Nest Box Tips and Tricks

Early spring is the time to get your nest boxes out for bird families to use. Attracting birds to your bird house isn't always as easy as just hanging the house. Watch to learn helpful tips and tricks for hanging your nest box for the greatest success.

[@danmoreton1788]

Good video. Yesterday I hung a new bird house. Within 15 minutes a cardinal was seen coming out of the house!

[@WBUBarrie]

Oh wow! That's awesome well done! They don't typically nest in boxes; but maybe you're convincing him to stay LOL

[@christinewarnaar-bates3494]

An excellent video- thank you !

[@lauravs9754]

Helpful. Thank you!

[@steveandulsky566]

Wow!! What an education in birdhouse-ology!! Thank you for the great information.

[@WBUBarrie]

LOL Glad you found it helpful 😀

[@donnaleighjenkins4952]

Great info !! Thanks so much from Texas!!

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@araticum2]

Perfect. Spot on. Thanks

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for looking :)

[@mattkrol1346]

great job!!! thank you

[@WBUBarrie]

Glad it was helpful!

[@ag100pct]

A lot of good, practical tips. Well done.

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks so much! Really appreciate you watching.

[@nancydegabriele6074]

great video!!

[@WBUBarrie]

Glad you liked it!

[@tobiasdavidson8728]

Thank you very much for the information. You look and sound like very warm and pleasant person. Greetings from the Netherlands.

[@WBUBarrie]

That's so kind of you! Hello from Canada and welcome to our channel :)

[@GMo4824]

Really appreciate this video

[@WBUBarrie]

:) Thanks for watching!

[@bballboyjumpshot9353]

Great education

[@WBUBarrie]

Thank you 😊

[@SusanA1056]

Thanks for posting. Lots of information. We just started our bird house and bird feeder station project.

[@WBUBarrie]

Glad you tuned in and could gain some tips :)

[@MasterWingman]

those are really well thought out featues on the nest boxes that you have.

[@WBUBarrie]

:) Thank you!

[@carolstella6776]

Thanks so much for all the fantastic information! Exactly what I was looking for!

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks so much for watching!

[@billnewland3927]

Great help where , how & when to hang a bird house .

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for looking.

[@billcoley8520]

Those are nice houses. I have been building Peterson Blue Bird houses. It is really a nice design. I mount them on 3/4 inch conduit pipe.

[@WBUBarrie]

That's a great design. Don't forget to baffle them for critters!

[@talldave1000]

Good information. Thank you

[@WBUBarrie]

So nice of you to say that! Thanks for watching :)

[@anfearmor9616]

Greetings from Ireland. An excellent video, very well done. i just love all these type of videos. But when they are so well produced and with such a beautiful presenter, that is indeed an extra bonus. Thanks very much, keep up the good work. Big thumbs up.

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for watching and for the kind words :)

[@LeoRousseau]

Great information and video! You're so beautiful!!! Hello from Massachusetts! ❤️

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for watching!

[@Nesacake]

Great information!! Thank you.

[@WBUBarrie]

You bet!

[@kenharper616]

Thank you.

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for looking!

[@vaishnavisudhakar7673]

Wonderful video and useful tips...👏🏻👍🏻👍🏻🙏🏻

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks so much!

[@amityadavsho96]

You are wonderful

[@WBUBarrie]

Thank you :)

[@jackdubois5564]

Excellent advice. You might mention that insetting the floor a little bit helps it last longer. Cheers

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks Jack! These ones do have inset flooring as you can probably tell but I admit I didn't think to mention it. Great feedback :)

[@AllGrowing]

Hi! What is an inset floor?

[@jackdubois5564]

@@AllGrowing It just means that instead of installing the floor flush with the bottom of the walls you raise it up a bit, thus inset the floor into the space. This has the effect of causing rain to drain off the walls rather than soak into the floor and so it does not rot out.

[@AllGrowing]

@@jackdubois5564 Thanks for the explanation - so clever! (But wasn't obvious to me :))

[@derffurwood4820]

I have a red headed woodpecker that keeps flying [and bumping] into my window with black curtains for 2 years now. I suspect he/she is looking to build a safe nest. I look forward to building a cedar woodpecker house so I continue the joy of bird watching.

