I was browsing through some of my old Bird & Blooms magazines recently when I came across an interesting Q&A section in one of the magazines. In this section of the magazine readers send in their birding and gardening questions in hopes of having them answered. George Harrison is the birding expert of this column (no, not the George Harrison of the Beatles). George is an award-winning author. He has written several books and produced several specials about backyard birds for PBS television, as well as written for six different nature magazines.
A reader in this particular issue asked a question that I often hear asked, especially this time of year. The question was when is the best time to clean out and do maintenance on bird houses - in early spring or fall?
George's answer:
If you plan to leave the house up all winter, then its best to wait until spring to clean them. Then you can remove insects and old nesting materials from both birds and mice. Mice tend to use birdhouses in winter and supplement the birds' nesting materials with their own. Birds also welcome the old nesting materials as they may roost in the houses on cold winter nights.
Go here to read more birding answers by George Harrison.
George's website: http://www.thebackyardbirdwatcher.com/
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