Black-capped Chickadee (Plan 1 & Plan 2)

The black-capped chickadee is a most popular and well known bird. Many people enjoy these delightful birds at their feeders every winter, but don't realize they will also nest in yards and woodlots with mature hardwood trees.

The house shown will be used by black-capped chickadees if placed in the proper habitat: near evergreens, along the edges of agricultural woodlots and in extensive stands of mature hardwoods. The house should be mounted 5 to 15 feet high with 40 to 60 percent sunlight. About an inch of sawdust should be placed in the bottom of the nest box. The chickadee needs an entrance hole 1 1/8 inches in diameter. The I 1/4-inch diameter hole shown in (Plan 1) also allows use by wrens and nuthatches, but not house sparrows.

Eastern Bluebird (Plan 4 & Plan 5)

Eastern bluebirds are one of the most popular songbirds in Pennsylvania. Their brilliant blue colors, delightful calls, clean habits, and family devotion have long provided happiness and inspiration to people.

Ideal bluebird habitat is comprised of mixed hardwood forests and grasslands. The grassy areas may be either meadows, old fields, pastures, yards, cemeteries, or highway rights-of-way. It is best if the grass is short or sparse. Mowed or grazed areas provide good habitat. There should be either power lines, fence posts or scattered trees in grassy areas to provide feeding perches. Bluebirds will sometimes nest in the backyards of homes in rural areas or on the fringe of urban areas. They normally nest in rural areas, but away from farmstead buildings where competition from house sparrows is usually more severe.

Bluebird nests are neat, cupshaped structures made of fine grass. There are usually five pale blue eggs in a clutch.

The Peterson bluebird house (Plan 4) is the best type. It is relatively safe for bluebirds and is easily checked and cleaned.

The seven parts of this house are assembled in this order: First, the inner roof is toe-nailed to the top of the back. Second, the floor is toe-nailed to the back, 10 1/2 inches below the top. Third, one side is nailed to the resulting frame, then the other side is nailed to the frame. Next, the swing-down front is fastened by nailing one nail to each side of the base. A third nail is pounded part way into the side, the same level as the entrance hole. This is pulled out each time the house is checked. Finally, the outer roof is nailed on top. The top primarily serves as a cat guard. A one-board bluebird house (Plan 5) is much easier to build than the Peterson house, and is included here for the benefit of young people or for adults who do not have access to table saws or radial arm saws. This type of house is more vulnerable to predation by house cats, so it's best used on free-standing posts which have tin or aluminum sheets stapled around the support post. Some people feel that sparrow use in the one-board house can be discouraged by cutting a 3-inch diameter hole in the roof and covering the hole with 1/4- or 1/2-inch hardware cloth. Bluebirds don't seem to mind the "sunroof" but sparrows may be discouraged by it.

If an oblong hole (Plan 24) is not used, either drill a 1 1/2" hole (a larger hole is accessible to starlings), or try a slot entrance. When given a choice, bluebirds build more nests in boxes with a front slot entrance, than in boxes with circular entrances. If Starlings are a problem, use a 1 3/16" slot; if not, use a 1 3/8" slot.

Both the Peterson or oneboard bluebird houses should be placed 4 to 6 feet above the ground and spaced about 100 yards apart. The entrance hole should face north, east, or northeast to prevent sunlight from shining into the hole and overheating the box interior.

A bluebird trail consists of five or more houses placed along a road or fenceline. The houses should be ready by late March and can be checked every 7 to 10 days from late March until mid August. A nest should be removed as soon as a brood leaves its nest box. This allows a second brood to be raised.

To prevent blowfly parasites on young bluebirds (and other species) bend a piece of 3/8-inch mesh, hardware cloth, so that it sits 1 inch off the bottom of the box and covers the entire floor. The blowfly larvae will fall through the wire and be unable to get back up to the nest. This "trap" was designed by Ira Campbell of Timberville, Virginia.

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