Attract More Hummingbirds To Your Garden With These Nest Box Building Tips

For many bird species, you can set up a simple box and feel confident one will turn it into a nest. This method works for any species considered a cavity nester, as they enjoy dark, enclosed spaces to protect their young. Cavity nesters include chickadees, American kestrels, wood ducks, and even tufted titmice.  However, if you're trying to create a nesting space for a specific species, you may want to look at what kind of nester they are. Some birds use cavities, others prefer them out in the open, and a few species even choose to create hanging nests on the underside of branches. 

Hummingbirds are one of the species that avoid cavities. Instead, they prefer to have open nests shaped like small cups, which means many of the enclosed houses you can find online geared towards hummingbirds won't actually work. But that doesn't mean you can't make it a little easier for them. 

Hummingbirds like to build their own nest, so the best option is to give them all the materials and let them do the work. Hummingbirds enjoy soft items, so cotton, moss, and various fibers are a great option to stuff into a large-holed mesh cage, like a suet feeder. Place it next to a branch or a sturdy platform (perfect for building their nest) and you might even have the chance to watch them in action as they create their own little home. If you're not sure you want to make your own, there are plenty of options to buy prebuilt ones online that include a platform and some nesting materials. 

To make sure that your hummingbirds actually build a nest in your yard, you need to not only use the right materials, but put them in the correct space and at the perfect time — somewhere between March and July, depending on where in the United States you live. Hummingbirds prefer to nest in high places that are open, but protected from the wind and rain. Birdhouses, because they're enclosed, are not an ideal home for hummingbirds and they'll likely never use the ones you set up.

Additionally, to attract these adorable little birds to your home, you can't just give them the materials to build a nest. You also need to provide them a reason to visit and stay in the first place. Food is the best way to do this. You can grow flowers around your yard that hummingbirds will enjoy to attract them. If you don't have a lot of space for wildflowers, you can use hummingbird feeders with an unboiled sugar and water mixture. Another way to help them enjoy your yard is to reduce the noise. Hummingbirds have pretty sensitive hearing, and if your home is regularly noisy, they aren't likely to visit often.