Nestbox Evolution

In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic (also see Favorite Nestboxes and Nestboxes - Miscellaneous), the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: 

	Nestbox Comparison Studies From New York
	That Remarkable Peterson Entrance by Wayne H. Davis
	Those Oval Holes
	The great entrance-hole debate by Myrna Pearman
	Starlings and oval-holed nest boxes by Kevin Berner
	NestBox software (shareware) demo
	Bluebird Nestbox Drawings
	Nestbox Mounting Methods
	Nestbox, Sparrow Trap, Coon Guard Drawings
	Roost Boxes
	Other Nestboxes
	Nestbox Preferences
	Descriptive Nesting Histories Of Possible Bluebird Box Occupants
	ROOFS —  Everything  MORE THAN You Wanted to Know by Steve Eno
	Winterizing Your Bluebird Boxes Permanently by Svante Humbla
	Results of Additional Research Regarding the Bauldry/Open Topped Box Design by Diane Barbin.
	Pairing houses: How do you do the math? by Linda Janilla

From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Friday, February 24, 2006 2:25 PM
Subject: Pros and cons of nestboxes - my most ambitious webpage project yet

I’ve been working on this for about a year. Here’s my work in progress: http://www.sialis.org/nestboxproscons.htm

It has a table that lists all the styles (that I know of) of nestboxes, pros, cons, floor sizes and comments, and links to plans if I could find them.

I sure would like input, and help filling in the blanks!

Bet from CT

Hmm, the more I read on this, the less I realize I know (which is probably super obvious to others).

After looking at various designs on the BRAW website (interesting nestbox productivity data - see http://www.braw.org/braw_authored_articles.htm) I am thinking more and more there is probably no "best box" that works best in all areas, under all conditions, for all species. For example, unlike Wisconsin, I don’t have to worry about bloodthirsty black flies (some of their boxes have NO ventilation other than entrance holes due to these insects -see http://www.braw.org/articles/ventilation.htm )

However, I do think there are still some recommended common denominators.

Bet from CT

From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 1:18 PM
Subject: general nestbox design criteria

While working on that bluebird nestbox styles pros and cons webpage
http://www.sialis.org/nestboxproscons.htm
I started thinking about generally accepted good nestbox design specs without getting into areas of
debate (e.g., HOW deep should the nestbox be). I was also kind of looking for the "best of the best"
common denominator design guidelines, that old AND new experimental boxes should meet so they don't
lose what we've learned is good for the birds (or us).

Here's what I came up. Do you disagree? Anything missing?

a roof that will shed rain and provide shade. (A 2-5" overhang may deter predators. A shallow saw
kerf (groove or drip edge) will help keep rain from soaking into box.)

No perch

A suitable size entrance hole that will keep out bigger birds, without rough edges (round 1.5"
diameter hole for EABL and WEBL, or 1.375" x 2.250" oval hole, or 1 3/6" slot opening. Mountain
bluebirds need a 1 9/16" hole.)

ventilation to prevent overheating but not so much that it gets too cold inside

drainage holes in the floor

designed to prevent water from getting inside the box

deep enough so predators can't reach in and get to eggs/nestlings

a door that opens for cleaning and monitoring

ability to mount (e.g., on a pole) or hang

usually made of wood (untreated, unpainted 3/4"-1" thickness), PVC, or hardiboard type material. If
rough wood is not used, add saw grooves to the inside under the entrance hole to enable fledglings
to climb out.

Then I list all the personal preference and variable stuff (like ease of construction etc.)

I can't tell you how much I appreciate and value your input.
Hope I'm not bugging anyone or asking for too much.

Bet from CT
http://www.sialis.org

From: rob barron [mailto:rebel1956"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Saturday, February 25, 2006 4:26 PM
Subject: Getting more people involved

Hello everyone,

It’s a rainy, gloomy day in north Georgia. Between obsessing about a missing male EABL from one of my claimed nest boxes, building more nest boxes, and reading all of Bet’s fascinating posts and links (Thanks for all your hard work Bet), I had a crazy idea.

