March is when Orioles arrive, looking for nesting sites. If you want their brilliant color in your yard this summer, now is the time to get ready. Be sure to put out a nectar feeder and even some berry-grape jelly to be sure that they choose your yard as a nesting place. If your yard passes muster, they likely will build one of their hanging nests high in a nearby palm or deciduous tree and raise chicks.

Left: A Hooded Oriole couple enjoy jelly at a feeder

March is the month of nests, and this month it is hard to find any bird family that isn't busy building and lining nests, and filling them with eggs. In this area, most birds don't use bird houses. They build their own nests with sticks and soft materials in trees and bushes. Don't prune in the spring, because you might be destroying a bird couple's hopes for a family. Wait until October, when the nests will be empty.

Project FeederWatch continues throughout March. It's a good time to watch. Birds crowd feeders as nesting starts.

One of the few local birds that uses a nesting box is the beautiful Western Bluebird. March is a good time to put out a box. This is when they move in and start nesting. As the pale blue eggs hatch, they need their favorite food, mealworms, more than ever. The worms, rich in protein, are what the babies need to grow and thrive. If you don't have worms out already, be sure to add them to the menu.

Right: Beautiful Bluebird eggs nestled in the nest

Two other notable local birds are users of nest boxes. Tree Swallows, who live in wetlands, need boxes, and some local groups, such as Friends of Ballona Wetlands, put out those boxes. If you want to add a bid house to your garden, consider a wren box. These little birds, with their rich songs are a welcome addition to any garden. Most common locally are the Bewick's Wrens and House Wrens. The mountain fringes, such as Will Rogers State Historical Park, are home to Canyon Wrens, whose haunting, sweet song echoes through canyons at sunset. 

And while you're offering mealworms to Bluebirds, watch for Black Phoebes, who insist on fresh, not dried, worms. They have been known to sit near a feeder and chirp for their mealworms. Scrub Jays, when they're nesting, also are enthusiastic consumers of the rich, nutritious worms.

Left: A Black Phoebe readies the nest 

They started nesting in January, so now is the time that many Anna's and Allen's Hummingbirds are fledging their young.

House Finches are gathering nesting materials and looking around for a cozy covered spot to build their nests. As their name implies, they often find your eaves an ideal location for their nurseries. It's OK to clean them out, but not until October, when they have finished nesting with no eggs or chicks in the nests.

If you hear a series of "click-clicks" when you venture into your garden, that may mean that a pair of Dark-eyed Juncos have a territory or even a nest in your area. The clicks are their alarm call. These tiny, active birds make a fun addition to your yard. They hop on the grass, looking for seeds and love finding sunflower seeds.

Right: a plump junco enjoys some sunflower seeds

Bushtits, who have been roaming the bushes in flocks all winter, now begin pairing off and building nests. Tiny, gray and plump, they can be hard to see in the bushes, because they find the densest places to hide.