Much like anything that brings us a great deal of joy, some of us can easily overdo it when it comes to our backyard birds. From too much seed to overcrowding birdhouses and nesting boxes we all do our very best to give our birds what they need, especially come winter. But how much is too much and at what point can it become detrimental to your birds?
There are a number of problems that can arise with a larger-than-needed amount of birdhouses in one particular area and can even affect the number of birds you are able to attract to your yard. Here are a few considerations to take into account when placing multiple birdhouses and nesting boxes in your yard.
The Wrong Birds
We all care deeply about all species of birds; there are certainly a few species out there that get along just fine and others that we would more likely want to have set up shop in our birdhouses. Too many houses can attract unwanted nesters like house sparrows, grackles and starlings and these species can be somewhat aggressive to other species making your real estate less valuable to other species.
The Wrong Animals
In addition to unwanted birds, there are a number of other fuzzy and not-so-fuzzy animals that may very well take up residence in one of your birdhouses. Squirrels, mice, a number of insects and even snakes can move their way into empty houses and will certainly scare off most bird species and perhaps even harm them.
Food Levels
In the event that you have multiple nesting boxes hosting multiple bird families with multiple hungry chicks, it may be a challenge to keep them all fed. When a large number of birds are nesting in close proximity, the fight for reliable food sources intensifies and birds will eventually abandon their nests in search of a better location.
At the end of the day, it comes down to evaluating the property and space you have available for attracting bird families and ensuring they have the proper resources to thrive during the breeding and summer seasons. When evaluating your yard, take the above into consideration and continuously monitor your birds and houses to ensure a harmonious and happy environment is present.