Bats

Feb 28, 2020

Choosing the Right Seed

Feb 29, 2020

Published by Dave Kwasnick on Feb 29, 2020

Bird Habitat Guide

Placing Nesting Boxes

So, you want to place a nest box? Good for you! Natural cavity nests are in short supply with invasive species such as European Starlings and House Sparrows ramping up the competition with native species. It’s not hard to place a nesting box (thought a ladder may be involved.) The four main factors you need to consider are:

Habitat

Is the surrounding area right for the bird you want to attract? (See chart below.)

Box Placement Type

Placing it where the birds want it, not the predators. (See chart below.)

Space Between Nesting Boxes

Birds don’t like crowded neighborhoods. (See chart below.)

Hole Diet

Place your nesting box with the hole facing to the southeast. This will keep it away from the prevailing westerly winds and give it optimal sunlight, especially in early spring when it usually feels a lot more like winter!

Direction of Hole

Too small and your intended bird can’t get in. Too big and unintended birds (and predators) CAN get in. (See chart below.)

At Least 10 Feet from Feeders

How would you feel if a Taco Bell opened in your backyard? Exactly. Birds feel the same way when raising their families. So, keep those crowded feeders 10-feet (or more) from your nesting boxes.

When to Get Your Boxes Out

Up here above the Mason-Dixon line, get your nesting boxes out no later than mid-March so that they’re ready for the breeding season.

Read All About It

Check out the handy-dandy chart below from the big brains at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for everything you need to know about making your new nesting box a well-loved home.

