Should bird houses be left out in the winter

Who told your bird houses shouldn't be left out in winter, because your bird house setup has an important role to play in the coming winter months.

Bird houses should be left out in winter because once they were made for nesting, bird houses are now used for roosting birds. Keep your bird house in place for as long as it keeps it strength, but you can pull the bird house down briefly to clear it out of old nesting material, while repainting it in time for winter.

What people often forget is a wooden bird house is a solid, tough box that can withstand anything the cold winter months can throw at it.

To pull down a bird house for winter, then you simply remove the possibility of wild birds coming to your nest box to roost, in which they come to rely on such things to survive cold winter nights.

I ask you then to never take your bird house down, unless its for cleaning the interior or any necessary maintenance work to extend the life of the bird house.

Check up your bird house after nesting birds have left come September to be sure it can go for the rest of the year - while not forgetting to discard of any used nesting material.

What can happen next is birds, who previously used the box to nest or come new additions - will arrive at your bird house for the sole purpose of sleeping in it during the cold autumn or winter months.

You can continue to look after these roosting birds by waiting until they leave to forage in the day, while emptying any build up of muck or things brought back to the box.

Bird houses left out as normal

Believe it or not there's nothing you need to do in regard to your bird house come winter, as they can be left out in the wintertime as normal.

Maintenance or a clear out of old nesting material could be a reason why a bird house is briefly pulled down, but a bird house should soon be put back up in case of roosting birds arrive early.

Bird houses need no intervention on your part, as the location where you place a bird house is perfectly acceptable for the coming cold, chilly months ahead.

Temptation to pull down a bird house setup could be believing the bird house is not made to be left out in subzero conditions, nor should it be left out under the cover of snow, and to some effect that could be true.

Don't pull down the bird house in case of snowy conditions, but it would help to maintain its secure mount by brushing off the weight of any snow buildup.

Needed in winter to roost

Come September when pretty much all nesting birds have left the bird house, you'd need to get your hands on the bird house to clean it out, and make any repairs.

Why this is needed, and why there's a ticking clock, is because now the cold months would soon be drawing in, wild birds like to use a previously used bird house that was once used to nest in, can now be used to roost.

Simply put, birds do use a bird house in winter as a place to stay warm and keep safe.

Roosting in bird houses involves one, a pair or several birds of the same species gathering together in a single bird house to sleep through the night.

Most bird houses are left unoccupied through the cold winter days, but when the night draws in - wild birds will head back to the bird house to survive the night.

Bird houses should be left out in the winter for this reason alone. Rare as it is to see birds use your empty bird house at this time of the year, but its best to be safe.

Made to withstand all conditions

Believing a bird house should not be left out in winter could be because a made in wood bird house doesn't seem it can withstand harsh winter months.

And in certain circumstances that can be truth in climates where its subzero for months on end - rendering the bird house useless until its thaws.

Most of us don't experience these conditions, to which a bird house made in cedar is made to withstand wet, snowy, freezing cold conditions.

Leave your bird house outside through the winter, and only then can you make a more informed decision on whether the bird house should be left out in winter ever again.

What you can do is winterize your bird house to help it withstand the coming blistering winter, by fortifying your wooden bird house. This mostly involves re-treating the bird house with preserve or give it a coat of paint to keep it waterproof.

You'd also need to be sure the vents and so to the bird house drainage holes are not blocked up.

Lastly, you can add a little wood chippings to the inside of the bird house to make it comfy for incoming roosting birds.

People intervention needed

Whilst bird houses should be left out in winter, that is not to say you can leave the bird house up with no intervention on your part.

Firstly, you'd have to remove any old nesting material from the bird house before it can be used again in winter, while repainting it as previously mentioned - with any repairs needed in case there's a risk of collapse.

Intervention by you primarily refers to when a bird house should be looked after throughout the winter.

It can involve tidying up the bird house interior when roosting birds have disappeared for the day, or keeping an eye on the hardware or wire for hanging that is keeping the bird house securely fixed to its location.

When snow heads your way, it would then be up to you to clear any snow from the top of the bird house. Why that matters is because snow not brushed off can get heavy, thus the bird house mount would be under pressure.

Clear off any snow build up on the roof of the bird house to prevent a collapse any time.

Bird houses continue to be good for wild birds, but there's always that risk of something going wrong - so always be sure to keep an eye on your bird house without disturbing roosting birds in the process.

Conclusion

Bird houses should not be taken in during the wintertime, as its this time of the year the bird house no longer becomes a place to nest, but a vital place to roost.

What that means is wild birds would locate a safe, secure cavity in the wild to sleep in only in the cold winter months.

Its therefore possible wild birds would locate your empty bird house to roost in it.

Bird houses should be left out in the winter at all times, to help birds get through the often cold, blistering winter months.

If you are afraid your bird house can't withstand your winter, you could be on to something, but that isn't to say the best solution is to pull down your bird house. Instead you only need to keep an eye on proceedings, making sure the roosting birds are safe.

Bird houses can withstand the coldest of winter if its made in wood, but do brush off any snow building up on the roof - as extra weight could pull the whole thing down.

In addition, you can winterize your bird house be giving it a fresh coat of paint or preserve, while adding wood chipping inside the house for impending roosting birds.

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