'K' Bluebird Nestbox

Earlier posts on this topic are probably found under Passive House Sparrow Control

From: Shari Kastner
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 4:05 PM
Subject: K Bluebird Nest Box for reducing House Sparrows

Hello all,

The trail I monitor has 9 boxes, most of them are being occupied by HOSP. I keep removing their nests, but wonder if there is a better solution other than killing them. Can someone tell me if they've used the "K" Bluebird Nest Box by Terry Glanzman? If so, has it been effective in reducing HOSP nesting? This design is supposed to be 75% effective where HOSP are a problem. I am thinking about trying it out and was wondering if it has been tried by anyone reading these emails.

Thanks,

Shari
New Berlin, WI

From: Kathleen Arnold [mailto:koscharn"at"cox.net]
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 6:33 PM
Subject: RE: K Bluebird Nest Box for reducing House Sparrows

There are many bluebird landlords who do not wish to kill any birds. They trim the wings of sparrows that they trap and release them. The birds cannot maneuver as well, and in my opinion cannot “show off” their wings to attract a mate, so you take them out of the breeding cycle, since birds are always looking for the best mates. This means one less generation of birds from these birds, and their inability to maneuver may make them easier for a predator to catch. You can see photos and descriptions at
http://www.sialis.org/wingtrim.htm

Trimming their feathers does not hurt them. Taking them out of a season of breeding has a larger impact on the population than you might think, since the birds only live a few years. And the generation that is not produced will not have young themselves.

Kate Arnold
Paris, Texas

From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 8:08 AM
Subject: Re: K Bluebird Nest Box for reducing House Sparrows

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas another cool 54*F morning
A few things jump out at me if I were to Test the K Bluebird nestbox in Texas. There is no ventilation except for the entrance hole and the roof is going to be close to the eggs and baby birds when they are in the nestbox. Also a 4"x4" bottom creates a small floor area and the young birds will be right up against a side of the nestbox when 4 or 5 babies are in the nestbox and they are 9 days old or older.

This would be a nestbox that could be used regionally where the day time temperatures don't go to high heat extremes and or use the nestbox where it would be shaded during the day.

I always tell nestbox builders in the south to look at how houses were built in the south before air-conditioning. NUMBER one on the list is that all the old mansions or houses were painted WHITE. There were NO "black shingled" roofed houses in the south until air conditioners were installed. If you could afford any house costs you built overhanging porches ALL around the entire house so that sun could not shine on the exterior walls of the house. Poor people normally built ceilings in their houses 10 feet tall as heat rises or radiates down from the attic and you wanted to keep this excess heat higher in the rooms. You installed "double hung" very tall windows that opened from the tops down to allow the heat at the top of the rooms to escape at night. Wealthy people built their houses with 12 foot tall ceilings. The really wealthy built ceilings with 16 foot or higher ceilings, again to keep the heat from the roof, attic ETC. above the normal living height of humans in a house. You did NOT build Master Bedrooms on the west side of the house.

Mansions were built on knolls or hills or bluffs and turned to take advantage of prevailing winds. Many were built in old growth forests among massive, tall trunked trees that were left to carefully shade the new house but spaced to allow the wind to blow freely.

Most Purple Martin houses have 6" tall compartments with the entrance holes to the compartments only 1" off the floor. House Sparrows readily use this type house so height of entrance hole is not a factor in deterring House Sparrows. Older Purple Martin houses also used 2&1/2" diameter round entrance holes which House sparrows also loved so SIZE of the entrance hole is not really a determining factor.

I see House Sparrows nesting in 2&1/2" diameter pipe clothes line poles where it is impossible for them to build a "Large Domed" nest.

Back in the 1980's a "House Sparrow" proof nestbox was designed and promoted that was 3&1/2"X3&1/2" bottom/floor with the floor to height inside the nestbox of only 4" tall with a 1&1/2" round entrance hole. I made and installed 50 of them where I had found House Sparrows nesting in prior years and about 75% of these (36) were used by House Sparrows the FIRST summer! Then the design was switched to a 3&1/2" wide slot across the front of this small nestbox but House Sparrows STILL used many of these on many different trails in more wide spread testing on other trails.

House Sparrows on my trails are really a non-issue since there are so many House Sparrow traps on the market you just WEED them out when they appear.

In Gardening there is a saying, "I garden, therefore I WEED."

