• Welcome to BirdForum, the internet's largest birding community with thousands of members from all over the world. The forums are dedicated to wild birds, birding, binoculars and equipment and all that goes with it.

    Please register for an account to take part in the discussions in the forum, post your pictures in the gallery and more.
ZEISS DTI thermal imaging cameras. For more discoveries at night, and during the day.

How many bird houses for a patio? (1 Viewer)

Moonbunny

New member
Hi,

I've recently moved into a nice apartment on the 2nd floor that has a patio of about 7 x 8 or 9 feet. I'd like to bird-friendly it with a dog in the future in mind. I've had lovely, bird-friendly indoor dogs in the family and I'm thinking the pup to come will also be lovely and bird-friendly. What I'd like to do is maximize the space to benefit the most birds while...not accidentally breeding mosquitoes and...not putting out a feeder (thankfully, my neighbor has one.) In fact, were there a way to decrease mosquitoes/spiders, I'd encourage that as I live near a canal. I'd have something like a butterfly house it I didn't spray for bugs such as scorpions. I'd have something like a bat house if I wasn't worried about a bat possibly giving a dog rabies.

Birds in the area include rock doves, grackles, starlings, sparrows and at least one crow. Would a porch that size only accommodate one nesting box or bird house when bird territoriality is concerned? Could a couple bird families live in such a small space so long as they're cohabitable? Which would you recommend?

I look forward to reading your replies!

Thanks so much!

P.s. I've seen birds drink from the swimming pools. It seems like the chlorine would be bad for them, however...when the temp's between 110 and 120 plus humidity, I guess you take water where you can.
 
Last edited:
Hi Moonbunny,

I hope this message finds you well and I dearly hope that I am not too late in responding to your inquiries. I recently joined the forum and am so happy to have found your post.

I’d like to emphasize that no matter the size of your outdoor space, you can maximize it to achieve your birdwatching goals.

When deciding on the type of shelter to provide birds, you need to ensure that specific shelter meets these key elements:
- proper ventilation to ensure oxygen/clean air flows uninhibited
- proper drainage to keep your feathered guests dry
- and an opening system that allows you to easily clean your visitors’ space and monitor it

As long as the shelter checks off on these elements, then you’re good to go. The type of shelter is a matter of your style and preference. Bird houses/nesting boxes come in an array of styles. You can drill them into the wall of your patio, mount them on your patio’s railing using a mounting pole, or place them on a table (or in hung at a higher elevation). Furthermore, you can provide more than one bird house (and tastefully display them on your patio) to avoid confrontations among birds with territorial tendencies.

Another important point to keep in mind is that if you want to attract birds, you probably (I highly recommend it) want to put out a bird feeder and bird bath. If you want to avoid issues with mosquitoes, invest in a water wiggler. A water wiggler creates ripples in the water that will prevent mosquitoes from laying their eggs in the bird bath. You can also incorporate small pots of mosquito repelling plants such as citronella or marigolds. To combat your spider problem, try incorporating spider repellent plants such as lavevdar, lemon grass, mint, eucalyptus, among others. Further, providing food for birds is essential because they gotta eat, too. How else do you plan on attracting birds to your bird house if there is no food or water to entice them to visit your patio?

I hope this helps you in achieving your birdwatching goals.

Cheers,

Birdy Vantage
Your Online Nest For Backyard Birdwatching!
 
That's a pretty small area (I've put up 12 boxes on an acre plot and only 10 are used regularly). I would guess that depending on species one or two would be sufficient. The bird feeder next door may cause problems - we deliberately don't site boxes near our feeders as nesting birds may get very stressed trying to defend the territory with lots of visiting feeding birds. (Our nearest birdbox is approx. 30 ft away and is one of the unused ones).

A couple of other thoughts - my main consideration when siting a nest box is shade - chicks will cook in an exposed box! Secondly I would advise against opening a box to monitor progress - a good way to get birds to desert eggs or worse chicks! with some species. Wait till you're sure they've fledged before cleaning it out.

Does your apartment overlook nearby trees? It might be possible to put boxes up with the landowners permission.

All the best with your project :t:
 
Warning! This thread is more than 7 years ago old.
It's likely that no further discussion is required, in which case we recommend starting a new thread. If however you feel your response is required you can still do so.

Users who are viewing this thread

Back
Top