Bluebird Birdhouse Plans Complete Step-By-Step Instructions forBuilding a Bluebird Bird House
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Since Tree Swallows commonly nest in bluebird houses,many people assumed the two species need the same size box. Hummingbirds do not use birdhouses as they prefer to build their nests on the branches of trees and shrubs and not in enclosed tree cavities - or in equivalent enclosed bird houses. Dan Sparks and other members of the North American Bluebird Society (NABS) designed this updated bluebird nesting box.
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Steps to Build a Bluebird House
Also note, the size bits you use may differ from mine. Then, carefully hammer 6 nails into the back of the birdhouse (3 in each side). Carefully center the back of the birdhouse (I use my fingers). Note that you can either center the back so that it overhangs the top and bottom edges. Or, if mounting to a pole or T-Post, you can align the top to the back, to the top of the sides. But let's think a minute about why we want to build a bird house and what we hopeto accomplish.
Monitor the Nest!
I hope you have enjoyed my definitive guide to bluebird houses! At over 4,000 words, it’s one of the longest posts you will find on Bird Watching HQ. It can get extremely hot inside of a bluebird nest box. Your birds will appreciate some holes drilled into the top to help with airflow and cooling.
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HOME & GARDEN SPOT: Brighten your yard with bluebird houses.
Posted: Wed, 18 Mar 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]
Lee Pauser Hanging Nestbox Plans
Unfortunately, there is still a lot more you can learn about maintaining bluebirds, specifically if you want to set up your own bluebird trail. I like the one pictured above because it includes copper around the entrance hole, which makes it impossible for any mammal to chew to enlarge the hole. The oval hole is optional depending on your preference. A 1 and 9/16-inch hole must be used wherein the ranges for Western or Eastern Bluebirds are overlapping with Mountain Bluebirds. The finished project looks great and will undoubtedly make a fine home for a young Bluebird family.
As a minimum, the houses should be cleaned and repaired in early February each year. Did you know that up to six pairs of bluebirds will nest per acre and raise multiple broods per season if proper habitat can be established? We found that understanding their habitat needs and issues is fundamental to building successful bluebird habitat.
If you are worried about cutting straight, then I’ve got good news. This saw cuts on the pull stroke, making it way easier to cut a straight line! I’ve got a link to the same saw I used to build this birdhouse at our Recommended Products Page. But cut the boards from the cedar picket slowly and carefully. The more square and true your cuts are the easier the birdhouse will go together. And, the more secure and sturdy the birdhouse will be.
The only time you don’t want to open up a nest box is when the nestlings are about 12-14 days old.
These guards are not hard to make, and can add another layer of defense to the birdhouse. It isn’t too hard to find examples of tragedy where the mother and babies were killed because predators entered. Then, position the parts so that you can drive two nails into each side of the birdhouse and secure the floor. I’m using 4d 1-1/2″ box nails that are galvanized (exterior). They have a small shank which makes them less likely to cause splitting of the wood. To further reduce the chances of the wood splitting, blunt the tips with your hammer.
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So it is important to choose the appropriate bird house plan for the speciesyou wish to attract. There are even different recommended hole sizes for each species of bluebirdssuch as Eastern, Western and Mountain Bluebirds. Cut the sides, base, back, and roof of the bluebird birdhouse to the sizes indicated in the drawings and assemble them, as shown in the diagrams, using 16 gauge galvanized finish nails. Sure, we would have liked to have bluebirds but the treeswallows have come back year after year, and have fledging many chicks and wewouldn't change a thing. Tree swallows, chickadees, wrens and other birds may use your nestbox before,instead of or in addition to bluebirds. But if you have a serious issue withhouse sparrows then these cons aren't so bad.
The easiest way to fix this problem is to add a guard or extend the hole to make it harder for hawks, cats, and other predators to reach inside. The BEST way to make sure that House Sparrows don’t take over your bluebird boxes is to CONSTANTLY monitor them at least ONCE per week. By checking the boxes so often, you can identify and rectify any problems quickly. Use a 1 1/2″ spade bit to drill the entrance hole as shown on illustration above.
In areas where the eastern bluebird range overlaps that of the mountain bluebird, use the larger nest box for mountain bluebirds and western bluebirds. See range maps and more information on each bluebird species page. Using the chisel, cut deep crisscross scratches on the inside of the front panel. These will allow young birds to climb to the entrance hole and emerge.
You can leave the ends square, or cut them at 63 degrees (with your circular saw set at 27 degrees) as we did. Top of sides are attached to the inner roof above the entry hole. Natural cavities are usually is such short supply, that birds usually startinvestigating them almost immediately after they are put up. Dead trees are quickly cut down and removed from our parks and yardsbecause we don't want falling trees to damage property or to hurt someone. Conley Black states outright that temperatures that exceed 107 F willkill bluebird eggs andchicks.
If you build and mount them correctly, a bluebird nest box can deter competing species and predators. In this plan, the bird hole size measures 2 ¼ inches in diameter. It is an easy DIY birdhouse given the right tools available. There are 2 pivot nails allowing side swing out for easy cleaning.
The main components of the system are a 5 foot long section of ½” electrical conduit and a 48” long piece of ½” diameter reinforcing bar (or rebar for short). These can easily be purchased at most home centers for a few dollars. The other hardware needed is a ½” EMT coupling with one ¾” screw to replace the shorter one at the bottom and possibly one or two ½” conduit straps to secure the top of the hole to the house. The houses should be cleaned and in place by February each year to attract migrating bluebirds for bluebird nesting season. Leave them up year-round, since overwintering bluebirds use them for roosting.
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