Bird lovers, are you looking to attract birds to your property?

If so, why not look at a handmade bird box from the Carbon County Environmental Education Center in Summit Hill.Build your ownThe center will host Bird Box Building at 1 p.m. Feb. 28 in its activity room. The class aims to help create habitats for bluebirds, chickadees, titmice, wrens or deer mice using precut kits.Franklin Klock, naturalist at the center, said the event is open to people and families. There is a size limit of 15 participants, and groups are not recommended for this event because of the size of the room where the building will take place. Kits are $10 apiece, and the deadline to register is Feb. 20.He said tools will be supplied, but if someone has a favorite hammer they like working with, they can bring their own tools along as well.Klock said if a group is interested in building bird boxes, the center can set up a special time.To make reservations or to learn about other opportunities to build boxes, call the center at 570-645-8597.Purchase a premadeIf building a bird box is not your thing, but you would still like to attract birds to your property, CCEEC will also be selling preassembled bird boxes beginning in early March.The boxes will be available for a $15 donation and will be handmade by the center's staff as well as volunteers.Klock said anyone who is good with woodworking and would like to volunteer their time to create the boxes can contact the center.The premade boxes typically each have their own "quirks" to them since a number of people constructed the boxes.Klock said the design is simple and attracts a number of migratory birds in the spring months. These birds are natural cavity nesters, so the boxes create an inviting space to make their nests."As trees die and rot you end up with a natural hole," Klock said. "The problem though is a lot of times when people clean up, the first thing to go is the dead stuff, and what you're actually doing is taking the natural cavities away so birds don't have any place to live."These boxes bring those cavities back in a way that's a little more aesthetically pleasing."How to care for your bird boxKlock recommends hanging the boxes about 5 to 8 feet off the ground and said that many find hanging the box facing east works nicely for the birds because they like the warmth of the rising sun.He noted that to hang the box, you can either secure it using two screws, or drill two holes on the top edge and fasten it using a bungee cord wrapped around the tree.The box also has a side panel that opens like a garage door to allow easy access to clean the box.Klock said it is important to clean or hang the box around February or March so when the birds return, it is nest-ready.He also reminded everyone about the importance of cleaning birdfeeders and boxes with a 10-part water, one-part bleach mixture periodically to stop the spread of disease that birds can pass to each other.Klock recommended that some sort of latch, like a finishing nail bent to create a turnkey latch, should be installed on the door before it is hung so predators, like raccoons or cats, cannot get in.Don't be discouraged if the first year nothing takes to the boxes, Klock said. Sometimes, it may take a season or two before a bird will choose to nest in the box."Sometimes they like them a little bit weathered," he said. "So if nothing goes in that first year, that's perfectly normal. Hang them up now, even if it's for next year."The Carbon County Environmental Education Center has been building bird boxes for approximately a decade.Visit the center at 151 E. White Bear Drive in Summit Hill.