contentedbirder
Well-known member
I know from internet articles that some birds will enter through a wide but shallow opening, and such a strategy helps keep nestboxes free of House Sparrows.
For several months, through the fall and now into January, I'm experimenting with slightly oval openings on four of my nextboxes in my New Jersey suburban backyard. The intention is to keep out house sparrows. In one, attached to a wooden pole under a holly tree, a female downy woodpecker ducks in to sleep every night. The nestbox little downy uses has a wooden predator guard attached, along with a copper hole protector / copper portal. The copper protector is attached so that part of it overhangs the top of the opening and leaves part of the wood hole exposed at the bottom. Overall height of the opening is reduced by about 3 mm to around 33 mm (about 1 1/4") while the width remains at 36 mm (about 1 1/2").
I don't see any evidence of any of the other nestboxes being used for sleeping.
Has anyone experimented with oval openings (or round openings with a straight piece reducing the overall height) for nestboxes intended for chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, titmice or downy woodpeckers?
For several months, through the fall and now into January, I'm experimenting with slightly oval openings on four of my nextboxes in my New Jersey suburban backyard. The intention is to keep out house sparrows. In one, attached to a wooden pole under a holly tree, a female downy woodpecker ducks in to sleep every night. The nestbox little downy uses has a wooden predator guard attached, along with a copper hole protector / copper portal. The copper protector is attached so that part of it overhangs the top of the opening and leaves part of the wood hole exposed at the bottom. Overall height of the opening is reduced by about 3 mm to around 33 mm (about 1 1/4") while the width remains at 36 mm (about 1 1/2").
I don't see any evidence of any of the other nestboxes being used for sleeping.
Has anyone experimented with oval openings (or round openings with a straight piece reducing the overall height) for nestboxes intended for chickadees, nuthatches, wrens, titmice or downy woodpeckers?