Since it appears that so many of us bluebird nuts also enjoy woodworking, or might have gotten into woodworking out of our love for bluebirds and other cavity nesters, why not have a contest to design the best bluebird nest box, one for each of the three subspecies. In the spirit of altruism (Richard Dawkins isn’t watching), the winning boxes would have free plans on the NABS web site, couldn’t be patented, and would be named something distinctive and functional other than for the designer (although the designer would get full credit on the web site).

I bet we could get NY Times Science Times coverage, and probably a lot of other publications too (Bob Villa-well maybe not, his nest boxes are for sale at house sparrow heaven, woodworking, landscaping, Con-Bio publications etc.)

Here are some of my thoughts about the contest:

1. Open to professionals and amateurs alike
2. All submissions are the property of NABS, winning designs can’t be patented but could be constructed and sold by any company (royalties to NABS?)
3. A panel of judges will need to be selected (Dean Sheldon, Kevin Berner, John Schuster, Linda Violet, Tree Greenwood, Gary Springer, Bruce Burdette, Keith Kridler, Chuck Jensen, Jimmy Dodson, Phil Berry, Bernie Daniels are just a few names that come to mind). Suggestions? Should judges be able to participate?
4. A group of us (to be named) will gather and collect statistics on the success of the “new” designs” and publish a scientific paper and other newspaper article type stories. This may be ongoing for several years.
5. Prizes-What about a full expense paid trip to the 2007 NABS meeting for the winner and family?
6. I guess this will require an entry fee to pay for this? Any idea what would be reasonable?

Let me know what you think. I think something like this could do a lot to get everyday people involved in bluebirds, cavity nesters, ornithology and other beneficial environmental movements. If the NY Times will publish an article on European starlings, I guarantee I can get them to do a story on bluebirds (get ready to be interviewed and profiled everybody).

Thanks,
Rob Barron

From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Sunday, February 26, 2006 5:38 PM
Subject: RE: Getting more people involved

I think it would be cool to make a “bluebird box of the future” that takes the “best of the best” from all existing designs, based on what has been learned over the past 50 or so years.

However, I think the likelihood of getting a group to agree on what is best is pretty slim. Pretty much the only thing I see bluebirders agree on is that they want to help bluebirds .

I also think people resist change – especially if what they are doing now is working for them. I’m wondering when was the last time NABS changed their basic box specs?

On the other hand, bluebirders tend to be very creative and are constantly fiddling with designs to address problems that crop up or make things even better.

I would think that any new box design has to be tested in various locations, and should be tested with all three species.

It would also have to go through the NABS nestbox approval process (see http://nabluebirdsociety.org/approval.htm ). There is no cost to participate in this process according to the NABS website.

I came up with about 59 designs that are out there so far that I would say are distinctive enough to be listed separately. http://www.sialis.org/nestboxproscons.htm . I’m guessing a lot of people have never seen or tried most of them.

Bet from CT

From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 9:30 AM
Subject: Re: Getting more people involved

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Nestboxes are the second most important aspect of bluebirding. People of course come first.

I have been asking at programs "Who builds their own nestboxes?" for quite some time now and there are getting to be fewer and fewer nestbox builders. Where did all of the table saws go that have been sold over the years?

We also take wood nestbox kits to programs especially for kids to let them hammer together their own nestboxes. The box needs to be so simple an eight year old child cannot screw it up. Fancy angles are horrible because they can be reversed. Even wide overhanging roofs end up all the way over protecting only two sides instead of all four.

I forwarded this thread to a Fred Benson he came up with a temperature activated nestbox that contained a small 12 volt fan to pull cool air into the nestbox. It was powered with a small solar panel with a battery back up. He submitted this for a nestbox contest I believe in Atlanta. He was also going to rig up a heater back up for cold days.

