sandpiper Spotted Towhee Sprague’s Pipit Spruce Grouse Steller’s Jay Stilt Sandpiper Summer Tanager Surf Scoter Surfbird Swainson’s Hawk Swainson’s Thrush Swainson’s Warbler Swallow-tailed Kite Swamp Sparrow Tennessee Warbler Thick-billed Murre Townsend’s Solitaire Townsend’s Warbler Tree Swallow Tricolored Heron Tropical Kingbird Trumpeter Swan Tufted Puffin Tufted Titmouse Tundra Swan Turkey Vulture Upland Sandpiper Varied Bunting Varied Thrush Vaux’s Swift Veery Verdin Vermilion Flycatcher Vesper Sparrow Violet-green Swallow Virginia Rail Virginia’s Warbler Warbling Vireo Western Bluebird Western Grebe Western Gull Western Kingbird Western Sandpiper Western Screech-Owl Western Tanager Western Wood-Pewee Western-Meadowlark Whimbrel White Ibis White-breasted Nuthatch White-crowned Pigeon White-crowned Sparrow White-eyed Vireo White-faced Ibis White-headed Woodpecker White-rumped Sandpiper White-tailed Hawk White-tailed Kite White-tailed Ptarmigan White-throated Sparrow White-throated Swift White-tipped Dove White-winged Crossbill White-winged Dove White-winged Scoter Whooping Crane Wild Turkey Willet Williamson’s Sapsucker Willow Flycatcher Willow Ptarmigan Wilson’s Phalarope Wilson’s Plover Wilson’s Snipe Wilson’s Warbler Winter Wren Wood Duck Wood Stork Wood Thrush Woodhouse’s Scrub-Jay Worm-eating Warbler Wrentit Yellow Rail Yellow Warbler Yellow-bellied Flycatcher Yellow-bellied Sapsucker Yellow-billed Cuckoo Yellow-billed Magpie Yellow-breasted Chat Yellow-crowned Night-Heron Yellow-headed Blackbird Yellow-rumped Warbler Yellow-throated Vireo Yellow-throated Warbler Zone-tailed Hawk

The thought of spring immediately brings visions of trees budding, fresh rains, and all that is associated with the rebirth of the natural world. Springtime can be the best season of the year for backyard bird watchers.

Birds are at their peak when it comes to activity and behavior. During no other time of the year are birds more enticing. They flit around yards and frequent feeders in full breeding plumage. Their behavior can hold a birders’ interest for hours. Cardinals perched high in treetops singing to attract a mate can bring an evening to life as you listen to the song. Chickadees fill the oak trees and the air with their chatter. These exciting colorful little creatures have only one thing on their minds in spring: reproduction. These wonderfully animated entertainers will remain in your backyard and provide enjoyment for many more weeks to come. By simply adding a few items you can help make nesting easier.

 

Housing

The world changes everyday. Demand for habitat increases daily, as more trees, shrubs and forest land is being cleared around the country. What was once a bird’s home is now a vacant lot or strip mall. It is amazing how much success the backyard birder can have with a little work and proper planning. Placing a few birdhouses in the backyard along with food and water can make a great deal of difference for our feathered friends. An added benefit is the pleasure of watching courtship, nest building, and eventually seeing the fledglings leave the nest.

mourning dove

Mourning doves will nest in a variety of locations, including hanging flower pots.

 

Who’s in the neighborhood?

Before rushing out to buy birdhouses, it is necessary to consider a few things. Find out what birds frequent your area. Contact the local Audubon society or observe birds that are already in your yard to learn more about the birds that nest in your area. Once you have a species list for your geographic region, a search for appropriate housing can begin.

Different size birds require different size houses, openings, and prefer their houses to be located at different heights from the ground. Some birds prefer houses hanging from tree limbs, others want their houses secured to posts, and in some cases even color plays a role in the ability to attract birds to the nest box. It is essential to keep in mind the type of habitat that is available to work with. There would be no need putting a bluebird box out if you live in a downtown setting surrounded by trees. To effectively attract birds to nest in the backyard the landlord needs to be bird specific when putting out potential houses. For more information we have included a summary of nesting boxes that tells the size house, opening, placement and habitat one would need to attract birds to nest in the backyard (link on the left).