Bluebirding would be, "I raise bluebirds, therefore I remove House Sparrows." KK

Hi Sherri,

Thanks for sharing the "K" bluebird box plans with our group. We are constantly looking for a House Sparrow deterrent nest box. I thought I had some new and good ideas when I first started posting here. Some of them worked where I was and didn't work at all for other people in other parts of the country. I'm surprised now that people didn't laugh harder at some of the ideas I posted here, but this group is pretty kind, and we're all on the same side against House Sparrows and European Starlings. If your ideas have merit and work, you'll find a grateful audience here. If they don't work, you won't be the first, and at least you're trying.

I looked at the "K'" box plans and quite frankly, I saw nothing new or unique and nothing that looked to me like it would deter House Sparrows where I am, and in fact the etnrance is big enough to let European Starlings into the nest box. The nest box interior looks pretty small to me also.

Please tell me where this nest box is supposed to be 75% effective in deterring HOSP. IF this can be substantiated by statistics, we'll all be interested.

Don't let my critical review of your posts get to you. I'll send you some of the feedback I got when I first started posting here. We're all on the side of Bluebirds. House Sparrows get us experienced Bluebird monitors cranky. There may be a "better" solution than killing House Sparrows, but there isn't a more effective solution.

Sincerely,
Rob Barron

Rob,

Here is a link to the BRAW web page that states some members have found this style box 75% effective against HOSP.
http://www.braw.org/pdf/BP1%20-%20K%20Bluebird%20Nest%20Box.pdf

Has anyone out there tried this box?

Thanks,

Shari
New Berlin, WI

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 9:07 AM
Subject: Re: K Bluebird Nest Box for reducing House Sparrows

Ron, et al,
I long ago stopped using 3/4 " thick lumber for Bluebird houses. Too thin, too flimsy, too-warp-prone. All my lumber is now 7/8 ". rough one side. It makes a sturdy, rugged, durable house, with good insulating characteristics. It's also *cheaper* than 3/4", at least where I am.

Bruce Burdett SW NH

In case some of you are wondering what a "K" Bluebird Nest Box by Terry Glanzman might look like, it can be seen at

http://www.braw.org/pdf/BP1%20-%20K%20Bluebird%20Nest%20Box.pdf

Ron Kingston Charlottesville, Virginia

From the construction drawings, the K-box is very shallow (hole-to-floor).
It would be interesting to hear from Terry Glanzman (the designer) as to the box's track record of avian predation by Jays, Crows.

Linda Violett
Yorba Linda, Calif.

Rob,

I share your skepticism because it would seem to me that HOSP are very
adabtable to any type of entry hole we can think up. A HOSP-proof nestbox
has always seemed counterintuitive to me because a HOSP can fit into any hole that an EABL can. However, I admire those who wish to try and will
certainly love to learn what they find through their experiments. I have
learned over the years that the best way to deter unwanted wildlife is to deny them access, which is an admirable quest and works well for many species (ex: predator baffles on nestbox poles; bear-proof lids on garbage cans, etc.) I just do not believe it can be done with this particular
problem. Prove me wrong :)

And for fun, just to illustrate their amazing adaptability, here is a little poem I wrote last year:

HOUSE SPARROW BEST NEST

Would they, could they
In a tree?
Where fragile boughs
Wave breezily?

They would, they could
In a tree.

Would they, could they
In a box?
With slanted floor
and maybe locks?

They would, they could
In a box.

Would they, could they
In a vent?
Where did they go?
That's where they went.

They would, they could
In a vent.

Would they, could they
Behind that sign?
Start out with two,
End up with nine.

They would, they could
In a sign.

Would they, could they
In a light?
Try it. Try it.
They just might.

They would, they could
In a light.

House Sparrows will nest here or there.
House Sparrows will nest any where.
I do not like speckled eggs.
Oh damn! I do not like them Sam I am!

Paula Ziebarth
Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net]
Sent: Monday, May 22, 2006 6:15 PM
Subject: K box vs. Gilwood

I have not tried the “K” box, but it looks a lot like a Gilwood other than the Gilwood is 5” from bottom of hole to floor, the floor size is 3.5 x 4.25”, and is made of thicker wood, and has a flat roof.

Neither looks big enough for Western Bluebirds.

Shallow slot boxes are supposed to deter HOSP too, but apparently bluebirds aren’t too keen on them either. And then there is the avian predator issue Linda noted.

I have not noticed any HOSP deterrent effect with a Gilwood box.

Regarding ventilation holes, some Wisconsin folks are trying out boxes without ventilation because of the horrid gnat/blackfly problems in some areas.

Bet from CT

See nestbox pros and cons: http://www.sialis.org/nestboxproscons.htm

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