This entry was posted on Thursday, August 7th, 2008 at 6:17 pm and is filed under Bird Houses. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
August 7, 2008
Since man has greatly reduced natural nesting cavities for blue birds through continuous clearing of land for housing and industrial developments, and wooden fence posts have long been replaced with metal posts, the present situation dictates that man offer alternative nesting places for the shortage of natural ones. Blue birds are known to appreciate man-made nest boxes as long as certain specifications are met.
Blue bird houses for Eastern Blue birds should be 4 to 5 inches with entry holes that are 1 1/2 inches and Western and Mountain blue bird houses should be at least 5 inches to accommodate their larger clutch sizes. Mountain blue birds need an entrance hole of 1 9/16″ while Western blue birds use a 1 1/2″ hole. Oval holes should only be used in Eastern blue bird houses with moderate to small dimensions to reduce the possibility of starling use.
The houses should easily open from the top, side or front for monitoring and cleaning. There must be drainage holes in the box bottom to allow any water to drain and also to provide air circulation th keep nesting materials dry. The roof should provide sufficient overhang beyond the box entrance or vent holes to minimize the possibility of rain entering. Vents for cross ventilation should be present near the box peak. Perches should not be used on blue bird houses.
These beautiful birds are starting to reappear in areas where blue bird houses are established so let’s continue to help our little feathered friends!
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