Finally, a story I’ve been wanting to tell for ages, but forced myself to get through the backlog of other stuff first.
One of the things on our idea wish list was adding birdhouses around the property. In February 2016 I attended a presentation by the Santa Clara Valley Audubon Society, our local chapter. Birdhouse size, hole size, access, care and maintenance were covered at the talk, but we don’t have a typical backyard nor the ability or time to manufacture our own boxes. So we waited until we had our fences in order and the mowing situation in hand before procuring boxes.
Here are the original notes from the presentation, bad spelling/grammar and all.
Cleaning boxes every season to keep nest height low
Entry hole with extended tube to stop predators
Side open and downwards so you can just peak in
Dimensions and entrance hole size: web search: make it so only the bird species you want fits
Water proof but not sealed and ventable/ triangle corner cuts on bottom of box
Kerfs help some birds climb out –little ladders below hole inside
Plywood is most liked (see if I can up cycle)
Figure out what I have and what the landscape/surroundings think I should have
Pole mounting with something like a stove pipe that collapses inward to ward off snakes and other things. Could make it telescoping
Protect hole size against starlings
House sparrows are not nice: mean birds
Both of which we can harass them and remove eggs
Insecticide is an issue
Can log if you check regularly: see note sheet for schedule
Speaker: Mike Azevedo
California bluebird recovery
Also California cavity recovery
About a year later, when we finally came to terms with the realities of having so much land, I contacted the SCVAS and asked about buying a dozen or so boxes. Since they don’t normally get requests for large quantities, they really didn’t know how to help me. I pinged them again in December of that year, and serendipity helped that time–turns out a Boy Scout had just contacted them with the desire to craft a bunch of birdhouses as part of an Eagle Scout project. So I was put in touch with his advisor and father, and after a few email exchanges we met in person to discuss the project, and I started thinking where ten nesting boxes could be set up at Purgatory.
One morning in early May 2018, Agent Smith and I headed out in the excavator and we piloted some holes for the posts on which we would mount some of the nest boxes. Just as we were drilling the last hole, the small troop arrived.
All told, we put up 12 boxes that the scout built for us: two Western Bluebird boxes by the main gate; one by the house yard gate; one near the old kids play area; another in Squirrel Corner (where we have the most luck killing destructive ground squirrels); two more in the old rodeo ring down the hill; and one by the solar panels. Two nuthatch/titmouse boxes were also installed, one by the well tank and the other under the big fir tree next to the garage.
1. An action shot of the box by the house yard gate. We had a visitor in from Zurich that day and he wanted to assist a bit.
2. A shot of Agent Smith with the small troop after we installed the last house. Now all that remained was to see if any birds wanted to make use of them.
