Bird houses are a growing avocation of late. This is becoming ever more apparent in the yards of many people, particularly on the West Coast of the United States. It goes without saying that these little shelters for the numerous aviary species have always been popular in the Midwest, and yet this area too, is showing an added increase in interest. Of the numerous houses on the market, martin bird houses are one of the most popular.

One of the reasons for the popularity of martin bird houses specifically is that martin houses are not your ordinary structures. In fact, if they can be compared to human homes, then martin bird houses are the condominiums of bird sanctuaries. Oh what legnths we will go to for our little featured friends!

This analogy is not a loose one, as these houses are rarely for single bird occupancy. In fact, a typical model can often hold ten to fifteen birds, each with its own specific compartment. Further, there are often multiple levels, each level holding ten or more birds, and often as many as twelve levels to a single "house," which truly should be called a complex.

These large structures are not merely a point of decadence, as many might speculate. They are meant to be accommodating to birds while at the same time offering a great deal of protection form not only the elements, but predators too.

As most people know, even birds suffer adversely from the extremes of weather and temperature. Yet there are also natural enemies to consider. The average songbird, such as the purple martin, is constantly in danger from larger predator birds, such as hawks, falcons, and owls. Birds need houses too. When we provide those houses for our little friends, it not only helps them, but brings us pleasure in watching them.

Further, when looking for martin bird houses specifically, it is advisable to get one with a few different features. One of these is the ability of the buyer to clean the house easily. This is important not only as holes and rooms can become blocked up over time, but also as parasites can be transferred from bird to bird when good housekeeping is not kept up. A feature that makes cleaning easy is if the roof or back wall is easily detached to expose the multiple rooms. As well, if a bird house is kept on a pole, there will be a time that the entire house must be lowered for maintenance or cleaning. For this reason, it is advisable to get a house with a light weight construction, possibly of aluminum, along with a raising and lowering mechanism.

Keith Londrie II is a well known author and bird lover as well as the owner of Bird Houses - a unique web site for all bird lovers.