In the West, a wide variety of songbirds, woodpeckers, owls, and ducks depend on cavities (holes) in trees for nesting sites; however, in the absence of natural cavities, nest boxes can provide valuable alternatives.
Today, nest boxes are permanent fixtures in millions of backyards. Moreover, farms and ranches throughout the West use nest boxes to attract insect and rodent-eating birds to their lands.
Download our handouts (Adobe pdf) with recommendations and resources to help you become the best nest box landlord for nesting birds:
By following the guidelines below, you can help keep your nest box safe for birds.
Safe-use Guidelines for Nest Boxes
Design
- Only use boxes with a top or side that opens so that nests can be safely monitored throughout the nest cycle.
- To regulate temperatures in nest boxes, ensure that your nest box has ¼ to ½ inch wide ventilation slots at the top (inadequate ventilation can cause death of nestlings).
- To attract desirable occupants, use boxes with appropriately sized entrance holes (see table on reverse).
- In areas with predator problems, attach Noel Predator Guards to nest box entrance holes to protect nesting birds (see reverse for web link).
Placement
- To attract Western Bluebird and Tree Swallows, place nest box in open habitat; face box entrance north, west or east if you live in a hot climate.
- Keep all nest boxes at least 100 yards away from cattle feed stations, feed lots, and bird feeders to reduce House Sparrow competition and predation.
- Keep cats indoors and do not feed predatory birds, such as crows and jays.
If both bluebirds and swallows are present, place boxes in pairs to reduce competition.
- Do not place boxes in an area where there will be disturbances, such as construction or spraying of pesticides or other substances.
Monitoring
- Join a local and/or national nest box monitoring program, like Cornell Birdhouse Network (see reverse for info).
- Keep track of nesting activity by monitoring your boxes on a weekly basis throughout the breeding season (March-August).
- Before opening, tap box gently to alert birds inside and protect opening to prevent young from leaving their nest prematurely.
- Open box slowly and quietly, and only enough so that you can see in to count eggs and/or chicks*, then close box securely before promptly leaving area.
- Practice adaptive management of your nest boxes by using your monitoring data to make wise choices (i.e., if predation occurs frequently at a box, move it or modify it with Noel Predator Guard).
*Using a data form or notebook, document the date, time, and box contents (e.g., presence of new nest material, number eggs and/or chicks) during each check.
Think Outside the Nest Box
Help birds by contributing information about your nest boxes to the scientific community through participation in a monitoring program. Contact your local Audubon Society or Resource Conservation District to find out if there is a local monitoring program in your area.
Create and conserve natural habitat for birds by leaving dead trees and limbs, protecting existing habitat, and restoring degraded areas with native plants.
Get to know the birds on your land. Keep a field notebook and attend local bird walks.
The following table details specifications for nest box entry hole diameter and summarizes nest cycle notes for common box inhabitants in the West.
|
Entrance hole dimension (inches) |
# Eggs laid |
Color of eggs |
Incubation Period(# days until hatch) |
Chick Period(#days in box) |
| Ash-throatedFlycatcher |
1 ½ |
4-5 |
Creamy white, blotched with lavender and brown. |
15 |
14-16 |
| Bewick's Wren |
1 ¼ |
5-7 |
White, flecked with brown and/or purple. |
12-14 |
14 |
Black-capped Chickadee
|
1 ¼ |
6-8 |
White with fine, reddish-brown spots. |
12-13 |
16 |
| Chestnut-backed Chickadee |
1 ¼ |
6-8 |
White or cream in color; sometimes unmarked, or speckled reddish brown and brown. |
12-14 |
22-23 |
| House Sparrow(Undesirable: invasive, non-native) |
1 1/4 |
4-6 |
Dull gray with brown spots. |
10-13 |
14-17 |
| House Wren |
1 ¼ |
6-8 |
White (may be tined pink or gray); profusely marked with lavender and/or brown spots. |
13 |
12-18 |
Mountain Bluebird
|
1 9/16 |
5-6 |
Glossy, pale blue. |
13 |
18-21 |
| MountainChickadee |
1 ¼ |
5-7 |
White with reddish dots |
12-14 |
18-21 |
Oak Titmouse
|
1 ¼ |
6-8 |
White; unmarked or faintly marked with reddish brown. |
14-16 |
16-21 |
Tree Swallow
|
1 ½ |
4-6 |
White (may be pinkish) |
13-16 |
20 |
Violet-greenSwallow
|
1 ½ |
4-6 |
White (may be pinkish). |
13-14 |
16-24 |
| Western Bluebird |
1 9/16 |
4-6 |
Light blue. |
13-14 |
17-18 |
| White-breasted Nuthatch |
1 ¼ |
5-8 |
White, pinkish-white, or cream-colored; heavily spotted with reddish brown, brown, or purplish-red. |
12 |
14 |
Bird Resources & Other Useful Tools
North American Bluebird Society
Cornell Birdhouse Network
Noel Predator Guard design plan
The Birder’s Handbook, by Ehrlick, P.R,. and others
The Sibley Guide to Bird Life and Behavior, by Elphick, C., and others
The Sibley Guide to Birds, by D.A. Sibley