[@WBUBarrie]

Birds cannot understand what glass is. They bump into glass for two reasons typically. First they believe they are flying into a forest, sky or whatever the window reflects. Second, during breeding season territorial males and sometimes females believe they are seeing a rival in their reflection. Flying into windows can be made worse by curtains or blinds which make the window even more mirror like. In both cases you have to break up the reflection by using bird safe markers on your windows (there are several ways to do this). In the case of a bird seeing a "potential rival" you have to cover the reflective surface entirely with newspaper or something similar until breeding is over. They may move from one window to another so it may require covering more than one window. But generally after a few weeks this behaviour decreases as breeding hormones subside. I hope this helps!

[@danielmackay8099]

That was a good tip about keeping the wasp anyway

[@WBUBarrie]

I hope it works for you!

[@wildniagara]

Hey some excellent information there. I'm pretty sure you can edit out that dead space at the end of the video right through your KZbin control panel. Seeing as you helped me out I'll pass you on a tip. Throw a little bit of cornmeal in the bottom of the box before you add shavings and that will prevent ants. They eat the corn meal It sucks the moisture out of their body and they don't come back.

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for the tip! I've never heard of the cornmeal trick I'll have to give it a try.

[@francisresch6654]

Thank you for a fantastic and informative video! Do you have this information available for each species in spreadsheet form? It would be a great reference to have box dimensions , hole size, depth of wood chips, installation height, etc. in hand when making my nest boxes. Again thanks for a great video.

[@WBUBarrie]

Thank you! I don't have a spreadsheet handy but NestWatch.org has the hole size dimensions, installation height etc. Just click on the species your interested in learning more about an the information is there for you. nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/

[@calvinjackson8110]

Enjoyed your presentation, the expressions on your face and your extremely pleasant and friendly and genuine manner as you speak. Very informative. What would the largest box be used for? The boxes are so beautiful. Who makes them?

[@WBUBarrie]

Thank you for the kind words :). The boxes are made for Wild Birds Unlimited by one of our awesome suppliers. You can find them at any WBU store. The largest one is for a Screech Owl!

[@ajaston6689]

Ive just started my first ever woodworking project with my eldest daughter ( 7 years old) when it dawned on me that the diameter of the hole is probably pretty important lol! We were thinking it'd be for sparrows? If you can't tell yet I know nothing about birds/ ornithology?? I'm English btw so actually I like to think I know about "birds" ( has a different meaning altogether in slang here lol!!). Anyway being serious now you're video was really informative and helpful, they're nice birdboxes too. Ours are coming on really well actually my daughter is really into this too which is all I hoped for so win win. I'm having to make two now in fact as my youngest daughter (3 yrs old) wants one too!! They're especially looking forward to painting and decorating them at the end hahaha. I hope garden birds like barbie and lol dolls as I think they're getting wallpaper! Greetings from England Oh Daisy and Poppy demand I say hi from them too! Have a lovely day.

[@WBUBarrie]

Hello from Canada Daisy, Poppy and AJ! If your box is intended for House Sparrows any hole size larger than 1-1/8" should be fine! Glad to hear you are going to be putting out some nesting boxes. You'll have to let me know which birds use them. Enjoy decorating!

[@10toesdown27]

@@WBUBarrie Where can I buy the boxes that you recommend? I am interested in owls, hawks and falcons.

[@WBUBarrie]

@@10toesdown27 for Wild Birds Unlimited Barrie and Wild Birds Unlimited Newmarket of course ;) and if you're not in Canada we have lots of sister stores in the US. Outside of NA I'm not sure I have a great answer for ya. We carry boxes for Barred Owl, Screech Owl/Saw-whet Owls and Kestrels. :)

[@apat8184]

Thank you for great info. Here in central Florida we have fire ant problem. Any idea how to keep fire ants away from bird babies.

[@WBUBarrie]

I don't have much experience with fire ants. But some of the most successful ant deterrents I've found are moats. If you install a Wild Birds Unlimited pole we actually have an ant moat that can go right on the pole. Also you can get a product from many WBU stores called Nectar Fortress which is an all natural ant deterrent that uses cinnamon oil and it works so well for the ants in my yard. You can put that right around the pole your birdhouse is on. Might be more of a challenge on a tree. Hope this helps.

[@abagbine1767]

these boxes are very good . is it possible to know from where could i get same exactly there are may boxes in stores but not very good like these u showed in the video . if u sail these kind pleaase let me know how to get one . thanks

[@WBUBarrie]

Thanks for your comment! We’ve started a live bird feeder cam and moved over to a different KZbin Channel. We encourage you to check out our new channel and subscribe to see our new content. Since we moved our content over there we have not been responding to comments on our older videos as frequently. We sell them at our store: order.wbu.com/barrie and we ship Canada wide. :)

[@camojon5419]

Great Video , thank you , question ... why is stainning the box bad ..?? even the outside...??

