Bird box

[ej]

My 16 year old sister has given me a beautiful bird box which she made at school for her Young Enterprise project. It is about 10" tall, 8" wide and deep, the hole is about 1" in diameter.

Where should I put it? I have a small South-facing front garden onto a street, and a big North-facing communal back garden.

And does anyone know whether I should put cotton wool in it for a nest, or nuts for birds to eat?

I hope someone knows!... The box is currently looking lovely on my stone windowledge, but not attracting any birds!

 

[lucypevensie]

My mom has little bird houses all around her property. I don't think she attracts them with nesting materials or food, just puts it in a quiet place and the birds seen to understand what it's for.

You could just put it out and see what happens. Adding a few seeds probably wouldn't hurt either

 

[SonWorshipper]

Has it been prepared for outdoor use? If not you might ruin it. Or is is made of cedar perhaps?

I do know one things , and that is to face it away from where the afternoon sun will go into the hole, it may make it too hot in there. However if you have a bat box, do the opposite.

 

[SonWorshipper]

Does it look anything like one of these?

 

[SonWorshipper]

Oh, the one on the left has a Purple martin on it and the red barn one has a male bluebird on it. I took these last summer.

 

[ej]

Wow - that's a great picture!
Mine looks like the one on the left.

 

[SonWorshipper]

Great, if you have bluebirds in your area ( that is a bluebird house dispite the purple martin hanging out there ) you need to place it Not on a tree but on a post at least 8 feet high. This is to protect the babies, from raccoons, or snakes that will go up there and steal the eggs.

The poles I have them on are Septic sized PVC pipe that I have painted to resemble birch tree trunks, but any type of post high enough will do. The PVC is very inexpensive though. You will need to bury it about 2 feet so a regular sized 10 foot pipe will do. If your box is made like mine it has a door that can be opened for cleaning in the fall as well as carefully peeking in the summer at the babies. I have another picture somewhere Of daddy. I will look to see if I can find it.