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Many of those have been removed or replaced with treated wood, plastic, or metal posts. A well-built and well-placed blue-bird nest box in your own backyard or nearby park can help boost local populations. Having the right size entrance hole will encourage bluebirds to use your home while discouraging other species from taking it over. The entrance hole in your plan should be 1.5 inches wide for eastern and western bluebirds and 1.56 inches wide for mountain bluebirds. The Bluebird house plans from Nestbox Builder show you how to use a PVC pipe to construct the house.
Step 4 – Assemble the floor to the sides of the Bluebird House
Before doing this, you will need to bore a hole into the mounting block about ¾” deep, and as close to the edge next to the house back as you can. This will enable the pole to be close to flush with the back wall of the box as possible. Then, just use a piping strap to secure the lower part of the pole to the box as shown. An extension for the entrance hole to your bluebird house makes it more difficult for predators to reach down into the nest.
Mounting Poles
Apply a bead of construction adhesive to one side of a roof piece. Then, press the other roof piece against it very firmly for 60 seconds. If not, it will be OK, just squeeze them together very firmly for about a minute, then let it rest for 24 hours for the glue to cure. Apply a bead of construction adhesive to each side for the back to attach.
How to Build a Bird Housefrom a Tree Log
It’s assembled with the rough side of the wood facing out so it more closely resembles the birds’ natural nesting sites. Notches beneath the entrance hole provide footing for bluebirds, but discourage visits from competing house sparrows and wrens. Before making or buying a bunch of bluebird houses, you NEED to read this section. I wish it were as easy as hanging some nest boxes in your backyard, then sitting back and waiting for bluebirds to start having babies, but it’s not. Mark possesses the perfect carpentry skills so he designed great bluebird boxes with airspaces between the outer and inner walls.
Step 3- Add saw kerf cuts to below the entrance hole
Dark wood may retain too much heat for the babies to survive. I hope you found these bluebird birdhouse plans easy to follow. It is one of my favorite classic designs and has a large access door in the front for easy cleaning when the nesting season is over. Some say that theGilbertson PVC bird house plans (pdf) is the only design that will reallydeter house sparrows. The body of the house is made from PVC pipe, the roof andfloor from wood.
Step 9 – Attach the roof to the Bluebird house
Test-fit the attached back, unattached sides and inner roof. The back piece of the xbox is attached to the inner roof. Two deck screws (1 5/8”) are installed with an impact driver.
USGS Free Bluebird House Plan
Also, with very few materials needed, this DIY Bluebird house won’t fly away with your DIY project budget. Robins should use a nesting shelf without much problem as they are not afraid to nest near human activity. Try placing the nest shelf underneath eaves of porches or barns or onto the side of a large mature tree. Compliments of Bob Rau, below are additional photos and comments that may help you withbuilding this house.
Not All Birds Use Bird Houses
Both chickadee’s and wrens are cavity nesters and regularly use enclosed birdhouses. I have organized my list below by the type of bird you are hoping to attract. Most of the house plans include a PDF you can download or a video.
Step 11 – Protect the Bluebird House from predators
Use your saw to carefully cut 1/8″ deep, spaced every 3/8″ to create a small ladder that helps baby birds climb out of the birdhouse for the first time. Take care to keep your fingers away from the path of the saw. Birds will not care what color your bird house is, whether it has intricatecarved designs or cute little welcome signs. If the latter ismore of what you are thinking of, then the bird house design you choose is veryimportant in determining which birds do or do not use your next box. After the nesting season is over, knock off the swallow nests, so that eachpair will build a new one.
Even with nest boxes in place, bluebirds must compete with both introduced and native species that also want to call these nest boxes their home. Knowing where to place and where not to place bluebird nest boxes is critical. Chickadees and titmice, for example, prefer nest boxes near or under mature trees or within woodlands and forests. By contrast, bluebirds like nest boxes out in the open; even a small yard with open spaces will suit a bluebird. Most important, bluebirds need to live near a ready supply of insect food.
The specifications written in this document are recommended for small and native cavity nesters such as bluebirds. The ideal entrance height for your bluebird house is 6-10 inches above the floor of the house. Bluebirds like to walk in and drop down in their home for increased safety and protection from the weather. I hope that’s the way you are feeling after learning about all the different bird species you can attract using the above free birdhouse plans. To build a birdhouse that only lets chickadees and wrens inside and not larger birds, such as House Sparrows, you want to drill a hole that has a diameter of 1.25 inches.
The roof or one wall should be hinged,so the box can be opened and cleaned after use, and there shouldbe small drainage holes in the bottom. Within hours of mounting the box on the pole, the Tree Swallows werechecking it out and at least two pair of birds fought over the box for severaldays. To make sure the box did not slide down the pole, the roof rested on top ofthe conduit and I also attached a wooden block to the conduit with a hose clamp tohold the bottom of the log. Because the birds have more space than recommended, it probably doesn'tmatter if the depth were 6 1/2inches instead of 7 inches, but I chose to simplyattach the floor on the outside.
They live on our farm throughout the year; however, during the warmer months we generally see them around the edges of the farm fields – seldom do they make their way up to the house. Glue and nail on the bottom of the birdhouse, recessing it 1/2" from the bottom of the side pieces. If the back is flush with the top of the sides, the roof can overhang the entire birdhouse. If the back is more centered, you will have different mounting options. The first step to assembling the birdhouse is to attach the floor to the sides. I use the other pieces to help stand everything up while fitting and gluing the floor.
We also recommend an automatic camera that will transfer images and video to your home, so you don’t need to disturb the nest to see what is going on and check for predators. You will need to make sure your birdhouse plans provide plenty of ventilation so your birds can breathe easy and keep cool. You can always drill a small hole near the top if you feel your plan doesn’t allow enough air movement.
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