I would like to see a nestbox designed that uses a video feed, computer software recognition that will automatically ZAP House Sparrows and Starlings when they land on the nestbox and look into the entrance hole:-))

This should be an annual contest at the NABS convention. All nestboxes submitted would be judged by open bids to BUY them by those attending! The top five or ten bid getters would then be entered in a LIVE auction where the top design or nestbox and builder would get bragging rights for the next year. You might even get the builders to dig deep and bid up their own nestboxes:-))

I have old bird books from the mid 1800's and people have built their nestboxes with the type and size of lumber that they had and used the tools that they had available! Did you know that the earliest photo's of nestboxes showed square nestboxes with the entrance hole way up in one top corner? Did you know that entrance holes were nearly all square or rectangular because no one had invented a hole saw or a forstner type bit and the old "Brace and Bit" did not work well on thin lumber.....One book stated in the 1920's that you could exclude Starlings from your bluebird nestboxes IF you precisely cut the entrance hole EXACTLY 1&1/2" square! Many builders cut the square hole and then filed it round or carved it with a knife. There were LOTS of "key hole" entrance holes with the bottom of the hole flat.

In the past people have invented nestboxes to match the materials they are familiar working with. I started making PVC nestboxes from left over plumber waste pipe on job sites in 1975 but people have built nestboxes out of fired clay pots and clay sewer tiles for hundreds of years. Hollow concrete block make a common nest site for birds when a hole gets knocked in a wall of a block building.

Nestboxes were made from tin cans about 30 minutes after the first can was opened and emptied:-))

Today I can build a nestbox out of Stainless Steel that will last 1,000 years. Stainless Steel should reflect heat as well if not better than aluminum and it is slower to transfer heat/cold than aluminum.

I think one of the most innovative ideas in all of nestbox building was who ever came up with the idea of pivoting up or down the door on two opposing nails doing away with the need for a hinge.

For the simplest design, the one that does the least damage to the environment, the quickest one to build will certainly go back to Mother Nature as the different varieties of gourds can accommodate the tiny Brown Headed Nuthatch to the mighty Turkey Vulture with one of the new African boat gourds. And you can clean out the gourd seeds and feed them to the wildlife! KK

From: Fred Benson
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 10:05 AM
Subject: Re: nestbox question from Bluebird-L

Keith,

There are two notable nestbox competitions in this area. One in Raleigh, NC
and the other in Asheville, NC. There is also a contest run by Birds &
Blooms Magazine.

Details of all three are shown below. A PDF copy of the entrance form for
the Sunset Mountain Spring Decorated Birdhouse Contest in Asheville is
attached. Note the use of the word DECORATED to show the type of entries
expected.

Here a few of my thoughts on the subject of bird house contests based on my
personal experiences as a contestant in the competitions.

1. Aesthetics win over functionality every time. A number of artists enter
these contests and use their creative talents to "showcase" aesthetics often
degrading or ruining the functionality of the bird house. Sadly most of the
judges are not experienced birders and don't realize that aesthetics must
come after functionality.

2. Separation of submission categories (professional, serious, hobby, etc.)
is often fuzzy and not well enforced resulting in entries in the wrong
categories which can place legitimate entries at a disadvantage. If a bird
house can't survive the weather, it shouldn't be considered a legitimate
bird house entry. It should be considered a DECORATIVE BIRD HOUSE not meant
to be used by birds. Decorative bird houses should be placed in a separate
judging category.

3. Entry submission guidelines and rules for judging entries are often
unclear or ambiguous. None of the contests in which I have participated
separate houses by bird species or type (small song birds, medium song
birds, woodpeckers, owls, wood ducks, etc.). Houses for small song birds
(chickadees, nuthatches, titmouse, etc.) go up against houses for bluebirds,
woodpeckers, owls, wood ducks, etc. As you know there are key
considerations of functionality for different types of birds. Many of the
winning entries in contests wouldn't last a season out in the weather but
would look great on a mantel.

4. Submitted entries. This is all over the map especially if you want to
submit a contest entry by shipping it. Many contests have no provision for
receiving and returning entries that are shipped. Birds & Blooms keeps the
entries. Most contestants want their entries returned.

