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Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Birdscope - DIY Chickadee Nest Tube

One of the several membership publications put out by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology is Birdscope. For those not aware, Birdscope is a seasonal newsletter that publishes the latest bird-related news, insights to bird-related questions, citizen science projects, tips about bird watching, and other similar educational resources. I've been receiving Birdscope for about a year now and just recently realized that anyone can access a majority of the publication online - both current and past issues.

Now that you are aware of this great resource, I wanted to share one of the articles that caught my interest recently. It first broke in the summer 2008 edition, titled Looking for the Perfect Fixer-Upper. In this article Cornell scientist experimented on which type of nest house chickadees prefer. A series of different types of houses were set out and what they found was very interesting. First, chickadees prefer birdhouses filled with wood shavings, giving them something to excavate. Second, the type of house preferred in most cases was an artificial tree snag, made from 4" PVC pipe. How cool is that?

pub_nest_tube

The plans referenced in this issued weren't very detailed but the latest issue of Birdscope (winter 2009) contained better detailed plans for making your own nest tube (see links below).

If your a do-it-yourself type and would be interested in trying to attract a pair of nesting chickadees to your yard, these artificial tree snags may be the ticket! Here are a couple detailed plans that were referenced in Birdscope:

(1)http://www.birds.cornell.edu/Publications/Birdscope/Winter2009/chickadee_tube.html

(2) http://web2.uwindsor.ca/courses/biology/dmennill/nestbox.html

pub_chickadee_tube_590_1

...don't forget to add the wood shavings in the tube after construction.

When complete, you can paint it to look like a tree or give it a camo paint job so it will blend in with the surrounding landscape.

I'm looking forward to trying this myself. I'll keep you informed on how it goes.

 

5 comments:

Janet, The Queen of Seaford said...

That is pretty cool. Last year the Chickadees took over my Bluebird house.

Kelly said...

...this is so cool. My son and I are definitely going to do this. Maybe we can even get hubby involved! Thanks for the info. I wonder if the extra long tube will prevent preditors from reaching in. Last year a raccoon was able to get into my chickadee nesting box.

Chandramouli S said...

That sounds great. Let me know how yours turn out, Alan.

Dave said...

That's a neat idea. We have several chickadees that float around the yard. Would titmice like the same type of house?

Alan Pulley said...

Sorry for the late response everyone!

Hey Janet; yes - sometimes they will take to bluebird houses. I've seen them do it in my area as well.

Kelly; that's a great question! I would think that the slick pcv pipe would keep raccoons from climbing up it. I've heard that some people put vaseline on the polls to keep them slick; but you would probably have to do it several times during the summer. Let me know how yours turns out!

Chandramouli S,
I'll sure will...

Hey Dave,
Tufted titmouse's will occasionally nest in birdhouses but are not as likely to do so as chickadees. I would definitely still try. Unlike chickadees, they don’t excavate their own nest, so don’t add the wood shavings as the plans call for if you want to attract a titmouse. Also, place it next to the woods if possible.