Give Shelter to Wintering Birds

When the cold winter weather arrives, many species of birds wait out extreme weather inside the hollows of tree-trunks and snags (standing dead trees). Snags are an important habitat for many species and should be left standing if possible, but because old trees are often removed from properties for aesthetic and safety reasons, there can be a shortage of snags for wildlife in some areas. On a winter's night, when temperatures plunge, it can be difficult for birds to find a suitable roosting spot, and although they do have ways of coping during frigid weather, many birds will die because they are unable to find a sheltered area.

Why not do wintering birds a favour and provide them with a warm place to take cover from harsh winter weather?

One way to provide shelter from the storm is by making or purchasing a roosting box – a roofed, hollow box with perches along its interior walls. Unlike birdhouses and nesting boxes, which accommodate a nest and are designed for birds to rear their young, a roosting box's primary function is to provide shelter from severe weather for cavity-nesting songbirds. Check with your local garden centre or go online to buy a pre-made roosting box.

If you are planning to build your own roosting box, here are a few tips to help you along:

• Reduce waste and material costs by using scrap wood, which most lumber yards will sell at a significant discount or donate.
• The inside compartment should be about 35-46 cm wide, 40-50 cm tall, and about 30 cm deep
• Make several perches out of dowel, about 1 cm in diameter, and mount them at varying heights inside the box.
• Locate the entrance hole near the bottom of the box to stop heat from escaping as it rises.
• A roosting box is designed to prevent the birds' body heat from escaping, so, unlike a nest box, it lacks ventilation and drainage holes
• A box for each species is not necessary; one for smaller birds and another for somewhat larger ones will do. Different sized entrance holes will attract different species.
• Put hinges on the front rather than the top, so the box can be cleaned easily and thoroughly when winter is over.
• Design the box to have a sloped roof to allow snow, ice and rain to drain off.
• Place the roosting box in a well-sheltered spot on the south side of a building or large tree.
• When summer arrives, close the box up or put it away if you want to prevent sparrows and mice from taking up residence.

Another way to provide shelter for not only our feathered friends, but for small mammals and invertebrates too, is to transform waste into a brush pile. Recycle woody debris, such as fallen branches and clippings from pruned shrubs and trees, and arrange the branches in a teepee-like framework, with butt-ends anchored in the ground and tips interlocking. The idea is to create an internal space where occupants can perch safely off the ground. Pile evergreen boughs on the top and sides of this framework to form a dome; each year, add a few new boughs – your old Christmas tree is the perfect source.

Related Links:

• Hinterland Who's Who – Action and Awareness
• Cornell Lab of Ornithology – Roost Boxes

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