5. Feeders. Birds & Blooms includes bird feeders in their contest.

6. What about other categories of interest? Experimental technology-based
entries such as SOLAR POWERED FAN COOLED BIRD HOUSES, WIRELESS NESTING
CHAMBER TEMPERATURE MEASUREMENT SYSTEMS, WIRELESS NESTCAM SYSTEMS, HEATED
WINTER ROOST BOXES.

NESTING LEDGES & PLATFORMS for birds such as Carolina Wrens, Great Horned
Owls, etc.

PREDATION MITIGATION SYSTEMS.

BIRDBATHS.

From: rob barron [mailto:rebel1956"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Monday, February 27, 2006 5:27 PM
Subject: Trails, home plots, couch potatoes and hammers

Hi group,

Maybe my idea of a “contest” was stupid. I would definitely limit entrance to NABS members and sponsors, and it would not have “ornamental” among the entrance categories. I have nothing against bluebird trails. But as Keith, Bruce, Evelyn, Jimmy and others mentioned, it’s the monitors who matter more than the type of nest box. ...

From: KCBSP"at"aol.com [mailto:KCBSP"at"aol.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 1:52 AM
Subject: Re: Nestbox competitions FWD. from Fred Benson

Nobody will change they way they do their contests, Sorry but I have some lighthearted nestbox suggestions to make.. a new category under #6!!! I'm just poking fun at it and there really is nothing we can to change any of it.. so why worry.. Keep doing what you are doing. Once folks get interested perhaps they will contact a "bluebirder" and learn differently.

Ok here's mine for #6. I'm only kidding you know!!! Experimental based technology like automatic mealworm feeding box or "Mother's Day Box" removes fecal sacs? LOL Or the "House with the perpetual roof?" It sheds and regrows!! LOL

OH well here come the daggers lol.. Kathy

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant Texas
The original NABS nestbox design came from Larry Zeleny. It was based on about 50 years of observing bluebirds in Minnesota and across the Northeastern States and his trails in Maryland. It was also based on his correspondence with other early bluebirders across the country and lots of backyard bluebirders while he wrote for the Purple Martin News, now Nature Society.

But making a nestbox boils down to keeping it simple and taking 6 pieces of wood and making a nestbox strong enough to protect the birds from predators and most of the bad weather. I grew up in Ohio and only (relatively) recently have people found it necessary to install large numbers of air conditioning units on people houses in the Northeast and there probably was no need for large over hanging roofs on nestboxes to protect against heat.
Larry's design was made from 1X10" lumber that is actually 9&1/2" wide. Rip the board on a table saw and you have 4" and 5&1/2" pieces to make this nestbox with almost no waste. (This board was cheaper than 1X12" boards.)

You have a 4"X4" bottom and it was found that bluebirds need 4 square inches of floor space for every baby bluebird as they grow. On AVERAGE the early clutches of Eastern bluebirds will have 5 eggs. On AVERAGE 80% of these will hatch so on average this size nestbox was OK if not perfect for most broods.
Starlings like larger nestboxes mounted at higher elevations and House Sparrows if given a choice normally like a larger nestbox also. (Larry's design when copied by home builders who may only have a 2" diameter drill for an entrance hole or if squirrels enlarge the hole, well then smaller floor space might be better where the non natives are.)

If you ship nestboxes you want them to fit in the smallest shipping box and wide overhanging roofs get crushed or ripped off in shipping. To save money on hinges Larry used a cleat at the back of the box that the top could be wedged under and then used a single screw to hold the roof on that was attached to the front panel. So by removing a single 1&1/2" screw he could remove the roof but protect the box somewhat from people predators and secure the box against predators ripping off the roof. Many of his and others nestboxes back in those early days were on farms where livestock would rub on nestbox poles and destroy the box/pole combination.

It was common for people who owned a few acres to own a plow animal, a sow or two or a milk cow or a horse....Again a wide roof overhang allows a horse to grab the roof and rip the box off the pole or post. Larry caulked the cleat over the back edge of the roof and this made a fairly water tight seal. With the back board extending above the roof and below the bottom of the nestbox you can more securely fasten the box to poles than if it is mounted or attached only at the bottom.

