Outdoor shelters, in addition to having a significant utility for birds in the wild, will allow you to enjoy their company on a daily basis. Nothing is more pleasant than to make your garden a meeting place for all species, which will make you enjoy their melodious songs, but also their life. Indeed, depending on the installations you make, you will be able to either allow these birds to pass through your garden to feed, or allow them to stay by nesting for example. Each space has its own layout, and it is advisable to determine beforehand which outdoor nesting box or feeder you wish to create.
How much space do I need?
Ideally, you should have a garden. Since this is not always possible, you can create a balcony or terrace without any difficulty. You will thus find that you can arrange your outside, whether you have 3 or 600m2.
You will simply have to adapt your installations to the space you have, keeping in mind that everything must be functional, both for the animals and for you. The animals must have easy access to it, and you must be able to clean the shelter very easily to avoid the proliferation of germs.
What types of installations should I choose?
Depending on your desires and your possibilities, you will have access to a very wide range of facilities, some of which will be offered in pet shops or garden centers. It is important to differentiate between maintenance facilities and comfort facilities.
The maintenance facilities
The maintenance facilities allow the birds to feed and drink. Although it is not difficult for wild birds to find enough food and water in the summer, it is much more difficult in the winter when the crops are harvested and the water is frozen.
For the distribution of food, nothing could be simpler than to install a feeder. Even if the birds regularly eat what is on the ground, they will prefer to be high up so that they can observe any possible danger approaching them. You can simply make this feeder using a wooden plank as a platform and install it on a foot that is sealed to your property.
For the winter, you can add grease balls that you will either install on the trees or hang on the platform.
To allow the birds to drink, you will need to provide them with a watering hole. Preferably choose a fountain, which will allow the water to circulate, preventing it from rotting. Note that this fountain will be unusable in the winter to minimize the risk of freezing and breakage.
Comfort facilities
The comfort facilities include all the nesting boxes that aim to shelter the birds from the outdoors on the one hand, and to allow them to “nest” on the other hand.
First of all, it is possible that your garden does not have a tree. In this case you will have to attract the birds to your property by installing perches. The simplest way is to install them near water and food points. This will allow the birds to rest for a while before leaving.
You still have the possibility to merge your perches with the nests. With the help of a piece of wood that you will dig, you will be able to build one or more nests on which you will install some perches. However, avoid placing them too close to the nest entrance so as not to stress the animals that could nest.
Finally, you can create an open aviary in which you will install small cabins so that the birds can come and rest in winter without suffering from the cold. This aviary will have to remain open so that the animals can enter and leave as they wish.
The maintenance of these facilities will have to be done as soon as the birds have left the nest and the aviary in order to avoid the proliferation of germs.
