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Try This Birdhouse for Beginners
With its classic good looks, this one-board birdhouse will fit anywhere.
Details at Birds and Blooms Birdhouse Building Instructions
While this birdhouse is as simple as it gets, it has a lot going for it. It can be made very quickly…uses minimal materials and tools…and boasts a sleek look that will make any budding woodworker proud to say, “I built it all by myself!”.
Here’s What You’ll Need
One 5-foot 1- x 6-inch No. 2 pine board
1-5/8-inch galvanized deck screws
2-inch galvanized finishing nails
Recommended Tools
Power drill
Appropriate-size spade bit
Hand saw
Let’s Saw That Board!
Using the full width of the 1-inch x 6-inch board, cut out the pieces as shown in the board layout below.
Drill a centered entrance hole about 2-1/2 inches from the top of the front piece. For eastern and western bluebirds, the hole should be 1-1/2 inches (for areas with mountain bluebirds, use a 1-9/16-inch hole). Chickadees and tufted titmice prefer entrances of 1-1/8 and 1-1/4 inches, respectively.
Attach the front to the sides with 1-5/8-inch deck screws. Predrill the holes in the front piece to prevent the wood from splitting. After nesting season when it’s time to clean out the birdhouse, remove these screws for easy access.
Attach the back to the sides with 2-inch finishing nails. Predrill the holes, making sure each one is straight.
Cut about 1/2 inch off each corner of the floor for drainage.
Recess the floor 1/4 inch up from the bottom of the house, then attach it with 2-inch finishing nails from the sides and back. Do not nail the floor from the front or you won’t be able to open it for cleaning.
Attach the roof to the sides with 1-5/8-inch deck screws.
You’re finished! Your board is a birdhouse. Nice job!
Route 44 eagles on the Caltrans Eagle Cam
www.turtlebay.org
The eagle pair has been very succesful hatching three eaglets. They hatched March 17, 19, and 22. The parents are being very diligent in feeding and caring for them. As the eaglets grow, you will notice that they are out from under the parents more often.
Notice that as they feed, they rip off food and gently place the food at the eaglets’ beaks.
Route 44 eagles on the Caltrans Eagle Cam at Turtle Bay
The powerful bald eagle is magnificent. It isn’t surprising that we chose it as our nation’s symbol.
Most of us will never get close to an eagle’s nest. That’s OK, though. Their sharp talons and beak are intimidating!
Thanks to technology, though, we can safely see inside an eagle’s nest. This site features a Webcam trained on an eagle’s nest.
This particular pair of eagles has three eggs in its nest. Two hatched last week. The remaining egg should hatch soon.
It is interesting to see the eagles take turns incubating the eggs. And the size of the nest is impressive, too. Of course, the eagles have worked on the nest for several years.
This is a great site to share with your children. They will love the eagles. And there is plenty of information about the big birds.
The Webcam is only available during daylight. So, if you don’t see anything at first, come back to the site a little later!
This pair of eagles first moved in and began to nest in the fall of 2004, but were not successful hatching any eaglets during the spring of 2005. They returned the following year, added to their nest and successfully hatched, raised and fledged one eaglet in 2006! In 2007 they returned yet again fledging one eaglet.
Most Bald Eagles return from their wintering sites in February and begin nesting behaviors in March or April. This pair of Bald Eagles has been returning to their nest around December to begin their additions to the nest. Normally, they’re sitting on the nest in January and incubating eggs in early February. They’re early this year, arriving the first week of November, and have been sighted in and about the nest.
During the 2008 breeding season, construction began on the State Route 44 bridge replacement project. Historically, Bald Eagles have needed quiet, undisturbed areas to successfully breed. As human development has increased and encroached on their territories, Bald Eagles are becoming more tolerant of the human environment. Despite construction activities, they successfully fledged two eaglets in 2008!!
The Caltrans Eagle Cam
• Watch the eagles as they move around the nest. When they are maneuvering around the eggs and eaglets, they will ball up their feet so that they don’t damage them with their talons.
• Note that there is always one eagle in the nest while incubating the egg. They will take turns incubating and will even bring food back to one another.
