Garden Pic Wednesday: New Bird Houses & Blue Birds!

I've been slowly working on adding more bird houses to my back yard.  I like bird houses that have a way to clean out the old nests, so I only buy ones with a door or a port of some kind.

New Blue House!
Here's my new blue bird house! This is at the very back border of my back yard. We just put it up this week, since Hubby observed a pair of Blue Birds examining real estate options around my yard.  It's got two doors, one on either side. One is for "viewing" the nest and has a protective clear acrylic panel to keep babies from falling out when the door is opened; the other is for cleaning out.

Blue Birds love nesting boxes! But they have specific needs for hole size and height. Plus they do like their house facing a open area. Luckily I had the perfect spot!

New Nesting Bottle!

Also new is this "nesting bottle." It's terra cotta and has a hole in the back end for cleaning out and hanging. Just slide it over a nail.

It's entry is specifically sized for Wrens, Chickadees & Nuthatches.

Hubby said, while watching the Blue Birds, that Mrs. Bluebird really was interested in this nesting bottle.

New Residents in the Chubby Cardinal Birdhouse:

Mr. and Mrs. Blue Bird had already settled on this house as their home before we got the new wood one up. This house is in view of the patio out our sliding glass door, so we can enjoy seeing Mrs. Blue Bird going in and out, building the nest. Mr. Blue Bird stands guard in various places, protecting their new home.

It's actually a generic birdhouse I've had up around 5 years. The Blue Birds are the 2nd resident; Tufted Titmouse's used it last year.

(Male Blue Bird in front of his house.)

If you get into bird housing, be sure to:

* Choose houses with excess ports to clean out the old nests after the birds are done.

*  Clean the houses out with water with just a touch of bleach added and let dry.

Interesting Note:
It's illegal to destroy or harm a birds nest while it's in active use with eggs or young.