March 7, 2001 – Tom Weber, Palouse Audubon Society
Bird
houses should be easily accessible so you can see how your birds are doing and,
when the time comes, clean out the house.
Face the entrance hole of your box east to northeast to avoid
overheating and prevailing winds.
Bluebird boxes are normally mounted on a post or fence post and should
be between 5 and 6 feet from the ground.
The area to the front of the box should be open and unobstructed. Because young birds leaving the nest fly
towards a close tree or bush, having the entry face towards the same or another
fence post is desirable. A rough
surface both inside and out makes it easier for the adults to get into the box
and, when it's time, for the nestlings to climb out. If your box is made of finished wood, add a couple of grooves
below the hole both inside and outside of the box. Never put up a bird house with a perch below the entrance
hole. Perches offer starlings, house
sparrows, and other predators a convenient place to wait for lunch.
Part
of being a responsible bird house landlord is your willingness to watch out for
your tenants. Monitor your bird houses
every week during the nesting season and evict unwanted creatures. House Sparrows and Starlings (pest species
introduced from Europe) will bully or kill cavity-nesting birds. Since house sparrows and starlings are not
protected by law, their nests may be destroyed. A more humane solution is to plug the hole until they find a
different place to establish their nest.
Remember, however, that all other birds are protected by law. Although House Wrens interfere with the
nesting success of other birds by puncturing their eggs, these birds are part
of the natural system and are protected. Don't be tempted to intervene. Insects and parasites often exist in nest
boxes. Do not use insecticides for
control. Most insecticides are not safe
around birds. If wasps are a problem,
coat the inside top of the box with bar soap.
Clean
out your nest boxes after each brood has fledged. Many cavity nesting birds will not nest again in a box full of
old nesting. Also, clean out your nest
box each fall and again in the early spring.
They will provide shelter for birds and other animals during winter.
Please
report your nest box successes or failures to Tom Weber at (509)334-3817. He can also be reached via email at tweber@wsu.edu Additional information
about bluebirds is available from the North American Bluebird Society (NABS)
at: http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/ Additional information about other
birdhouses, and monitoring is available at: http://www.audubon.org/educate/expert/birdhouse.html
or from the Palouse Audubon
Website at: http://www.palouseaudubon.org/