[@WBUBarrie]

So you have to be really careful because stains and paints off gas and these chemicals can be toxic for birds- especially little baby birds who are trapped in the house and cannot relocate themselves away form the chemicals. If you think about it there are no paints or stains where these birds naturally nests in trees. So to keep everyone as safe as possible we strongly suggest no paints or stains. Some all natural treatments such as beeswax or wood oils to protect from weather damage is a possibility but please do your research to ensure the birds safety!

[@camojon5419]

Thank you for the reply

[@tclhoneyabby]

What about tree swallows? I'm surprised that you never mentioned them. I have all kind of bird houses up. This year no birds. I think the holes for the bird houses were to small for swallows so we made them bigger. Next door has bird houses to for the first year and they have the swallows not us. Is it too late?

[@WBUBarrie]

Hi Tony, You're right I didn't touch much on Tree Swallows. It's hard to cover all cavity nesting species in one video. :) Tree Swallows will use a 1-1/2 inch hole size and need a nesting box about 5-6 feet high in an open area. They often compete with bluebirds for nest boxes. What we do at our house is place 3 "bluebird boxes" 20 feet from each other. The bluebirds use one, Tree Swallows will use another and usually House Wrens or chickadees use the third. Spaced like this means the birds won't compete with each other and everyone can nest. It's probably a little late now for swallows but I did have bluebirds begin nesting late last year (early June) and House Wrens are starting as well. So it's not too late for other species.

[@markpiersall9815]

Place the entrance facing away from prevailing late Winter Spring winds when they are nesting. Birds prefer East or South facing entrances to avoid the wind blowing straight into the cavity.

[@WBUBarrie]

Great tip about the wind! Yes East-South is the preference of many birds and to others that nest in forests direction may be less important but away rom prevailing winds is always recommended! :)

[@DanielKowarsky]

In the winter, do you still use them so the birds can get out of the cold? Any tips for winter house setup?

[@WBUBarrie]

In the winter you can use what's called a roosting box. You can also modify an existing nesting box to be a roosting box. The different is roosting boxes have no ventilation (to keep the heat in the box), the hole is on the bottom of the house (again because heat rises), and there are usually perches inside the box for the birds to roost on (since they won't be in a nest). They will only use roosting boxes on nights that are extremely cold and they will only be used by cavity nesting species. i.e. chickadees, bluebirds, nuthatches etc.

[@valeriekoch9128]

What of soap do you use? I would think soap with heavy chemical smell or strong smell such Irish Spring would scare birds away. I am building an Eastern Screech owl box around Chicago area.

[@WBUBarrie]

I would recommend something mild without harsh scents. I use Dove. :)

[@valeriekoch9128]

@@WBUBarrie after I am done building screech owl box, could I face the box west, because trees that could handle it are at the southeast corner of my property, which means hanging the box on the south or southeast side would mean the opening would be facing the neighbors yard

[@WBUBarrie]

@@valeriekoch9128 For Screech-Owls the boxes can face any direction, however I have found that they appreciate a little sunlight hitting the box when it's chilly. Here's a great resource nestwatch.org/learn/all-about-birdhouses/birds/eastern-screech-owl/

[@JasonKrantzwv]

When making my own birdhouses I will decorate the outside and use a torch to burn an affect into the wood. Do you see this as a concern?

[@WBUBarrie]

Great question! Burning the box prior to hanging should have no negative impact to the birds. The only think I can think of is it's important for birds to be able to have texture to grip the box. So as long as there is some rough surface that they can hold onto should be fine. I bet they look really nice!

[@hunterbarnes553]

Just bought 7 bird houses and 3/4 bird feeders for our deck (2nd floor apartment). Would it be better to attach all 7 bird houses together in a “communal” way or put them up individually in a line? Space is limited. We are hoping my 5 y/o son will get to see birds nest and feed this spring.