The Peterson nestbox with a 2X4" back board is another example of a builder who felt you had to build a nestbox that could withstand the roughest treatment from livestock or farm tractors.

Larry banded his bluebirds and liked the top opening nestbox for banding, photography and ease of counting the eggs or young birds. He had some blowflies but I don't recall how often they were a problem. A "problem" is when you actually lose baby birds to them, not just because you find a few pupa after cleaning the nestbox. During banding Larry would look for bite marks on the baby birds or larva feeding on the birds.

Today it is nearly impossible in this area to even buy a 1"X10" wood board so many nestbox designs have changed to 4&3/4"X4&3/4" square bottom boxes and make these from a 1X12" which is really 11&1/8" wide. I really like the "picket fence" nestboxes made from 1"X6" boards, again these are only 5&1/2"
wide so you make a nestbox that is 4"X5&1/2" bottom board or 22 Square inches. You do NOT need a table saw to make these nestboxes. I am experimenting with nestboxes that are 4"X8" bottom boards to give a compact nest but exercise room for the young birds.

The Mountain Bluebirds lay bigger clutches of eggs and Art Aylesworth and the early bluebirders in their area found that they needed nestboxes that were 5"x7" or 6"x6" giving them about 36 square inches of floor area for their larger clutches of baby bluebirds. Larger boxes mean more weight.
Mounted where you have livestock means you need stronger nestboxes and better mounting poles. Then there are those with black bears as predators!

We normally get about 45 Inches of rainfall a year in Mt. Pleasant. Midland Texas gets on average about 8" of rain and only about 1" a year during the nesting season of bluebirds. Nine out of ten days we get southerly winds and high humidity off the Gulf Coast. Designing a nestbox for the whole country is like making everyone wear the exact same set of clothes and boots for the entire year. KK

Please, read and then re-read Keith Kridler's latest post on Original NABS' Nestbox Design ,,,, and, then, take it to heart.
We keep reading all sorts of submissions to this Listserve relating to "improvements" required for nest boxes: heaters in winter, air conditioning in the summer, temperature monitors, double roofs, improved air drainage...and so on. Sometimes, I think that I am in fantasy land with all of this.
Based on 24 years of trail work, it seems to me that you take a strong, well built box, mount it on a secure post with appropriate predator protection in the most optimum location....and let the birds do the rest [with your supervision as monitor and problem solver]. With regular monitoring and record-keeping, that's about all it takes. Some of us insist on making something complicated which, at its very heart, is so amazingly simple.
SUMMARY: Put up a bluebird nest box in good habitat and walk away. The birds know how to handle the assignment even if we don't. Dean Sheldon, Greenwich, OH (in north central Ohio just south of Lake Erie)

Dear Dean,

Thank you for this post Dean and yes the birds will figure it all out.

Though we may have our newer more up to date nest boxes in the field, most of us still have a few of our older nest boxes still in service, with Bluebirds and other cavity nesters using them with regularity.

Tinkering is always important to develop new designs to improve nest boxes, traps, feeders and so on, but at some point do the birds really care. In my opinion, no. They just what a safe place to breed and do their thing.

Stick to the basics and if needed, install the necessary predator guard supporting systems. If you are building Peterson nest boxes, then do away with the oval entry holes as the more experienced birders on this list have found that European Starlings can and will squeeze through the oval entry holes on a Peterson nest box.

In short, have a great nesting season with whatever type of nest box you build or purchase.

...

John Schuster.

From: Sara Ann [mailto:sawright"at"direcway.com]
Sent: Tuesday, February 28, 2006 11:06 AM
Subject: Re: TOO MUCH TINKERING

Amen and amen.

Thanks, Dean.

Sara Ann Wright
Missouri Ozarks

From: owner-BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu [mailto:owner-BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu] On Behalf Of Bet Zimmerman
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 11:59 AM
Subject: RE: TOO MUCH TINKERING

Dean, I have tremendous respect for the experience of veteran bluebirders like yourself and Keith, some of whom were bluebirding before I was born. And I also respect and appreciate the bluebirders that have gone before, and the legacy they have left for us. I think we would be very unwise to ignore what has been learned through extensive trial and effort.

