{"id":8257,"date":"2020-01-30T17:54:47","date_gmt":"2020-01-30T17:54:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/?page_id=8257"},"modified":"2025-01-09T15:50:57","modified_gmt":"2025-01-09T20:50:57","slug":"backyard-birding-checklist-for-winter-bird-houses","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/backyard-birding-checklist-for-winter-bird-houses\/","title":{"rendered":"Winter Bird Houses Offer Refuge for Songbirds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>During Winter, the <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"three basic elements of a backyard habitat (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/backyard-habitat-birds\/\" target=\"_blank\">three basic elements of a backyard habitat<\/a>  can make all the difference to a wild bird.  Here&#8217;s a trio of key tips, with a focus on making winter bird houses available for roosting songbirds.<br><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"shelter\">Shelter <\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist shelter\"><li><h3>Put Up a Bird House \u2014 It&#8217;s never too early<\/h3><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>In our <a href=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/the-backyard-birders-winter-checklist\/\">Backyard Birder&#8217;s Winter Checklist<\/a>, we always stress the importance of providing  <span class=\"food bold\">Food <\/span> and <span class=\"water bold\"> Water<\/span> all year round. But is a bird house only <span class=\"shelter bold\"> Shelter <\/span> during nesting season? <strong>No!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The protective shelter provided by a bird house in winter can be a life-saver for a songbird seeking a safe place to roost or sleep\u2014especially during extreme winter weather.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If you&#8217;ve been waiting until Spring to put up your bird house, don&#8217;t wait any longer\u2014put it up now.  From some songbirds&#8217; point-of-view, your backyard bird house is desirable real estate all year round. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bird houses in winter\u2014A songbird&#8217;s safe place to keep warm and roost<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>In Spring and Summer, of course, it&#8217;s mostly about security and privacy for nesting. But during Fall and Winter,  bird houses can also be a life-saving refuge when protective foliage is sparse; providing safe places for cavity nesters to warm up, roost and sleep.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>For <strong>Eastern<\/strong> <strong>Bluebirds<\/strong>, <strong>Black-capped Chickadees<\/strong>, <strong>Titmice<\/strong>, and <strong>Carolina Wrens<\/strong>, among others, a bird house can be a welcome respite from extreme weather and sanctuary from predators at night. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">&#8216;Advertise a Vacancy&#8217; to early nesters, like Bluebirds<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>Even if your backyard birds don&#8217;t seem to be making use of your winter bird house, they are making note of its location.  For example, the Eastern Bluebirds you may be seeing flock to your bird bath right now (See the following photo of Eastern Bluebirds from customer Tom Street),  nest earlier than most other species. They&#8217;ll begin pairing up and scouting for nesting sites in a few weeks, so having your Bluebird box ready now can only be &#8216;good advertising&#8217;!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Learn more about bird houses<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>We have advice on how to choose a bird house, where to best place it in your yard and how to maintain it year round.  See our Resource pages &#8216;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Guide to Bird Houses and Recommended Resources (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wild-bird-houses\/\" target=\"_blank\">Guide to Bird Houses and Recommended Resources<\/a>&#8216;.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Other Ways to Help Your Backyard Birds Through Winter<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"545\" height=\"357\" src=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/Eastern-Bluebirds-credit-Tom-Street-sm.png\" alt=\"Eastern Bluebirds flock to heated bird bath In Tom Street's Maryland backyard. Bluebirds may not always use your winter bird houses, but they're making notes on locations! Heated bird bath and other de-icers available at The Backyard Naturalist in Olney. \" class=\"wp-image-8276\" srcset=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/Eastern-Bluebirds-credit-Tom-Street-sm.png 545w, https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/Eastern-Bluebirds-credit-Tom-Street-sm-300x197.png 300w, https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-content\/uploads\/Eastern-Bluebirds-credit-Tom-Street-sm-400x262.png 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 545px) 100vw, 545px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Eastern Bluebirds flock to The Backyard Naturalist customer Tom Street&#8217;s backyard heated bird bath during a January freeze. As we mentioned before,  your winter bird houses may not be used by them now, but early nesters like Bluebirds are already noting their locations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading water\">Water<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist\"><li><h3>Heat things up! Keep bird baths from freezing over.<\/h3><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>We can never, ever, say it enough:  <strong>Water is critical year round for wild birds to drink and bathe.<\/strong>  During freezing temperatures, your heated bird bath might just be the only accessible, <em>unfrozen<\/em> source of water nearby for your backyard birds.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How to keep water in your bird bath from freezing<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>An ice-free bird bath can be a very popular bird bath. And it&#8217;s easier for you, too! You won&#8217;t be out there constantly chipping away at ice! As a bonus, it will be a highlight of winter backyard birding for you and your family. If you want to find out more about heated baths or how to keep water from freezing in yours, see &#8216;<a aria-label=\"Heated Bird Baths &amp; De-icers (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/portfolio-items\/bird-bath-heaters-deicers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Heated Bird Baths &amp; De-icers<\/a>&#8216;.d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading food\">Food<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"checklist\"><li><h3>Maximize nutrition in your feeders.<\/h3><\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Keeping warm takes extra calories! With fast-acting metabolisms, even when it&#8217;s not freezing cold,  birds must be efficient eaters\u2014maximize each and every opportunity for nourishment. Feed them <a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"high-calorie, fresh seeds and suet (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/portfolio-items\/wild-bird-seeds-suets-2\/\" target=\"_blank\">high-calorie, fresh seeds and suet<\/a> to supply the essential protein, fat and carbohydrates they require.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Never feed bread to wild birds.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Please NEVER feed bread, crackers, popcorn or other human snack food items to birds.  They have zero nutrition, but give birds the artificial feeling that they are full.  Wild birds, in particular, Chickadees, can freeze to death overnight with seemingly full stomachs. This includes all wild birds, even ducks and geese who can develop a debilitating condition called &#8220;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"angel wing syndrome (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/en.wikipedia.org\/wiki\/Angel_wing\" target=\"_blank\">angel wing syndrome<\/a>&#8221; from the lack of nutrition. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Bird feeders in our backyard habitats are even more critical this time of year as Nature&#8217;s seasonal food supply dwindles and Spring is still miles away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 class=\"wp-block-heading\">More info about wild birds\u2014what to feed them and how<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p>For more about wild birds&#8217; food requirements and how to provide maximum nutrition with your backyard feeder, please see &#8220;<a rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" aria-label=\"Quality Food and Clean Feeders Matter (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/resources\/best-quality-seed-wild-birds\/\" target=\"_blank\">Quality Food and Clean Feeders Matter<\/a>&#8220;.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>During Winter, the three basic elements of a backyard habitat can make all the difference to a wild bird. Here&#8217;s a trio of key tips, with a focus on making winter bird houses available for roosting songbirds. Shelter Put Up a Bird House \u2014 It&#8217;s never too early In our Backyard Birder&#8217;s Winter Checklist, we [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":12437,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"template-resource.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_vp_format_video_url":"","_vp_image_focal_point":[],"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-8257","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","categories-season-checklist-for-birders","categories-resource-pages"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8257","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8257"}],"version-history":[{"count":57,"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8257\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12442,"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/8257\/revisions\/12442"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12437"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thebackyardnaturalist.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8257"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}