A few months back I fixed up an old birdhouse I found on the property where I live. It had some rotten wood and was in need of some fresh paint. Its hard to say how old it was but appeared many years had passed with it becoming more and more broken down from the elements it was exposed to. So I replaced the wood where it was needed and put a few coats out outdoor paint on the birdhouse.
Not sure what was living in this home when it was in good shape, but whatever was made the entrance to the home bigger. I could see gnawing marks on the hole to the birdhouse. Maybe a squirrel or really big bird.. lol
I start by filling the bird house with a little bit of nesting material, in this case some wood chips. I am sure the birds that occupy it will add more but its a start so they do not need to work as hard to fill an empty home.
Using wood chips from a tree company, I normally cover my landscape with these chips. But I have used them for bedding before for birds. In my kestrel house I added some and wrens seemed quite happy with them last year.
Once the wood chips are added its ready to be put up in a tree. Its been awhile since it was occupied, probably due to its poor condition at the time. But now all fixed up it should be an attractive home for some small birds.
Finding a good spot for it took some time, but I decided on an area away from the hawk and kestrel house. I am sure the little birds that would use this home do not want to be right next door to a predator type bird.
Using a long bamboo stick I notched it and was able to hang the birdhouse on a tree, its probably about 10-15 feet up in the air. Much better than where it was when I found it less than 10 feet in the air. Birds prefer houses high up so cats and other predators cannot get to them.
Taking some pictures of the bird house hanging in a tree, it was autumn and the colors of the leaves around were changing. Giving the birdhouse a pretty look to it.
A close up of the bird house, I think I picked a good spot for it. Though time will really tell and we shall see what moves into it. As they say, build it and they will come... haha from that old baseball movie.
The kestrel house is still standing strong. I am surprised it has held up to the winds around here, with the tropical storms we can get some pretty windy conditions sometimes. But it has stood strong, looking forward to seeing what moves into it next year. Along with what moves into the little birdhouse I restored. If nothing moves into the little bird house I will just move it further away from the kestrel house and hawk platform.
https://peakd.com/hive-106444/@solominer/restoring-an-old-birdhouse
A link to my post on restoring the birdhouse by replacing some wood and painting it.
https://steempeak.com/birds/@solominer/built-my-first-bird-house-vamejphs
My Steem post on building the Kestrel house from last year.
I can't wait to see who moves in! Thanks for posting to the #featheredfriends community!
Me too. We shall see in the spring.. thanks alot