I love making and decorating birdhouses. Not only do they use them, but it adds color to the backyard! All birds need a place to seek shelter from a cold winters night, but in spring they seek out nesting spots to raise their young. In making a birdhouse you need to put the correct size of hole in accordance with the birds you are wanting to attract. It's also a good idea to build a "predator guard" to make it harder for other birds to reach in and snatch the young. It also helps prevent the baby birds from falling out. Make it in a way where you can open it up to clean out the old nest and to view the babies. If you want to build houses for Bluebirds, consult first, there are specific requirements.
You can also put out pieces of yarn, fabric softener sheets,hair and even buy special balls of nesting material to help them along. One spring I had the privilege to watch a pair of chickadees build a nest in one of my birdhouses. Unfortunately sparrows disrupted their plans, and the chickadees went elsewhere. Every year I watch to see if they will try it again, but so far no luck.
