Birds aren’t very different from people when it comes to their needs for survival. They only require four simple things: food, cover, water, and a safe place to raise their young. In spite of these seemingly few needs, it can sometimes be difficult for a mother bird to find a safe nesting place to hatch, feed, shelter, and raise her little family.

Although birds have all of Nature available to them for nesting, some species will build their nests in very strange and unsafe places. They have been known to select mailboxes, rain gutters, rusty pipes, old watering cans, streetlights, and even old abandoned cars. Should the mother’s eggs successfully hatch in these dubious places, oftentimes her babies won’t survive because of predators and other dangers such as cats and dogs, raccoons, or skunks, or inclement weather.

Bird houses offer safe havens for many species of birds and they won’t hesitate to nest in them if they’re available. It’s important to determine the different species of birds that frequent your area so you are sure to provide the appropriate nesting boxes and houses for them. There are around two dozen birds in North America that will nest in bird houses while there are others such as doves, orioles, and cardinals that won’t darken the entrance hole of a bird house.

Nesting boxes are designed for those birds that prefer nesting in a wooden “box” as opposed to a bird house. Nesting boxes are fairly simple and can be easily mounted either in a tree or on a pole. Barn Owls and Barred Owls, Purple Martins and Wood Ducks are some of the birds that like nesting boxes. They are also easy to clean, can be used more than once, and provide a safe haven for fledgling birds or ducks.

Bird feeders are the perfect answer for providing food for both adult and baby birds. There are many excellent varieties of feeders in the marketplace to choose from these days. Select the most appropriate feeder for the kinds of birds in your area that you want to attract to your yard. After you have placed your bird feeder in a safe place it won’t be long until you will have a variety of birds enjoying it. You may even find you’ll need more than one bird feeder, as birds really do have a habit of “flocking together!” No matter where you live, whether in the country or the city, in a large residential home or a retirement condo, you will be able to enjoy the sounds and sights of wild birds if you provide a suitable habitat for them.