Eagles of the World
There are 59 eagle species found through out the world. Eagle species are divided into 4 groups: True or Booted Eagles (Golden Eagle), Serpent or Snake Eagles (Bateleur Eagle), Forest Eagles (Harpy Eagle), and the Fish Eagles (Bald Eagle). There are only 2 eagle species found in the US: the Golden Eagle and the Bald Eagle.
The Bald Eagle is exclusive to North America. Bald Eagles range in size from 6-16 pounds with wingspans ranging from 6-8 feet. Females are 1/3 larger than males. Bald Eagles are smaller in the southern range and larger up north. Alaska has the largest Bald Eagles and Florida the smallest. Bald Eagles can be found in every state except Hawaii.
Bald Eagles mainly eat fish. About 90% of their diet consists of live or dead fish. The rest of their diet consists of any small animals they can catch along the shores including; snakes, ground squirrels, goslings, ducks and coots.
A visitor to my blog asked a question about building a birdhouse and I decided to post the question and my answer here.
Question
I haven’t been able to figure out where to ask my question, so I thought I’d post it here. My sons (ages 8 and 5) and I are building a birdhouse this weekend to place in our back yard.
We live in Lincoln, CA, about 35 miles northeast of Sacramento, CA. your website mentions that a birdhouse should be built to attract a specific kind of bird (entrance hole size, placement above ground etc.). We’re not picky, but would like to give our birdhouse a good chance at being used.
What are the most common backyard birds in the Sacramento valley area? We’re planning on building a simple pineboard birdhouse. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks
My Reply
Are you providing birdseed for your backyard birds? A mix of black-oiled sunflower and shelled sunflower kernels will attract the most kinds of feeder birds. Most blends also include striped sunflower and millet. You can purchase a good blend at Costco or at Wild Birds Unlimited.
This pdf article gives you some basic information about building a nest box or birdhouse.
http://www.birdwatchersdigest.com/site/backyard_birds/bluebirds/nestbox_basics.pdf
You’ll probably attract the most types of nesting birds with a birdhouse opening of 1 1/2 inches in diameter.
Place the birdhouse between 6 and 12 feet from the ground. My nest boxes are on trees at about 8 – 10 feet from the ground and Chestnut-backed Chickadees and Oak Titmice have both raised young in my boxes.
Put your birdhouse up as soon as possible so the birds will find it this spring. If possible place near trees as most birds prefer a more protected area without too much activity.
This is a good all-around bird box that will attract many birds. If possible hinge the front so you can clean out the box at the end of the season.
Dimensions in inches
Top – 8 x 7
Sides – 8 x 5 x 10
Front – 4 1/2 x 8
Bottom 4 1/2 x 5
Back – 7 x 13
Opening – 1 1/2 inches diameter
Nesting birds in your area include
Oak Titmouse
Western Bluebird
House Wren
Bewick’s Wren
Tree Swallow
Downy Woodpecker
Acorn Woodpecker
Nuttall’s Woodpecker
To help identify birds
All About Birds
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/AllAboutBirds/BirdGuide/
If your boys like bird watching and feeding and identifying the birds you might consider signing up for Project FeederWatch, a citizen science bird identification program. The season ends in April for this year but you could signup for the 2009-2010 season which begins in November later this year.
Information about Project FeederWatch
http://www.birds.cornell.edu/pfw/
If your family become bird watchers you might get a Bird Guide to help you identify birds. The Pederson Field Guide of Western Birds and the Sibley Field Guide for Birds of Western North America are both excellent guides. You’ll also need an inexpensive pair of binoculars.
You might also put up a hummingbird feeder. The most common hummingbird of California is Anna’s Hummingbird.
You can make your own hummingbird food (do not add food coloring which will harm the birds).
Recipe for hummingbird food
4 cups water
1 cup sugar
Bring water to a rolling boil. Remove from heat. Add sugar and stir to dissolve. Cool and pour into feeder. Extra solution can be stored in the refrigerator for about a week. Change the solution in the feeder once a week.
