There are some species of birds that are in need of human help to survive, such as the bluebird. The bluebird utilizes other bird’s nests to make its own nesting area. With the development of communities spreading, the natural habitat and old nesting places are being destroyed, making it impossible for the bluebirds to nest since they cannot make their own from scratch. In order to prevent this species from dying out, bird lovers are creating nesting areas for the bluebird in their backyards. Although some individuals might buy premade birdhouses, there are others that will find bluebird house plans and start from scratch. Most of these plans are wooden bird houses, since wood is the preferred material for building the houses. In addition, using wood such as cedar can help to naturally deter insects from living within the house, making it even more attractive for the birds to live in.
Features
Bluebird house plans usually specify that the home be placed on a post rather than in a tree to help to deter predators. If the bird house is in a tree, squirrels, cats, raccoons and snakes can easily access the bird house and scare away or eat the nesting birds and eggs. These bluebird house plans will also usually state where to place the bird house in order to attract the bluebirds to it. For instance, bluebirds feed on insects that they spot from a perch high up in a tree. Placing the bird house near a wooded area is a good nesting place since it gives the birds plenty of areas to hunt these insects. There should also be some lower vegetation nearby since that is also where these insects will hide, rather than in cut fields or lawns.
If the individual uses the bluebird house plans to build several different bird houses for the bluebirds, then he needs to be sure to space out the houses so that the birds do not have to fight over territory. Bluebirds are territorial birds and need about two to three acres to live in. Normally the bluebirds will not nest within about one hundred yards of another bluebird, so the bird houses need to be spaced at least this far apart. Sparrows are also a problem since they also like to nest in premade homes and will take over from a bluebird. In order to help with this, the bluebird house plans should include pairing the boxes about five to fifteen feet apart so that the sparrows can make their home in one box while the bluebird nests in the other.