However, bluebirders tend to be creative and inquisitive people, and I see nothing wrong with exploration and experimentation, as long as NO REAL HARM is done.

If it weren’t for someone like Floyd Van Ert tinkering, we wouldn’t have his ingenious trap. If it weren’t for someone like Steve Gilbertson tinkering, we wouldn’t have the Gilbertson nestbox designs. I have to ask myself, for example, did Zeleny ever see a Peterson box (the most productive box on my trail)? Did Zeleny ever see a Krueger snake trap? (I actually don’t know – maybe he did, as I’m not sure of dates, but they are not mentioned in his book which remains one of my all-time favorites). Has anyone yet invented a nestbox system that REALLY effectively deters house sparrows from entering and attacking? Because they haven’t, does that mean we should give up trying?

Species, conditions, and climates differ so much from one place to another that variations and modifications can be very useful and help both bluebirds and monitors. If the purpose of a listserv like this isn’t to discuss the possibilities (and share what we have learned with each other), why have it other than to share existing knowledge with people who are new (and in that case, we could just hand them a book). I can’t imagine what Zeleny could have accomplished if the Internet existed in his day.

While I absolutely agree that often simpler IS better – especially because it increases the odds that people will actually build and put up boxes – that doesn’t mean it is always the case.

I find one of the joys of bluebirding is learning, while taking advantage of lessons learned in the past. I for one hope I never quit asking questions, being open to the possibilities, learning, and hopefully being even more successful in helping native cavity nesters survive and thrive.

My two cents.

Bet from CT

From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 8:51 PM
Subject: Re: TOO MUCH TINKERING

Very good post, Bet. Somehow it seems that "Too Much Tinkering" and "Getting People Involved" got sort of jumbled up.

I think it needs some clarification.

In my opinion, when we are trying to "get more people involved " in being bluebirders and monitoring, making things simple especially for beginners is THE WAY TO GO! I have had some to tell me even what we basically do is way too much trouble. I even had a principal of a school say to one good member that was offerning her a nestbox that if she did not have to put all that garb on there (meaning the predator guard) she would take it. I nearly fainted!

On the other hand, as for the "Too Much Tinkering", we definitely need people to invent better ways of doing things and aren't we lucky for the ones that invented what we have now to help us!

So, in my opinion, both topics have great points!!

Evelyn Cooper, President
Delhi, LA
Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society

From: rob barron [mailto:rebel1956"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 01, 2006 10:56 PM
Subject: RE: TOO MUCH TINKERING and GETTING PEOPLE INVOLVED

Hi Evelyn,

It helps my old brain to think this way:

1. We argue, vent, posture and voice our opinions here regularly. Opinions are like noses, everyone has one and they have to let what’s inside out on a regular basis.
2. We argue about trivial things because we share a “passion’ for an important cause. I see that as good. Most of us who argue here would probably really like each other if we sat down over dinner and discussed our common interest in Bluebirds instead of debating trivia over the internet.
3. Those of us who have been doing this for years and have learned by trial and error, mosquito bites, snake encounters, yellow jacket attacks, finding abandoned nests or dead hatchlings, etc. have EVERY REASON to feel like newcomers here haven’t paid their dues and shouldn’t have an “equal voice”.
4. However, if we want more people to join this group (the one helping bluebirds, not typing here), what choice do we have but to listen to them and let them speak? We are doing this for the Bluebirds and other cavity nesters, and not for our egos, right?
5. Finding a balance between making it “simple” enough to not discourage newcomers from getting involved and keeping newcomers and experienced Bluebirders involved will always be a challenge.
6. Sometimes “tinkering” will get people involved or keep them interested and passionate about a great subject.

Just my two cents,
Rob Barron

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
We should all strive with what we write to inspire the newer members and those lurking forever to think and experiment and come to their own conclusions as to what is the best idea or method for them to use in their yard or nestbox!

