Houses for Birds

Anyone can help our feathered friends by building the equivalent of a FEMA house for birds. Audubon Mississippi, the Mississippi Coast Audubon Society, and other partners sponsored a number of Fence-Board Birdhouse Clinics in the weeks and months following Hurricane Katrina in an effort to provide cavity-nesting birds with winter cover and spring nesting sites. This component of Operation Backyard Recovery focuses on birdhouses that can be built at low cost by children and families. An added aspect of these initial efforts included the use of fence boards that were downed by the storm and that were collected and recycled into useful items.

Although initial emphasis was placed on house designs for cavity nesting and roosting birds such as woodpeckers, titmice and chickadees, all of which are permanent residents on the Gulf Coast, this part of the overall program has evolved to include all types of birdhouses and the building of bird feeders that also use recycled wood. In addition to engaging children and families, this activity may also serve to engage schools, civic organizations and other groups across the region and provide a nature-based activity that fosters a sense of service and rebuilding of the natural world.

Birdhouse “kits” (pre-cut components) were prepared by local volunteers as well as groups from Vermont and Missouri and sent to the Mississippi Gulf Coast. As shown in the images on this page, a sense of contribution and a little imagination went a long way in engaging those that participated. And this is only the beginning. The impact of the simple act of building a birdhouse or a bird feeder will hopefully inspire kids and adults everywhere as people learn how easy it is to make a difference in their own backyards.

Learn more about the basic design for simple birdhouses and bird feeders and articles about Operation Backyard Recovery by clicking on the links on the left.