Feeding wild birds is a very rewarding and gratifying backyard activity. I mean, it’s hard to beat seeing all of those colorful birds flitting in and out of your yard. Not to mention the songs they sing that filter in through our open windows on a warm summer morning. Over all it’s a wonderful experience.

To take backyard bird feeding one step further you might want to consider providing some housing for your avian visitors. Ya, that’s right food and shelter. What a great combination. If you thought feeding the birds was fun, wait till you put up a couple nesting boxes and get a glimpse into the family life a your favorite birds.

Providing backyard nesting habitat is fairly easy. All you need to do is observe what bird species are already visiting your yard then provide them with the correct housing. And I can’t over emphases the need for “correct” housing. Believe it or not, the type of nest box and the size of the entrance hole are extremely important in attracting a specific species of bird. For example if you want a Black-capped Chickadee to nest in a house you provided for them, you will need a nest box with a entrance hole that is no bigger than 1 1/8 inch. So do a little reading and educate yourself before just putting up some nest boxes.

If you want to attract a specific species to your yard, you will need to ask yourself what kind of habitat surrounds my home? For example, many homeowners want to attract bluebirds to their yards. I don’t blame them, who wouldn’t. I would love to have bluebirds in my yard, however if you don’t have the correct habitat your chances are very slim of ever getting bluebirds to use your nest boxes. Bluebirds prefer wide open habitat away from any woodlands. If your yard is heavily wooded like mine, your chances of getting a bluebird are greatly diminished and you will only attract woodland species to your bluebird boxes.

However your wooded yard would be a great place to attract a very special cavity nesting bird. It’s a common bird but is not often seen due to its secretive behavior and tree top preferences. It is the Great Crested Flycatcher. It is one of the larger members of the flycatcher family with a warm olive colored head and back and a bright yellow belly and a long rusty red tail. It is slightly smaller than a robin and best of all, it nests in cavities so you have a chance at attracting this bird to nest in your yard.

Recently I had an opportunity to photograph a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers, thanks to a wonderful reader who contacted and invited me to see and photograph her birds. I must commend her for putting up all sorts of nesting boxes in her well maintained yard. When I first arrived there were birds flitting to and from the feeders. There were more birds splashing in the many bird baths that were scattered around the yard.

The homeowner explained to me her husband built the nesting boxes that dotted her yard. The nest box that the flycatchers were using had the entrance hole widened by a squirrel and later by a woodpecker. All of this unwanted activity made the nest box a perfect fit for the Great Crested Flycatchers.

Apparently the flycatchers tried unsuccessfully to nest in a different nest box last year. This year they moved over and found the perfect home. The day I was there the babies had just hatched that morning. There were four little ones and the parents were busy collecting tiny insects to feed their family.

By the time I returned to photograph the young birds a couple days later the young were much larger and the parents were bringing in huge bug meals. I returned twice more and was thrilled at the opportunity to document this wonderful backyard bird.

If you have an interesting visitor to your yard, I would love to hear about it. Until next time…