I finally got out the ladder and took down the Titmouse birdhouse that was turned sideways on the tree. While I had the birdhouse down I took a picture to show how the roof had been chewed or clawed.
I cleaned the Titmouse nest out of the birdhouse. Here is a closeup of how the nest is constructed. There are even a few feathers on top.
No, you’re eyes aren’t deceiving you! And, yes, this photo is aligned correctly.
This titmouse birdhouse on a tree in our backyard is obviously askew. We decided it must have been vandalized by the raccoons that visit our backyard. My guess is they were looking for a meal of bird’s eggs.
Birdhouses, also known as nesting houses or nesting boxes, are designed for the attributes of the type of bird that chooses it to lay its eggs. Only a few species of birds lay eggs in nesting houses. Many species build nests on tree branches, in tree trunks, in the nooks and crannies of buildings and houses, and on the ground in dry weeds and grasses.
This birdhouse is designed for the titmouse. The bird perches on the grooves below the opening before entering the house.
This morning I looked out my front door at the nest and the last young Mourning Dove was in the nest. Actually the bird is sitting on a beam under the roof where the nest was built. Later today the bird was gone.
Two Almost Grown Mourning Doves in Nest
Two Doves in Nest with Adult Bird
Only one baby dove is visible. The adult bird has the long tail. The other baby is in the background.
One Almost Grown Dove Still in the Nest
Other baby dove flew out of the nest today!
The two baby doves have doubled their size over the past few days. I was worried because the two babies were alone in the nest most of the day for two days. I hadn’t seen the adult bird in the nest until today. The babies were growing and appeared healthy so I knew they had to be getting food from somewhere. The adult bird must have been bringing food when I wasn’t looking. The nest is by our front door and I look out several times a day to see how they are doing.
Today, I was out planting in my front yard and I heard a noise near the doves. One of the almost grown doves had left the nest and flown into the side of the house, then up to the roof. I guess the bird wasn’t injured because I didn’t see it again. The other almost grown dove remains in the nest. Today, an adult dove brought food to the dove in the nest.
The eggs hatched! Two Mourning Dove baby heads peared out of the nest a few days ago. The color of their feathers blends with the nest materials making them difficult to see. Their size and coloring have changed over the past few days.
The mother bird leaves the nest now, presumably for food and water. The two babies wait quietly in the nest for her return.
Black-Headed Grosbeaks and Spotted Rufous-Sided Towhees are both members of the Family Emberizidae.
Black-Headed Grosbeaks are finch-like birds, stocky and larger than sparrows, with thick, strong triangular bills adapted for seed-cracking. Their favorite feeder foods are striped and black-oiled sunflower seeds. They will eat seeds from the ground and above ground feeders.
The picture above is of male grosbeak. The female is brown with sparrow-like streaks above and a head patterned with light strips and a dark ear patch. The breast is ochre-brown.
We’ve had two male grosbeaks and one female grosbeak (that I know of) at our backyard feeders. It was difficult to get a photo of these birds. They are awkward and cautious and fly away with any movement.
The Spotted Rufous-Sided Towhee is smaller and more slender than a Robin. You’ll see it rummaging noisily among the dead leaves. These birds have a hop-and-scratch foraging style. Jumping forward, head and tail up, a towhee kicks its long legs backward, propelling leaf litter behind it. The towhee feeds on small invertebrates and seeds that it turns up. They also eat seeds of weeds and grasses, grains, fruits, and broken acorns. These relatively large but shy birds rush for cover at the smallest disturbance. They are ground feeders and their favorite feeder foods are mixed seed and millet.
It is recognized by its rufous sides. The male has a black head and chest, orange-red sides, white belly, and black back heavily spotted with white. It flashes large white patches in the tail corners. The eye is fiery red. If you look closely you can see the eye in this photo. The female is similar to the male but dusky brown where the male is black. The bill is dark and not as thick and strong as that of the grosbeak.
At first glance you might mistake one species for the other or think they are the same bird because of the similarity of color and design. However, at closer inspection, the Spotted Towhee is slender while the Black-Headed Grosbeak is stocky. The bill of the towhee is dark while the bill of the grosbeak is lighter.
