Everyone knows the phrase that you need to take care of our smaller brothers. And in support of this topic now and will be told about how to hang a birdhouse.
A bit of history
People did not always build houses for birds. So, birdhouses in the vastness of our country appeared only 300 years ago, in the 17th century. The idea of their creation was imported from Europe. However, there such houses were no longer built for the birds, but for the townspeople themselves, who loved to feast on the meat of these birds. Therefore, each cook always wanted to have a couple of such birds and their eggs close by, for quick receipt and preparation of meat. Birdhouses were brought to our lands during the reign of Peter I, who was very fond of all sorts of new and interesting things. With his light hand, the tradition of making houses for birds has been preserved to this day.
About the benefits of birds
Every living creature on the planet is useful. The same applies to starlings. Information that may seem interesting to many is that just one brood of starlings in only 5 days can eat a whole thousand May beetles (including their larvae) and other pests. So it’s good to install such houses in summer cottages to preserve their harvest with the help of these noble birds.
Material for home
Before you begin to figure out how to properly hang a birdhouse, you need to say a few words about what an ideal home should be for these birds. So, it’s good to take birch for making a birdhouse, but you can also use other boards, not even necessarily new ones. It is important to say that it is strictly forbidden to make birdhouses from the boards of conifers, because they can contain tar, which is very harmful to birds. It is also better not to take any processed compressed wood, because glue can be toxic and harmful for birds. If the birdhouse outside is most likely polished (for beauty), then inside it should remain with its original irregularities, so it will be much more comfortable for the birds to live there.
Height
Finally, we got to the main question: how to hang a birdhouse. So, you need to correctly determine the height. If the birdhouse is far from human eyes - in remote parks or closed gardens, it can be set to a height of about 3-4 meters. And at what height do you hang a birdhouse in residential areas? In this case, bird houses are usually suspended at a height of 4-5 meters. This is also important in order to prevent cats from reaching them, who at any moment are ready to enjoy the meat of this bird. To protect the homes of birds from cats, they can be hung on a wire so that the houses sway a little. So the animal does not dare to climb for prey. Another option: at the base of the birdhouse you can attach a plywood circle (or from sheet material), which, with all its dexterity, this animal is unlikely to overcome. It is also good to hang birdhouses far from thick tree branches to protect birds from cats.
How to snap
The next tip on how to hang a birdhouse: use soft wire for this. It can be aluminum or annealed steel. If there are none, a simple synthetic rope or cord may be suitable (it is important that they are of sufficient thickness). However, it must be remembered that it is strictly forbidden to nail a birdhouse with nails to a tree, especially in the spring, when the juice is moving along the trunk. This will not only injure the plant, but will also impede the free removal of the house if it needs to be cleaned or hung up in a different, more suitable place. Another nuance is how to properly hang a birdhouse: it should be placed a little with an inclination forward (you will not need to do this if the house is made a little uneven, narrower from the bottom and slightly widened up). If the bird house is placed slightly inclined backward, the birds will never move into it, and it will simply be empty all the time.
Accommodation
The next advice is how to hang a birdhouse, or rather, which direction should be directed to the house. So, the southeast direction is preferable to the northwest direction. And all because in this case, slanting rains will not be able to flood the house, ruining the housing for birds. Also, it is better not to direct the summer house towards the streets, paths that people can walk on, it will be more comfortable for the birds. If there are already birdhouses nearby, the next should be placed no closer than 20 meters from it. This will be enough for the birds. Nearby hanging several nests is not recommended, because these are territorial birds and do not like close proximity.
Painting
It should also be said that the initial painting of the birdhouse is very important. So, you need to do this in order to protect the boards from faster wear. However, the color for the bird's house should be dim, calm. It is better to choose natural shades. Green and brown colors are very suitable, which are very familiar to birds.
Check
Having figured out where to hang a birdhouse and how to do everything correctly, it is also necessary to be able to monitor the housing of these birds. In autumn, it is important to check if the bird family lived there. If not, and this happened once - it does not matter, however, if the starlings have not settled in the house for two years in a row - it needs to be outweighed, most likely this is simply a bad place for nesting. From time to time, it is better in winter, houses for starlings need to be cleaned, because the birds can fill them up to the summer house in just a couple of years. You just need to get rid of everything accumulated there. After all, often birds do not settle in old houses, because nesting parasites can live there (they are planted in blades of grass and twigs that are applied by birds during their stay). In spring, birds again fly into empty houses with pleasure. If there are certain gaps or holes in the birdhouse, people don’t need to close them, the birds will do it much faster and better.