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MarkSingleton said:
I have never been able to figure out why a bird would need a human to build them a house.
Loss of habitat. Lack of suitable nesting areas.
Change in the balance of nature. We kill off something and that increases the number of predators that target it or it's nests.
Basically Humans are the reason. Not I want to humans to go away.
I remember as a kid Bluebirds were rather rare here but don't remember why. There was a push to build Bluebird specific houses and now they are quite common. I have two bluebird house in sight of my house they raise 2 or 3 clutches every year.
No thrill in building them for me either. But I do enjoy watching them use one I built. I can see them from my office window.
I have found how much a boat is used is inversely related to how much it weighs.
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I make bluebird houses, they also get used by tree swallows & wrens. Sparrows try pretty hard to nest in them, the .22 takes care of that.
Ed
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Building bird houses. Ya know, sometimes I just enjoy banging something together with rough lumber where a 1/16" and square don't mean squat. Birds don't care, ever seen a square hole in a tree? I've got a dozen houses around the yard with occupancy in nine or so regularly. If you count wasps, they would all be full.
Ken
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The Audubon site, I believe, is the one which suggests pairing. In sight of one another there will be nothing but fighting between like species, but one box bluebird, one box mosquito-eating swallow works for all of us.
Keeps the local cliff swallows off the eaves of the house, too!
Better to follow the leader than the pack. Less to step in.
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The older trees near me that have nesting hollows have been cut down, so to encourage some wildlife diversity, I have put up some houses. I realize that it's not everyone's cup of tea, but I enjoy watching the critters.
Bill Schneider
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I've got a few Wood Duck boxes near our pond, the little Screech Owls like them too.
Ed
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And sometimes the birds are just sol.....
Ed
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Easy project for kids to make.
Kids like seeing the birds that nest in the birdhouse.
But then I pretty much blame my kids for everything.
Steve S.
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Same reason I build bat houses---to attract bats.
Which eat insects.
And weird some folks out.