[@WBUBarrie]

How lovely to get your 5 year old interested in birds ❤️ My 4 year old loves watching our feeders. I would suggest that you may have more success getting activity at a bird feeder for your family to watch than a nesting box. Birds do not like to nest near feeders and if the plan is to install the houses close to the feeders (less than 50 feet), then most birds will avoid nesting there. In North America very few native birds that utilize bird houses or nesting platforms nest communally. Swallows such as Purple Martins are one example of a species that will nest communally but unfortunately it would be difficult to attract them to your deck. Birds really want nesting boxes placed far away from each other (50-100 feet or more depending on the species). If you mount the boxes close to a bird feeder communally you will unfortunately most likely attract two invasive species to nest- House Sparrow or European Starlings. We recommend discouraging attracting invasive species to nest boxes as they only outcompete our native birds for resources and generally have no trouble finding places to nest on their own. With bird houses we are really trying to support native nesting species. So my recommendation would be to mount one bird house out with a hole side of 1/8" on your deck if you can get it 50 feet away from the feeders. The other bird houses you could out at a friend or relatives house with adequate spacing in mind. Then use your bird feeder to get your little one interested in birds and nature. Remember that bird houses can take a few years to be used and nesting birds should not be disturbed or they may abandon the nest (they really want to be left alone for the most part). So bird feeders provide quicker results and usually birds that will tolerate humans watching :)

[@crazysquirrel9425]

Will Hamster bedding (I think it is Cedar shavings) suffice instead of impossible to buy wood chips? No stores near me sell those kinds of wood chips and I can't buy online.

[@WBUBarrie]

Yes hamster bedding is fine. Wood chips are by no means "impossible to buy". They are available from just about every farm, feed, pet and wild bird feeding shop. Many grocery stores also stock them in the pet aisle. You shouldn't have any trouble finding wood chips for your bird house. :)

[@crazysquirrel9425]

@@WBUBarrie I looked at stores within 50 miles of me and no wood chips to be had. Seems those are snapped up as fast as eggs are lately. I can get Hamster bedding :-) Waiting for better weather to recondition the bird houses I have.

[@WBUBarrie]

@@crazysquirrel9425 Isn't that funny?! Maybe you could order some online? However, hamster bedding wood chips are fine :)

[@crazysquirrel9425]

@@WBUBarrie Don't think I want to order eggs online with supply chain delays. Might be a bit 'aromatic' by the time they were delivered. Have to cover birdhouses with sheet metal so raccoons and cats can't sit up there. Thinking cheap so probably get some aluminum gutter or downspout, cut to fit, and attach.

[@WBUBarrie]

@@crazysquirrel9425 I meant ordering the wood shavings online. :) It might be better for you to mount the house on a pole and use a stove pipe style baffle to prevent them from climbing. That would probably be the most effective way to keep them out. Cheers!

[@beakfordflappering4647]

are those waterproof? maybe drill holes in the bootom fro drainage?

[@WBUBarrie]

Yes! They do have drainage holes and white pine does a very good job at keeping water out. The only way water gets in is through the ventilation holes and perhaps if blowing the right way through the entrance hole. It's more important to have proper ventilation than it is to keep a little rain out. :)

[@billcoley8520]

What type of wood are those houses built out of?

[@WBUBarrie]

WBU Houses are primarily made from Western Red Cedar and Eastern White Pine

[@chillgroup4773]

Sparrow nest hole diameter????

[@GardeningViking]

I have an owl I'd love to make him a box type home.

[@WBUBarrie]

I hope you're able to offer one and they use it :)

[@lordcommandersnow1625]

Picky little buggers

[@WBUBarrie]

I guess they are just like us, want their home to be perfect :)

[@anandnagaich9072]

Beautiful Video

[@ashleyinked4637]

How do I get one from you

[@WBUBarrie]

If you live in Canada you can shop online at order.wbu.com/barrie :)

[@jeannettestevenson189]

Any kind of soap bar?

[@WBUBarrie]

I believe so. The goal is to make it slippery so that their nest can't attach. My suggestion would be something mild and unscented where possible.

[@tomlord5398]

Where to buy wood chips like those?

[@WBUBarrie]

If you live near our stores (Barrie, Newmarket) we sell them! If not you can find pine wood chips where pet and animal supplies are sold.

[@tomlord5398]

@@WBUBarrie Thanks. I should have figured. Nice boxes, BTW!

[@billcoley8520]

Out in the wild I wouldn’t think any birds should be so picky. I can just see them saying “ nope that hole is 1/4 inch to big. Let’s keep looking”

[@WBUBarrie]

Believe it or not some would be picky. Chickadees are pretty versatile but other birds like woodpeckers would be far more selective. Keep in mind hole size also excludes certain birds to keep your house for the intended species :)

[@wildniagara]

I have a flagpole behind my shed. The inside diameter must be the right size because they nest in there every year.

[@Pia1870.]

Please is it possible to buy from you

[@WBUBarrie]

Yes if you live in Canada you can shop online at order.wbu.com/barrie :)

[@aliahmad8332]

Do you have to have Mesh on the floor inside a bird house? What is the reasoning?

