Meeting Your Birds' Nesting Needs

"In the end, we conserve only what we love. We love only what we understand. We understand only what we are taught."- Baba Dioum, Senegalese Poet

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Now is the time to take action in your yard and it is also a great time to have the next generation of kids come outdoors to help. April is Children & Nature Awareness Month, go to: childrenandnature.org or greenhour.org for more information.

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As a new generation of birds enter the world, the food and housing we provide can make a significant difference on how well they will thrive and survive in our own backyards.

Recent research studies show that birds with access to bird feeders often lay their eggs earlier than those without feeders. This is significant because earlier broods typically have better rates of survival and fledging success than later ones.

Feeders also allow breeding females to spend less time searching for food and more time selecting better nesting sites and constructing higher quality nests. The adults will also have more time available for protecting their nest, eggs and young from predators.

When abundant food is accessible to parent birds it means that more food is provided to their chicks. Studies have shown that this extra nutrition reduces aggression among nest siblings and increases their rate of growth. But food is not the only key in helping birds to nest successfully in your yard. A properly designed and installed nesting box can make a significant improvement in nesting success, especially during extreme periods of cold and damp weather.