Nest Boxes

[Axeman]

I have 4 nest boxes (3 wren sized holes and 1 one swallow)....I haven't had a lot of luck with them....I've had abandoned nests and dead young...one of them has never attracted ANY interest...I'm guessing its in too shady an area...it looks like this year they will ALL be empty...anyone have any tips on how to select a site? I am going to relocate at least 3 of them...

And...I don't understand male wrens...they seem to expend a  lot of effort making a nest and displaying....and yet no mating....last year it looked like one of my next boxes was going to be successfully used by a pair of wrens until a cooper / shinnie ate the female.

[Whittam]

We put up about 50 swallow boxes around our lake in Muskoka to assist the local Tree swallow population.  The boxes on the islands (4) continue to do well!  Other boxes along the shorelines are sorta hit and miss.  The last 3 years have been brutal for some cold nights that have resulted in very poor nesting results.  Many boxes continue to be unused which I suspect is just a lack of swallows!  Cheers Terry  BTW the lake has no Barn swallows in approximately the last 5 years!  Cheers Terry

[Bill & Jaye]

Axman

Somewhat like you, I have 3 nests in trees.  For a long time there were no takers.  However, just last week we saw a House Wren going in and out of the one box with the most sun.  Now, one of my bird book says that "Wrens often build numerous nests, which later serve as decoys or dummy nests for their would be enemies."  And because the Wren that comes to this box is almost always carrying sticks, I suspect they are doing the decoy thing, and there are no babies.
But next year, I think I will move these boxes into more sunlight.

[Axeman]

Can they go in full sun? Won't that kinda bake them? I think in the past I've had nests get baked...I've lost a couple of nests in past years...all fledglings dead and I assumed it was b/c of the heat...

In another thread, we're talking about robins re-using a nest and I remembered that a pair of swallows built a second nest over top the first nest of the season, right over top the dead fledglings....when I cleaned the nest box out, the dead babies were kinda mumified underneath the second nest...

I find the male wrens building the nests and then spending a lot of time displaying their tail and and singing...but the decoy nest seems to make some sense...

So does anyone have tips for locating nest boxes?

[Bill & Jaye]

You have to wonder about the "bake factor".  However, I see many other nest boxes out in the wide open.  Example, Blue Birds & Purple Martins.  So they seem to be able to handle it ok.

[Halton Hills]

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Heat shouldn't be a factor if you make a box with some ventilation.

But, leave the wood natural......if you stain it a dark colour it can overheat.

I have one box occupied with Tree Swallows and the other with Bluebirds......both are in a wide open area with zero shade.

Water is the bigger concern. The box MUST be constructed with a sloped roof that is completely sealed around the perimeter.

There should be drain holes in the floor......and it's best if the floor is actually recessed.

This is so that water that's dripping down the side can't wrap underneath and wick it's way up into the nest.

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