Nest boxes for cavity nesters, birdhouses,nesting,bird house

Placing Nest Boxes
What You Need To Know

Building Castles in the Sky

Now that you are feeding and watering the birds, and perhaps have added some bird-friendly trees and bushes to your landscape, what's left?

Probably the most intriguing, challenging -- and even frustrating -- aspect of enjoying

wild birds: providing a place to build nests and brood their young. It is intriguing because we can witness close-up the creation of a new generation.

It is challenging because most species tend to have their own, specific ideas of what will make an acceptable home. And it is frustrating because, even though you "build it," they "may not come." What we are talking about are bird houses (also known as nest or nesting boxes which may become roosting boxes in cold weather).

What Are Nest Boxes?

These are structures that come in a purposeful variety of shapes and sizes that take the place of natural cavities, which are in ever-shorter supply. Many cavities are created by woodpeckers, which excavate new holes every year.

These subsequently are used by wrens, flycatchers, swallows, bluebirds,chickadees, titmice, nuthatches and others.

A big problem for cavity-nesting native species is European starlings and house sparrows. Introduced into the eastern United States more than a century ago, they compete fiercely for nest holes.

What About Design?

Nest boxes may be bought or built. Constructing bird houses has been a favorite family project for years. Plans can be found in magazines, books and on the Internet. The real problem gets back to the persnickety birds.

Not just any place will do. Whether buying or building, your first step is research. What cavity nesters live in your neighborhood, and which of these would you like to have come live in your yard? Each probably likes a box of a different configuration.

Variations include floor dimensions, interior height, location and size of the entrance hole, and distance off the ground. Cavity-nesters can come and go using only the entrance hole for footing; do not add exterior perches, which only aid predators.
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But it is helpful if, on the inside beneath the hole, grooves are cut into the wood or hardware cloth is attached to help nestlings get up to the hole.

What are they made of?

Bird houses come in an endless variety, but usually only to appear decorative to humans. The birds would prefer something plain and functional, without a fancy paint job. The best material probably is untreated 3/4-inch-thick wood. Exterior plywood or pine are all right, but cedar will last longer.

What about heat and air?

Wood is among the best year-around insulating materials. The temperature inside a bird house sitting in the sun can be 20 degrees hotter than outside. Anything over 107F. can be too much for either eggs or nestlings.

To help keep the heat down, a nest box should be ventilated with holes drilled near the top, or sides that are shorter than the front and back. This also provides light...an adult bird in the hole otherwise cannot see inside. To avoid floods, there should be drainage holes in the bottom.

During the winter, a number of birds may huddle in a nest box, roosting together to keep warm, and survive.

Where do they go up?

Nest boxes can be put up as early as January; non-migratory cavity nesters such as titmice and nuthatches look for potential sites throughout the winter. But it's never too late because nest box use often is a result of supply and demand.

Consult your research to determine where and how far off the ground a nest box should be.

Because birds are territorial, unless you have a huge property, you may not be able to host more than a single pair of any one species. The alternative is to hang different types of boxes at the preferred height.

Boxes should be placed out of direct sunlight, if possible, with the entrance hole facing away from the prevailing wind and rain.

Do we look in?

If you are fortunate enough to have "renters," then you have

Offer Your Birds
Nesting Material

some responsibility for their well being. This means looking in on them from time to make sure that everything is all right.

Your nest box should have a swing-open side or back, to simplify inspection. Except when birds actually are sitting on eggs, you can and should slowly and quietly open the box to check if everything looks okay.

Once a week is sufficient, and an inspection should be completed in 30 seconds. If there are nestlings, look in while the adults are away finding food. You could have starlings invade, although if the hole is 1 1/2 inches or less, your only problem renter may be house sparrows.

If you find either of these non-native birds, it's all right to throw them out.

What about pest problems?

The most common urban predator is the house cat, but raccoons, opossums, skunks, snakes and even squirrels can be problems. The most effective anti-predator approach is to mount a three-foot-wide baffle on the pole below the nest box.

A 3/4-inch-thick block of wood also can be fitted around the entrance hole, to increase the reach needed by a four-footed predator. Parasites include fire ants, wasps, nest mites and blowfly larvae. If the latter are present, you should pick them off nestlings.

Under no circumstances use pesticides. Reap the rewards Even without nest boxes, you probably will have nesting birds around -- just not cavity nesters.

Finches may find your hanging flower baskets and robins may use the space above a downspout or porch light, or a nesting shelf you provide.

�2003 The Bird's-Eye reView

Placing Nest BoxesWhat You Need To Know