I could take a thousand gourds today and mount them in locations in this area so that they would only house native cavity nesting birds, native mammals and or insects and last only a year or two. I normally have half of my three hundred nestboxes with bluebirds, why would I not want a few boxes with wasps, hornets, bumble bees ETC. to share the habitat with the birds and have these insects pollinate some of the flowers this summer that will produce the fruits that the bluebirds will need to eat?

Los Angeles County in California just completed their Breeding Bird Atlas and the number one breeding bird found in EVERY 10 mile grid was NOT the House Sparrow or Starling it was the Red Tailed Hawk. Even in Los Angeles there are areas without House Sparrows that you could install nestboxes.

Regular monitoring of boxes allows you to know when you lose eggs or young birds. I have looked into active nestboxes tens of thousands of times and only recall actually saving an egg or a baby bird from a predator on three occasions. All the rest of the time monitoring a nestbox is actually inspecting a past crime scene or a future crime scene.

Experiment with different ideas and different equipment and share what you see and learn. People with only one nestbox in their back yard that they watch constantly have a better chance of learning something helpful than me running a nestbox trail that I spend only a few seconds every couple of weeks at the location! Do NOT be afraid to post to the list because you think you are not considered an experienced landlord!

There are NO dumb questions, NO perfect answers only opinions that all head in the same general direction. When the path gets muddied and full of briers some of us go around the problem on the left hand side and some go around the right hand side but we are all trying to help the cavity nesters the best way we can for our area and our ability. KK

....I am replying to this even though I had said I had commented enough.
However, just this morning, we received a request from an LBBS member that wants help with several hundred "throw-away milk cartons" for the bluebirds and chickadees. to give to children. Now, this man has been a member of LBBS for three years and he has read and read about what we recommend and what we don't recommend. It seems it just went right through one ear and out the other. We will take the opportunity to "get on our soap box" though.

This man (retired) has a doctorate in biology and spends most his time birding and making long list of everything he sees.

I don't think it would help the cavity nesters to promote these flimsy cardboard boxes or plastic jugs, let alone enhance our image. Why would we go to all the trouble to put out units for better protection if the cardboard boxes did the trick? ...

Evelyn Cooper
Delhi, LA

Paul Kilduff, trail at Oregon Ridge Park Cockeysville, Baltimore County, MD

Hi, all, I rarely check my Digest (because of lack of time) but dropped in today. I am NOT kidding when I propose a nestbox which will recognize non-native species and in some way neutralize them (keep them from entering, I would think). This is the future, it seems to me, when software and hardware become sophisticated enough. Not everyone's future. And not for every location.

I am not a quantity-over-quality person. I don't believe in putting up nestboxes in HOSP territory. But won't it be great when you can put up a truly HOSP-proof nestbox in marginal locations, knowing that mothers, eggs, and babies will be safe from HOSP competitition? The technology isn't imaginary, just a little fanciful at this point. How long until someone presents a practical, working model?

Technology is technology, by the way, in my opinion: the space shuttle and the wheel are not different in kind, only in degree.

Paul in Baltimore

From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Saturday, April 08, 2006 8:22 AM
Subject: Fw: Birdhouse Contest

Check out the photo's of these nestboxes. More than 1,000 people walked through this exhibit. KK

Keith,

Here is the link to the N & O article on the recent Birdhouse Contest.

http://www.newsobserver.com/105/story/426594.html

Photo Gallery: Winning Birdhouses

http://newsobserver.com/content/multimedia/gallery/20060408birdhouse/

Fred Benson

From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 8:51 AM
Subject: Re: 1-holer vs 2 holer

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas a cool 54*F this morning.
Back in the 1950's John K. Terres wrote a good book called SONG BIRDS IN YOUR GARDEN. It was one of the first big books I read as a child on birds. There is a lot of this book dedicated to birds that use cavities or nestboxes and he shows a photo or a drawing of a man who was using four holes in nestboxes on his Tree Swallow trail. This man claimed that with four holes the baby tree swallows could line up when they got older and all sit with their heads out the holes and the parents could feed them more easily and quickly when the weather was cold and this allowed them to have more time foraging for insects. (In the 80's the new edition of this book included a chapter on bluebird trails in the eastern USA.)

