Acorn Woodpecker Nest Box

by Carl Stoeckel
(Tucson, Arizona)

I have begun building nest boxes for screech owls, American kestrels, Gila woodpeckers, and house finches.

I asked my friend, Tiffany, a resident of the Central California Coast and avid birder, whether she too would like a house; and, if so, for what type of bird.

The Oakland communities of the Central California coast land support communities of Acorn Woodpeckers. She and I researched dimensions of the boxes, orientation for hanging, height for erection and so forth.

When she came to Southeastern Arizona for her annual summer birding week, she brought with her pieces of Pacific Coast driftwood, while collecting Ponderosa pine and Alligator Juniper bark locally on her birding treks.

I affixed additional Mesquite bark to the interior to assist fledglings in their climb out the entry hole, hinged the top, used scored beach glass on the sides to allow a bit of light to the interior, added a few saguaro ribs for trim, found rusted spring for human interest, added a decorative spar.

The box itself is composed of a 5/8"-solid oak front, and 5/8" pine sides, back and roof. a piece of hundred year old galvanized metal I found in the desert weatherproofs the roof.

In February, 2010, her husband, Doug, is making a short journey, at which time he'll take the box to its rightful place among the hills of the Central Coast, where-- if all goes well-- Acorn Woodpeckers will move in, raise a family and help repopulate the species.