Free Bluebird House Plans Audubon Nesting Box Tutorial

Table Of Content

• Bluebird Inspect Bird House Before Making a Final Decision - "I like the open floor plan."
• Ventilation and Front Wall
• Lee Pauser Hanging Nestbox Plans
• The Carl Little Bluebird Box
• DIY: Build a Bluebird Box

We have additional information on ourpurple martin bird house plans andgourd birdhouses pages. In the fall, clean out the boxes and leave the fronts open to prevent mice and house sparrows from nesting in them over the winter. In early spring, it’s time to close them up so they’re ready for the nesting season. Best of all, the swing-open side will give you a chance to peek in on the nestlings for whom you’ve provided a sturdy and safe home. The side door is great for monitoring the activity in these bluebird houses.

Bluebird Inspect Bird House Before Making a Final Decision - "I like the open floor plan."

But – if you have had in the past, or currently have a Bluebird nest box and it was attacked by predators, it is ok to reuse the box. Just consider adding defense features or moving it a bit away from trees or brush. That is because research has shown that Bluebirds will use a nest box regardless if there was an attack previously.

Ventilation and Front Wall

There are a few reasons why bluebirds may not use a nesting box. If they do live locally, is your nesting box specifically designed for bluebirds? The surrounding gardens should be pesticide-free and provide plenty of food (insects, fruits, berries) to sustain the bluebirds and their young.

Lee Pauser Hanging Nestbox Plans

In addition, the plans include a black vent pipe that when heated, will drawair into the air space from below the box (See photo above). Remove the nest and clean the box well after the brood rearing season is past. Materials You can use any type of wood, but it should be 3/4-inch thick and unpainted/unfinished.

His birdhouse plans include black vent pipes when heated draw air into the air space below the nest box. He painted some of his designs with the colors of his favorite sports team. The exhaust pipes are plugged to avoid convection in spring, and unplugged when the temperature rises above 90 degrees Fahrenheit. Building appropriately sized birdhouses is a great way to help conserve native bluebirds. There are THOUSANDS of different free birdhouse plans available online, from small houses for chickadees to platform nests for robins to large nest boxes for owls. The size, style, and location of your birdhouse will determine which types of birds will be attracted to nest inside.

So you want a bluebird house in your backyard?

Corps volunteers build bluebird boxes for Corps of Engineers recreational facilities - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

Corps volunteers build bluebird boxes for Corps of Engineers recreational facilities.

Posted: Thu, 13 Aug 2020 07:00:00 GMT [source]

This will provide a landing spot for young birds when they first leave the box. The Kettle Moraine predator guard extends the entrance hole an additional 7/8 inches. If you observe that is not enough distance, then you may need to add a second one or make your own with a block of wood. So the best location to place your bluebird house is in an open field, preferably with a bit of shade during parts of the day but that is not necessary.

DIY: Build a Bluebird Box

You will thank yourself later if your birdhouse has a side or roof that easily opens to check inside. Choosing the appropriate bird house plan is essential for the bird species you want to attract. Before a bluebird lives in your home, you will need to attract it with food and water. Bluebirds prefer open fields with scattered trees so remove as much clutter from your yard as possible to encourage them to nest. The bluebirds will need room to move around and raise a brood, so most experts recommend a 5”x 5” floor plan.

The large overhanging roof is also designed to shade box. It has a full swing down opening side for easy cleaning and ease of monitoring. For a more secure closure, you need to screw the fastener on the side panel. The Gilbertson Bluebird Nest Box has a round entrance and a different design of roof as compared to the Gilbertson Box with a slot entrance. These are inverted roof designs in positions of natural assembly.

This doesn't mean that a half-inch box is useless (I have a half-inch thickblue-bird box that fledges 3 or 4 tree swallows most seasons). These nest boxes didn't need an additional roof or floor. A 14 and 15 inch log with a 2 inch thick wall would be 78.5 and 95 squareinches respectively, or 23% and 49% larger than an 8x8 inch nest box. I have done this by first splitting the log, then hollowing out each side,drilling an entrance hole, then joining the two halves back together with woodglue and screws. Front of Nest BoxMost nest box plans have a perpendicular face,but recently, several designs have a sloping front. Approximately 1 dozen cavity-nesting birds will use boxes with a 1 1/2" entrancehole.

(See the photo)  It is easiest to do this using a Forstner bit that creates a flat bottom hole. The top of the mounting pole then fits snugly into this hole supporting the box. Then, 2 piping straps are used to further secure the pole to the box as shown and installed with small wood screws. If you’re using ½” EMT electrical conduit, use the ½” straps and it will keep the house very tight to the pole and prevent turning in the wind. Steve Gilbertson of Minnesota has developed a very simple, effective, and inexpensive mounting system that works for most light to medium weight nest boxes. One great part of this system is it provides an easy solution to the problem of how to support a nest box in the ground and keep it stable and straight.

That makes it extremely durable and, along with the rebar and conduit mounting system, allows you to place this Bluebird nest box practically anywhere. Even better, the PVC pipe can be detached easily from the roof of the Bluebird house to give you quick access for monitoring the activity of the Bluebirds within. With a little black paint on the outside, you can quickly make this DIY project look like a birch tree, ready to be a home for your next family of Bluebirds. We have made a collection of free bird house plans for general and species-specific nest box plans for you to use to build your own bird houses. Below we have included free bluebird house plans, a simple one-board boxthat's relatively easy to build. For lubrication and prevent rust, you can brush the screws and nails with WD-40.