Robert McKinney in Mt. Vernon Texas back in the early 1990's went to help a group of Boy Scouts put together 50 bluebird nestboxes. He went alone and allowed one of the boys to drill entrance holes in the nestboxes after the box was nailed together. He had all kinds of problems helping a whole troop by himself and the boy drilling the entrance holes got bored drilling the holes. The boy decided to drill a hole in the front and then drill another hole in each side. Robert ended up with 50 three holed nestboxes. Eastern Bluebirds in this part of our state liked these nestboxes (heck they like all types of nestboxes) and Robert began to make three holed nestboxes and he designed a "window shutter", actually a block of wood held on with one screw so that he could pivot the shutter and close off two of the holes during really cold weather. He also installed a shutter over one hole of a three holed nestbox if the entrance faced a large lake or busy highway for when the young bluebirds got ready to fly they were forced to choose a safer direction for their first flight.

Robert McKinney found that House Sparrows still used these nestboxes. He noted that very often a bluebird would enter the nestbox through one hole and then leave the nestbox out a different hole, thus making it more difficult for the then rare Cooper or Sharp Shinned hawks to predict a certain flight path. We were making all sizes of nestboxes at this time in this area and they ranged in size from 4" diameter round PVC to 8"X8" bottoms and depths ran 5">10" deep in the PVC nestboxes. Most of our wood nestboxes were 5"x5" bottoms as we could make these out of 1"x12" lumber.

When we go out and build nestboxes with new groups of kids or adults we often end up with some nestboxes that have an entrance hole in the front and they drop the sides down so far we also have a double slot entrance hole box. In effect these are also three entrance holed nestboxes. Sometimes children don't want a flat roofed nestbox with a uniform 1/2" air vent on each side and they will angle the roof up at the back and create a vent that is 3/4" high at the front of the box and about 1&1/2" at the back and the bluebirds can enter the box from any side!

My Barber claims to make the largest bluebird nestboxes. He makes them with four really large entrance holes. They are 4 feet by 5 feet on the bottom of the "nestbox" the entrance holes are four feet deep from the bottom board to the bottom of the entrance hole and he mounts these nestboxes in clearings about 10>15 feet in the air. The Eastern Bluebirds normally build right in a corner of these really large nestboxes and sometimes he will find three old bluebird nests in different corners of these boxes in the fall. Of course most people will call these "nestboxes" a deer stand. He also has had Turkey Vultures or Black Vultures use these "nestboxes" during the summer.KK

BEST OF BLUEBIRD_L CLASSIFIEDS HOME | Audubon Society of Omaha | The Bluebird Box | Bluebird FAQs | Search | Contact me

All material was originally posted on the Bluebird_L or Bluebird mailing list, and has been reposted here with slight modifications to make the posts more readable in an HTML format.  In cases in which quoted material has been deleted to save space, this is indicated by an ellipsis (...)

For more information about Bluebird_L, check out http://www.cit.corn.edu/cit-pubs/email/using-lists/index.htm. If you wish to contact the author of a post, you will need to edit the e-mail address, replacing "at" with the "at" symbol (above the number 2 on your keyboard). (This change was made to discourage spammers.)

If you are the author of a posting and would like to see a particular post (or posts) removed from these web pages, please contact me with the web page address, title of post, and date and time of the post(s), and I will remove whatever material you like.  If you have a different opinion from one posted here, you need not contact me, as often I will have a different opinion too. The intent is to try and provide both sides to the issues facing bluebirders, and to do so in an impartial and objective manner.

If you have problems, encounter broken links (unless they are within an e-mail thread, as I do not maintain those links), or have suggestions on how the site can be improved to make it more useful, please contact the Best of Bluebird-L Classifieds webmaster. 

Website design by Chimalis