Hanging PVC Bird House Drawings

I like the hanging Bluebird bird houses. Being less susceptible to vandalism, they open up places like cemeteries, city parks, or picnic areas to bird house trails. They are easy to move to new locations. Golf carts do not run them over and garbage is not deposited in them. The birds certainly use them. One down side is that raccoons can get to them. Another down side is that monitoring takes more time in that the bird house must be lowered and then raised. Also, these houses can be really hard to find in the trees. Overall, hanging bird houses definitely have their place in a Bluebird trail.

I have included plans for the PVC bird houses I now build and use. In the design, I strive for flexibility so that many diverse views of cavity depth, entry style, and mounting method can be accommodated. The design concepts have evolved over the past three years.

I am especially pleased with the roof design. It is proving to be tough and practical. The long wire hanger has proved itself in high winds and in the ease it offers for hanging and removing bird houses in trees.

Locating the bird entry hole into the removable door allows for easy change or experimentation with different entry styles. I am also working with fellow bluebirders to build a House Sparrow trap into spare doors that can then be readily swapped with the normally used door.

When suitable trees are not available, post mounted versions of this PVC bird house can be used. The thinwall and rebar mount is certainly the easiest to use. When the ground is soft, it may be best to use rigid conduit.

Also included are plans for converting a paint roller into a hook for monitoring or servicing hanging bird houses. The converted paint roller screws onto standard extension poles sold in most hardware stores. This was John Skach’s idea and has worked out very well.

drawn by Frank Navratil SEP98 hngp0m