The chances for attracting birds will be much better if the birdhouse is set up in the fall. That new look will take on a more weathered appearance by spring and make it more attractive to the birds once nesting season arrives. Birds need shelter in the winter months and can move in early if the weather becomes too grueling.

 

Manage your house

Starlings and sparrows are always in search of prime real estate. Birdhouses are easy targets for these introduced foreign species and many native species will go without nesting sites in the wild due to these birds. Evicting starlings and sparrows is essential to success. These species can be relentless in trying to move in. The kind hearted may have a difficult time evicting the unwanted bird. Keep in mind if the landlord does not take action allowing these birds to claim residence can eliminate the chances for attracting native birds that need the nesting site the most.

starling

European Starling checking out a nesting box. Starlings and House Sparrows should be quickly evicted if they try to move in.

 

Natural is better

Many people use birdhouses as decorative additions to their gardens. While a pretty coat of brightly colored paint may appeal to the gardener, birds actually prefer a more natural look. Purple martins want houses painted white with a little mud smeared on the interior to make them feel even more at home. Nuthatches want a bark exterior, and some birds are more accommodating and want only a plain brown wooden exterior.

Another easy and attractive man-made nesting container is the hanging potted plant. Hanging baskets, both planted or un-planted, will provide another type of nesting site for birds that just cannot be enticed to moving into a house. Geraniums and impatients make good cover for hanging pots. Doves can be very easily attracted to hanging planters, and several species will move in if the right situation presents its self.

 

Cover

Birds need cover for protection from wind, snow, sun, rain, and predators. The often overlooked reasons to provide natural cover are to offer other choices of nesting sites as well as a safe haven for fledglings once they leave the nest. Small trees and shrubs are quite inviting nesting sites for catbirds and robins. Hummers will prefer to nest in the tallest trees that are available. Doves on the other hand seek small trees, shrubs, and vines. Different species of birds desire a different type of cover just as they do house. It is important when planting to keep in mind that layers of cover from the ground to the highest tree will increase your chances of attracting a diversity of birds for nesting.

Several species of male birds will build dummy nests, which serve in helping the male find a mate. The female then selects the nest she likes best. If none of the nests suits her taste, she will be off in search of another mate who is a better provider. It is common to see the female investigating all the houses or nests and this selection may take several days. Keep a patient vigilance to see how the romance progresses.

 

Nesting Material

Birds spend a great deal of energy in search of nesting materials. Experience has shown that by making nesting materials available, a higher occupancy rate will be obtained in the birdhouses. Wire suet feeders make wonderful containers for materials. The nesting materials can also be placed in the crooks of trees or on clotheslines. It seems if you make the materials available, the birds will use it. Below is a list of materials that will help make nest building easier for the birds in your backyard.

* Hair, both pet and human
* Cotton
* Bristles from old paintbrushes
* Yarn or string (no longer than 4 inches in length)
* Stuffing from old mattresses
* Feathers

nesting material

Nesting material in an unused feeder.

It is very important that yarn and thread be no longer than four inches. Longer lengths might present the risk of the bird becoming entangled. Also, do not use lint from your dryer, as it can contain harmful chemicals.

While it is important to provide birds with adequate nesting material, you should not place it in the nest box for the bird. Birds will think the box is occupied and search for other housing.

 

Food

A bird’s caloric demand is at its peak during breeding season. Diets high in protein can make a world of difference for a bird during this active period. Foods such as wax worms or mealworms are an excellent source of protein both during mating and once the young hatch. It can be a wonderful experience to watch as the birds make trip after trip from the live feeder back to the house delivering mealworms to the young. Fledglings will provide enjoyment at the mealworm feeders for quite some time. Sunflower seeds provide a good source of protein, but cannot compete with live food for nutritional value.

Adding crushed eggshell or oyster shells to bird feed will provide a source of calcium for improved egg production.

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