You've fed them all winter. Here's your chance to watch the family grow.

Late winter is a good time to get ready for wild bird mating season. If you want to attract different species to your yard one way to do it is to provide them a good home.
Cardinals, orioles and goldfinches do not use birdhouses. Cavity-nesting species include woodpeckers, chickadees, nuthatches, wrens and bluebirds. Some ducks nest in cavities, as do some of the smaller raptors and owls. The American kestrel, barn owl, purple martin, great tit, and European robin are all common cavity-nesters. 
The most popular yards among birds will have native plants, and naturalized areas for birds to feel comfortable. They will use twigs, mosses, and bits of leaves for nesting material, and will hide in brush piles and bird-friendly shrubs to stay safe from predators and poor weather. 

A variety of food sources, including bird feeders, and fresh water will also help attract nesting birds. Keep in mind that too much pesticide or other chemical-use will harm birds and the insects upon which they feed.

Bluebird houses are very popular. Bluebirds prefer wide-open spaces with room to spot insects in mowed grass, their favorite hunting grounds. They like golf courses and school yards, places without much tree cover.

Wrens are the easiest to please; they don’t mind people. But for their home, they need a small entry hole — only 1 ¼ inches across — to keep uninvited guests out.

Cavity-nesting birds like their houses cozy; 5 by 5 inches at the bottom is an ideal dimension for most species, with a depth of 5 to 6 inches below the entry and an overall height of 10 to 12 inches. Robins like an open-faced box — almost like a shelf — with no front wall.

No perch necessary. Most cavity-nesting birds can cling to the outside of the box without aid, especially if it’s natural wood. Perches actually help other birds or predators who may harass the nesters.

A purple martin house must be mounted on a pole or post at least 10 feet high. Their houses need to be in an open area so they can sail straight into the houses from at least two directions. The purple martin house can be close to your own home. Purple martins want to see people near their nests. They know that human activity offers them protection against predators. 

Be patient with a new home — it may take more than one season for birds to find their house.