Trail to Earth Day #6: Make a Little Birdhouse

Tree Swallows. Photo courtesy of Sandee Harraden.

The Trail to Earth Day, a series of simple tips to help the environment (with music at the end!) will run through the 50th Earth Day, April 22. We’d be happy to send you one a day via text. Sign up here.

April 6, 2020 — Build a birdhouse (or buy one) and put it up.

Not every bird will nest in a box, and not every box is right for every bird. But if you have the right habitat you might be able to attract species whose populations are falling and that truly need places to nest: American Kestrels, for example.

But plenty of other birds will nest in a box: Eastern Bluebirds, of course, and Black-capped Chickadees, House Wrens, Tree Swallows, and Tufted Titmice among them.

Nestwatch.org has a handy page, with a list of bird and plans for building boxes that are right for them.

Sing along with this song as you’re working on it …