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Hobby shops sell little birdhouses.

How to Offer Wild Birds Shelter in the Winter

Not all birds migrate south for the winter.  The bug-eaters like swallows do.  Seed-eaters, however, often just stay put.  Or they might travel a short distance from a more northern location to end up in your backyard, wintering with you ^[1].  Winter is a hard season for birds, and many risk freezing to death at night.  It doesn't take much effort or money to provide shelter for them, and it can make a huge difference to the little feathered guys!

Plantings.  First, look at what you've already got.  If you have a thick hedge, a towering evergreen, or a sprawling conifer, now is the time to – leave it alone!  (Experts agree that winter is generally the best time to prune things; now you have a perfect excuse not to do it!).  Your plantings may look slightly ragged and wild, but they are serving as warm lodging to the birds who appreciate the hiding places and warmth provided by all that close-packed foliage.  Shrubs and evergreens will attract the following birds:  chipping sparrows, song sparrows, cardinals, house finches, grackles, jays, and others ^[2].

Think of all those grateful pigeons!

Outbuildings.  Does your backyard contain one of those nasty-looking tin sheds, perhaps left by the previous owners, stuck in the far corner?  You probably already have all your yard equipment stored in your garage anyway.  (If you don't, then do so now.)  Grab your tin-snips, get out your ladder, and make a hole in the top of the shed through which birds can get in.  Give them something to perch on inside like a tightly-strung clothesline or an old ladder propped on sawhorses or dowels attached to the walls.  Then shut the door against prowling neighborhood cats.  You now have a luxury hotel for the birds, and if you stay away from the shed, they may find it a good place to roost at night.  Pigeons and doves are often attracted to outbuildings.  Yes, it could get messy.  But isn't the cooing (not to mention all those grateful pigeons) worth it?

Nest-boxes.  Nesting season is far away, but now is the time to put out those nest-boxes.  When it's cold and windy outside, and when temperatures plunge at night, many species of small birds will seek for warm cavities into which to stuff themselves en masse for a sheltered sleep.  You can order nest boxes online, or run out to the pet shop for a typical nest-box intended for a pet bird such as a cockatiel or a budgie.  Nest-boxes typically look like a cube with an entrance hole in front, a tiny hole at the top of its back wall through which you loop it to a pole or cage, and a perch inside.

Birdhouses.  These are usually fancier than the basic nest-box, and can have a little pitched roof and decorative trim.  As with nest-boxes, you can get them online or at your local birding store.  Hobby shops are another source for smaller decorative bird-houses like the ones in the photo above.  Aficionados of the "American country" style of decorating like to paint these little houses and set them on the mantelpiece.  But they are still functioning birdhouses that will keep the little feathered guys warm.  Don't even bother to paint them; the birds like the natural look, and will take longer to approach a gaudier domicile.  You can also get plans for a birdhouse online or in a book and build one yourself. 

Cavity-nesting birds that may be attracted to your nest-box or birdhouse include titmice, bluebirds, nuthatches, wrens, and chickadees ^[3].  According to Projects for the Birder's Garden, often the little birds will cram as many of themselves into a warm box that will fit on a cold winter's night.  The next day, those birds that you see with bent tail-feathers probably had to sleep at the edges of the box ^[4]!

Put it right under your eaves, facing south.

Where to put nest-boxes and birdhouses?  You can't go wrong if you hang them high under the eaves of your house, facing south.  I've done so and had good luck attracting sparrows, finches, and other little birds.  The walls of your house will protect the little structures from windstorms and rain.  Prowling neighborhood cats won't be able to find their way up.  (Keep the houses away from easy access from balconies or tree branches.)  

Situate the birdhouses away from the noise, activity, and fumes of your garage.  Also place them away from the heavy foot-traffic around your front and back doors. 

Here at Ornatebirdgarden.com, when spring comes, nesting birds will appreciate a location away from all the twittering and activity at the bird feeding area.  So you may as well situate the birdhouses in a quiet location right now in winter.  The more times you have to fuss over and move a birdhouse, the less appealing it is for the birds – who definitely don't welcome our meddling!  Place your birdhouses in the right spot once, and you won't have to move them again come nesting season. 

I've found a south-exposure under the eaves to be best because it provides the most sunshine and warmth during the winter.  An east exposure will give access to morning sun; a west will enable the afternoon sun to warm up the structure before nightfall.  Try a north exposure as your last resort. 

References:

1. Attracting Birds to Your Backyard, a Rodale Organic Gardening Book by Sally Roth, copyright Rodale Press Inc, 1998. ISBN 0875968929, p. 280
2. Projects for the Birder's Garden, edited by Fern Marshall Bradley and the editors of Yankee Magazine, copyright Yankee Books, Inc., 2004.  ISBN 0899093930.  p. 148
3. ibid p.143
4. ibid