Where to put up a nestbox & how to attract tennants (1 Viewer)

[The Lion Cub]

We've never put up a nestbox before, but we have one thats 6'' x 7'' and 9'' tall, with an entrance hole 1 and a half inches in diameter 7'' above the base. It's a small yard but we have several feeders. I am guessing we should put up the box in the back of the yard where it is less likely to be disturbed.
Also, what methods are useful in attracting birds to a nest box? Should we line the inside with dead grass or let the birds do it themselves?

Thanks

 

[Cbarnhorst]

What kind of birds do you think will be attracted by the box? Try some of the sites like KNWoodWorks at http://www.knwoodworks.com/ and compare the description of your box with those commercially available to see what birds are likely to be attracted by it. There is a dimension chart on the site.

As for nesting materials, it depends on what you figure out from the above, of course. A lot of people advise providing nesting material nearby and letting the nester line the box for itself.

 

[The Lion Cub]

thanks!

 

[longbow]

A great question. I've had a bird house up for a couple of years, and although I have a great population of chickadees, siskins, robins and juncos, nobody has as yet moved in. I'm going to put up a few more soon. More advice would certainly not be amiss.

 

[NeilB]

We've put up a nestbox/birdbox for the first time in over 10 years in our garden. We had a Blue Tit "claim it" within a day! It's quite interesting actually as there are plenty of other established boxes in our neighbouring gardens but ours was snapped up straight away. The biggest difference between our box and the rest is how high we put it. Ours is 10ft high and I had to cling onto a ladder (health & safety went out the window) to put it up. Honestly don't know if that makes a difference? We've also positioned it so there are some branches in front of the box - not really close but close enough for the Blue Tit to land on one almost every time it goes into the box.

As for lining the box - we used very very small bark chippings. Within about 2-3 weeks it had all been chucked out! Enough said ...

 

[The Lion Cub]

Which direction should the house face in... I would guess we should not face it directly south because the sun is always in the southern half of the sky and it might not be the best thing for them to be constantly in the sun...

 

[NeilB]

Quite a few people recommend the box should face between North & East. The idea being to stop it from getting the strongest sunlight. I guess it would heat up inside the box more? We followed the advice when hanging our box but that was simply because it was our first proper box and we wanted to have the best chance of getting something in it. It seems to have worked so far ...

 

[The Lion Cub]

I noticed a House Wren hangin around yesterday and he just woke we up again this morning... wrens are good nestbox birds right?

 

[Azzy]

Quite a few people recommend the box should face between North & East. The idea being to stop it from getting the strongest sunlight. I guess it would heat up inside the box more? We followed the advice when hanging our box but that was simply because it was our first proper box and we wanted to have the best chance of getting something in it. It seems to have worked so far ...

So, you saying that in the northern hemisphere, does that mean that a nestbox here should face southwest then? It would certainly face it away from the harshest sun, although I don't quite recall which direction the weather usually comes in.

 

[The Lion Cub]

So, you saying that in the northern hemisphere, does that mean that a nestbox here should face southwest then? It would certainly face it away from the harshest sun, although I don't quite recall which direction the weather usually comes in.

I think that would be the case there!

 

[earleybird]

I read somewhere that it is important to get the entrance hole the right diameter to attract the birds you want to nest. I believe the thinking is that If the holes are too big some birds would feel vulnerable I think you can buy nestbox hole restrictors
We were thinking about errecting some nestboxes but i think we may be too late now this year.

 

[NeilB]

So, you saying that in the northern hemisphere, does that mean that a nestbox here should face southwest then? It would certainly face it away from the harshest sun, although I don't quite recall which direction the weather usually comes in.

Yes, as long as it's not in the harshest sun. If the box location is going to always be in the shade etc I doubt any of this really matters. Although having said that it should still be protected from the weather. The ironic thing is we have had birds nesting under our roof which is constantly in the sun - they didn't seem to mind!

Earleybird is right about nestbox hole sizes but I've read that some birds can't get through holes designed for them simply because they are too "big/fat". Going back to the birds under our roof - the hole up there is long and thin and nothing like a nestbox entrance!

 

[earleybird]

Going back to the birds under our roof - the hole up there is long and thin and nothing like a nestbox entrance!

yes thats the important thing really isn't it. if there is a plentiful supply of food and nesting material around and the location is safe from predators then many birds will nest in practically anything. We have loads of birds nesting in holes and cracks in the sandstone walls of our house

 

[Azzy]

Going back to the birds under our roof - the hole up there is long and thin and nothing like a nestbox entrance!

I was hoping to actually put up a box like that for the pardalotes, they nest in burrows (or tree hollows) but they like a long narrow entrance, I may have to try my hand at constructing one at some point.