Inviting Birds Home
Allison Sayer - CRR Staff
Birds are already starting courtship and territorial displays on Prince William Sound, and migratory species are steadily arriving. Some are still on their way. This is a good time to think about getting some nest boxes together.
Birds can be particular about the dimensions of their boxes. I found the website nestwatch.org to be very helpful. You can download complete plans for nest boxes by species. If you’re not sure which species you want, you can enter your state and habitat type to see suggested birds.
There are little touches you can add to make your nest box extra hospitable. For example, you can add grooves or other texture to help babies’ little feet up the front wall, or perches for adults. You can also scatter domestic feathers or fur (from brushing a dog, for example) around the site of your box for parents to find.
In other bird news, there will be an event at the Wrangell St. Elias National Park Visitor Center in honor of International Migratory Bird Day on May 14. Diane Ellsworth will give a talk about ravens at 1 p.m., followed by a bird walk and instruction on the basics of birding with Ellsworth and Katie Bobowski.
