Roosting Boxes and Pockets on Tuesday, December 01, 2009

Introduce a Roosting Pocket or Roost Box to your backyard to help birds stay warm and protected through autumn and winter.

by Steve Jaggers

Shelter on a cold night can be very inviting to backyard birds to help them get out of the rain or wind, or simply to stay warmer.  Your spring nest box, if cleaned out, may be discovered and utilized during colder months.  Or you can introduce a Roosting Pocket or Roost Box to your backyard, to help birds stay warm and protected through the colder, darker days of autumn and winter. 

I have observed a Bewick’s Wren using my Roosting Pocket these last few days in early October. The roosting pocket is simply hung on a fence in my side yard.  The wren arrives around dusk and spends the night safe and sheltered. I do not know how long it has been using this spot.  I became aware of its new night roost at least 5 evenings before I made this photograph.  I happened to hear the bird calling as it approached the site.  I know it has been at least 5 nights in a row that it has used the Roosting Pocket.

In the last few weeks I have heard a number of stories from customers about visitors to their roosting pockets. One customer told me she has an Anna’s Hummingbird using one and a Red-breasted Nuthatch using another.  These birds are too big for roosting pockets, but I am seeing the neighborhood Northern Flickers in my flicker and screech owl boxes, which is unusual as they nest in spring. Perhaps they are appreciating the shelter just as the smaller birds are!

If you clean out your bird houses you will potentially attract night roosting birds. You will also avoid early nesting bumble bees taking over your house in the spring before the birds want to use it.