[@WBUBarrie]

Hi Ali, Are you referring to a nesting ladder (place under the hole of the box) or a nest lift which gets placed on the floor of the box? Help me understand where the mesh would be and what would be the purpose of installing it? Here is a link to what a nesting ladder looks like and what it's used for: barrie.wbu.com/nesting-accessories (5th product down).

[@gurpreetandbirds3723]

What about wild sparrows?

[@WBUBarrie]

Are you referring to House Sparrows? In which case I recommend a hole size of 1-1/8" to prevent them from checking but allowing other birds to enter.

[@gurpreetandbirds3723]

@@WBUBarrie yes

[@yeadontwearitout]

Always thought these were bird feeders lol

[@WBUBarrie]

Some do look similar to feeders (i.e. they both look like little houses) but these ones are just for baby birds :)

[@billcoley8520]

Now who figured that out about soap.

[@WBUBarrie]

I believe it came from the Lab of Ornithology's nesting website :)

[@peregrino14]

Let the birds 🐦 work don’t put nothing, but thanks for the help

[@WBUBarrie]

The issue is not letting the birds work- they are perfectly capable. The reason that nest boxes are beneficial is many places in North America have experienced severe habitat loss, especially with suitable forest habitat (which is who a lot of nest boxes are intended for cavity nesting species). A good example is Eastern Bluebird and how nesting boxes have really helped their population rebound. :)

[@maureen3134]

What do you call a nest box mounted to a tree? A raccoon lunch box.

[@WBUBarrie]

While you're not wrong in stating that raccoons predated bird nests in trees. The reality is many species will not use a nest box that's not on a tree, for example nuthatches. You can assist the birds by wrapping sheet metal around the trunk, using small hole sizes and predator guards, securely mounting the boxes with screws and using locks on the side panels that open. The reality is these species have to deal with predators such as this in nature and offering a nesting box to create habitat doesn't mean that it's doomed to fail.

[@najamhaq]

Am I the only one to notice the house in the background 7:30 is sinking in ?

[@WBUBarrie]

It's not sinking it's just the angle :) The house is very much standing upright LOL

[@maria0crespo]

WHY all of you use screws on thhe trees?!?

[@WBUBarrie]

Hi Maria, Screws don't harm the tree if they are not screwed into the heartwood. We suggest hanging boxes on large trees with screws that don't go in deep enough to cause damage. Further you have to ensure that the boxes don't blow in the wind too much. Otherwise you risk the box falling out of the tree with a family of birds inside. There are very few birds in our area specifically that will use hanging bird houses (pretty much just the wrens). You have to remember that the birds using nest boxes normally nest in tree cavities which is what we are replicating. Lastly screwing a box in a tree makes you uncomfortable you can pole mount for some species.

[@maria0crespo]

@@WBUBarrie thank you very much for your caring explanation!

[@robertturner4225]

Surely wasps are just as important as birds

[@WBUBarrie]

Hi There, Absolutely wasps are an essential pollinator and important part of the ecosystem. However, in a nesting box they can discourage birds from taking up residence, they can be a risk to folks who are allergic to their stings and have to maintain the box and lastly there is a lot of habitat for wasps that make paper nests to find alternate locations. So while they are important its best to keep them out of a nest box. As a side note most people don't buy or build bird houses to accommodate wasps ;) We can accommodate the wasps by not knocking nests down in trees etc. if they are in a location that is safe for kids, pets etc.

[@robertturner4225]

@@WBUBarrie of course you are right. I was being a bit of an agent provocateur, I am as it happens in search of a way to attract wasps for their role as natural pest management. I would like to have them adjacent to my brassicas when the butterflies come!!

[@WBUBarrie]

@@robertturner4225 Ha ha! Gotcha :) Yes I love wasps in our garden especially the parasitic ones that keep our Spongy Moths and garden pests in check. I've read companion planting with native plants including goldenrods helps to attract wasps to the garden and help your veggies (I'm assuming for Cabbage White Butterflies). One video I'd recommend is the North American Native Plant Society (NANPS) video Rewilding the Vegetable Garden. It's on their KZbin Channel- Janice covers this very topic :)

[@TheBaregel]

leave the nature alone

[@WBUBarrie]

Unfortunately many habitats and species need our assistance due to the habitat loss and several other factors as a result our interference with the natural world. Leaving nature alone is wonderful in theory- but we've already changed the landscape to the point that some restoration is needed on our part. Putting out a nesting box to create habitat is offering additional habitat for the birds.