Species	Nesting Habitat	Box Height	Hole Size	Minimum Spacing
American Kestrel	Pastures, fields, meadows, or orchards with mowed or grazed vegetation; place boxes on lone trees in fields, on trees along edges of woodlots, and on farm buildings. Facing south or east.	10-30 feet	3″ diameter	1/2 mile
Barn Owl	Prefers open areas like fields, deserts and marshes which are in close proximity to hollow trees, cliffs, riverbanks, or man-made structures, including barns, bridges and other accessible sites, and which support healthy rodent populations.	8-25 feet	3 3/4″ x 4 1/2″ elliptical	100 feet
Black-capped Chickadee	Forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows; area should receive 40-60% sunlight, hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1″ wood shavings can be placed in box.	5-15 feet	1 1/8″ round	650 feet
Brown-headed Nuthatch	Open stands of pine-hardwood forests, clearings scattered with dead trees, forest edges, burned areas, cypress swamps.	5-10 feet	1″ round	1 box per 6 acres
Carolina Chickadee	Forests, woodlots, and yards with mature hardwood trees, forest edges, meadows; area should receive 40-60% sunlight, hole should face away from prevailing wind. Unlike other chickadees, Carolina Chickadee does not do much excavating, so wood chips are not necessary.	4-15 feet	1 1/8″ round	30 feet
Carolina Wren	Forests with thick underbrush, forest edges, woodland clearings, open forests, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs.	3-6 feet	1 1/2″ round, or 2 1/2″ x 5″ slot	330 feet
Chestnut-backed Chickadee	Coniferous forests, mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlands, thickets, burned areas, often near streams; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1″ wood shavings can be placed in box.	5-15 feet	1 1/8″ round	160 feet
Common Goldeneye	Breeding habitat is limited to aquatic areas with dead trees, in boreal, deciduous, aspen and montane woods; favor calm, large, clear lakes without much vegetation or fish. Please several inches of wood shavings in the box in early spring.	6-30 feet	3 1/4″ high x 4 1/4″ wide	2/3 mile
Eastern Bluebird	Open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west-facing directions.	3-6 feet	1 1/2″ diameter (round), or 2 1/4″ high x 1 3/8″ wide (oval)	300 feet
Eastern Screech-Owl	Forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb. Add 2″-3″ of wood shavings.	10-30 feet	3″ round	100 feet
Great Crested Flycatcher	Deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, forest edges, woodlots, orchards, parks, on post or tree at forest edge.	3-20 feet	1 3/4″ round	1 box per 6 acres
Hooded Merganser	Quiet, shallow, clear water pools surrounded by or near the edge of deciduous woods: small forest pools, ponds, swamps; add 3″ of wood shavings; add ladder under inside of entrance hole for young to climb out.	6-25 feet	3″ high by 4″ wide horizontal oval	100 feet
House Sparrow	Agricultural, suburban, and urban areas; tend to avoid woodlands, forests, grasslands, and deserts.	Providing nest boxes is discouraged for this species in the U.S.	can fit through holes with 1 1/4″ diameter	variable
House Wren	Variety of habitats, farmland, openings, open forests, forest edges, shrub lands, suburban gardens, parks, backyards; near trees or tall shrubs.	5-10 feet	1″ round	100 feet
Mountain Bluebird	Open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west-facing directions.	4-6 feet	1 9/16″ diameter	300 feet
Mountain Chickadee	Coniferous forests, forest edges, woodland clearings; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1″ wood shavings can be placed in box.	5-15 feet	1 1/8″ round	1 box per 10 acres
Northern Flicker	Pastures, groves, woodlots, orchards, fields, meadows, woodland clearings, forest edges, urban parks, on pole or tree at forest edge or along fence rows bordering crop fields; south or east facing; box should be completely filled with wood chips or shavings.	6-12 feet	2 1/2″ round	330 feet
Prothonotary Warbler	Lowland hardwood forests subject to flooding, stagnant water, swamps, ponds, marshes, streams, flooded river valleys, wet bottomlands; box should be over or near water.	4-12 feet	1 1/4″ round	235 feet
Purple Martin	Broad open areas (meadows, fields, farmland, swamps, ponds, lakes, rivers) with unobstructed space for foraging on flying insects; there should be no trees or buildings within 40 feet of the martin pole in any direction; houses should be painted white.	10-15 feet	2 1/8″ round or 3″ wide x 1 3/16″ high crescent	10 feet
Red-breasted Nuthatch	Mixed coniferous-deciduous forests, shrub lands, swamps, farmlands, suburban parks; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1″ wood shavings can be placed in box.	5-15 feet	1 1/4″ round	150 feet
Tree Swallow	Open fields near water, expansive open areas, marshes, meadows, wooded swamps; on a post in open areas near tree or fence, east facing.	5-6 feet	1 3/8″ round	35 feet
Tufted Titmouse	Deciduous forest, thick timber stands, woodland clearings, forest edges, woodlots, riparian and mesquite habitats; hole should face away from prevailing wind.	5-15 feet	1 1/4″ round	580 feet
Violet-green Swallow	Open or broken deciduous or mixed deciduous-coniferous forests, wooded canyons, edges of dense forest.	9-15 feet	1 3/8″ round	30 feet
Western Bluebird	open field or lawn; orchards; open, rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover; will also use deciduous and coniferous forest edges; entrance hole should face open field, preferring east, north, south, and then west-facing directions.	4-6 feet	1 1/2″ diameter	215 feet
Western Screech-Owl	Lower elevations, forests, parks, woodland clearings, forest edges, deserts, wooded stream edges, under a tree limb, south or east facing. Add 2″-3″ of wood shavings.	10-30 feet	3″ round	1,000 feet
White-breasted Nuthatch	Deciduous woodlands, mature forests, woodlots, near open areas, forest edges, orchards, often near water; hole should face away from prevailing wind; 1″ wood shavings can be placed in box.	5-20 feet	1 1/4″ round	1,040 feet
Wood Duck	Forested wetlands or near marshes, swamps, and beaver ponds; boxes can be installed on posts or poles in water, at least 3 feet above the high water mark, facing south or west. If installing on land, choose a site within 100 feet of water with no branches near the entrance hole and with a predator guard. Place 4 inches of wood shaving in box floor. Box should have fledgling ladder inside entrance hole to enable young to climb out.	6-30 feet/td>	4″ wide, 3″ high	600 feet

Bats

Choosing the Right Seed

Bird Habitat Guide

Placing Nesting Boxes

Habitat

Is the surrounding area right for the bird you want to attract? (See chart below.)

Box Placement Type

Placing it where the birds want it, not the predators. (See chart below.)

Space Between Nesting Boxes

Birds don’t like crowded neighborhoods. (See chart below.)

Hole Diet

Place your nesting box with the hole facing to the southeast. This will keep it away from the prevailing westerly winds and give it optimal sunlight, especially in early spring when it usually feels a lot more like winter!

Direction of Hole

Too small and your intended bird can’t get in. Too big and unintended birds (and predators) CAN get in. (See chart below.)

At Least 10 Feet from Feeders

How would you feel if a Taco Bell opened in your backyard? Exactly. Birds feel the same way when raising their families. So, keep those crowded feeders 10-feet (or more) from your nesting boxes.

When to Get Your Boxes Out

Up here above the Mason-Dixon line, get your nesting boxes out no later than mid-March so that they’re ready for the breeding season.

Read All About It

Check out the handy-dandy chart below from the big brains at Cornell Lab of Ornithology for everything you need to know about making your new nesting box a well-loved home.

Dave Kwasnick

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