Part 2: Birds You Can Attract to Your Bird Houses and Nest Boxes

Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Titmice

Chickadees, titmice, and nuthatches share the same food, feeders, and habitats. If you put a properly designed bird house in a wooded yard, at least one pair is sure to check it out.

Place chickadee birdhouse at eye level. Hang them from limbs or secure them to tree trunks. The entrance hole should be 1-1/8" to attract chickadees yet exclude house sparrows.   Anchor bird houses for hatches on tree trunks five to six feet off the ground.  You can encourage these birds to stay in your yard by continuing to fill your suet and peanut feeders through the summer. 

Brown Creepers and Prothonotary Warblers

Look for brown creepers to nest behind the curved bark of tree trunks. In heavily wooded yards, slab bark houses will appeal to creepers. Prothonotary warblers also prefer slab bark houses, but theirs must be placed over water. 

Wrens

Wrens don't seem to be very picky about where they nest. Try bird houses with a 1" x 2" horizontal slot (1-1/2" x 2-1/2" for the larger Carolina wrens) instead of a circle. These are easier for the wrens to use. 

Wrens are notorious for filling up any conceivable nest cavity with twigs, regardless of whether they use the nest. Since male house wrens build several nests for the female to choose from, hang several bird houses at eye level on partly sunlit tree limbs. Wrens are sociable and will accept birdhouses quite close to your house. 

See a great selection of birdhouses at www.aboutbirdhouses.com.