Purple Martin Bird House Plans

Purple Martin Bird House Plans – Many birdhouse plans are species specific and for good reason. For example, vacuum vents require different input-hole valves.

There are even different recommended hole sizes for each type of bluebird such as Eastern, Western and Mountain Bluebirds.

Purple Martin Bird House Plans

For example, a hole size 1 1/8 inches in diameter will exclude starlings and house sparrows, which often monopolize nest boxes and even exclude more desirable species.

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That’s why it’s important to choose the right birdhouse plan for the species you want to attract.

We’ve created a collection of free birdhouse plans for general and species-specific nest box plans that you can use to build birdhouses.

This is a more detailed design, but gives you a quick look at one type of birdhouse design. To make a simpler box, see more of our bird plans below.

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Below is a one-of-a-kind birdhouse plan from the North American Bluebird Society (NABS) that will attract a variety of birds to the nest.

Here are bluebird nest box plans (pdf) that are very easy, you make all your boxes from one 1″x6″x4′ board.

If you live in a particularly hot climate, like the South, here are cool greenhouse plans that are designed to draw air in and keep the nest cool on hot days.

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As you already know, when building a birdhouse for Purple Martins, you are not building for one pair, but for many pairs of birds because Purple Martins are colonial nesters.

You are basically building an apartment complex with several units or rooms for each pair of birds.

Robins, finches, and barn swallows are not cavity nesters, so instead of a closed house, they prefer to nest on shelves or platforms with the front completely open.

Purple Martin Nest Box

They can be 4-sided, with a floor, 2 walls and a roof or if you have a sheltered area, like under a porch or balcony, you can just build an open platform without walls and roof.

If the box is too small, the birds will not use it or it may become too crowded as the young grow.

They may not get hurt, but a crowded box is hard for adults to keep clean and even harder for chicks to keep calm.

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Some people believe that the big boxes help the birds to exercise more, so they can fly when they fly.

If the box is too big, the birds may not use it because it is too dangerous for predators or it may be too distracting or difficult to support.

It seems that in most cases (there are many nest box designs) that 1 inch overlap on the sides and 2 inches on the front is enough to protect the occupants from the elements (rain) and increase the height of the boxes by closing the box. soon

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Another main function of the roof is to provide shade for nest boxes that are exposed to the sun, especially in hot climates.

So the roof should be sloped to help water flow (about 45 degrees if possible), and it should overlap to allow water to run off the box and provide more shade.

If you plan to place your box outdoors (eg bluebirds) in a warm area, you should consider a double roof to keep the box cooler.

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The two roofs should be far enough apart to allow air to flow between them. It was also suggested that a second side wall be added to shade the west side of the box as well.

Advantages? Both adults can feed the young at the same time – one adult does not need to waste energy and time flying around.

Also, if predators or domestic birds enter the nest, at least the adults have a chance to escape through the second hole.

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Well, at least I’ve convinced myself… the next box I build or modify will have two entry holes.

Some studies seem to indicate that Bluebirds gravitate towards an oval hole (rather than a Peterson box shape).

Some people say that nesting inserts discourage house birds and others have found that house birds easily use them.

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If you have problems with squirrels, then make sure you install a hole guard or limiter to prevent squirrels from digging the larger entry hole.

Nest boxes can also be made from PVC pipe or plastic buckets, but those are different plans to cover later.

The EPA website says treated wood is safe for use in vegetable gardens and on picnic tables, but not safe to use on cutting boards, bee hives or beehives.

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I have seen web sites that claim treated wood emits “hazardous fumes” and should not be used in birdhouse construction.

Another site says that only inactivated wood should be used in order for birds to “peck” at the tree.

With the exception of parrots, birds aren’t generally known for scavenging, but they do peck (this is how woodpeckers and chickadees build their nests).

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“Untreated wood only (no pressure treated wood, no chemically treated wood, etc.)” when building birdhouses. Conclusions About Using Treated Wood

Since birds are known to be very sensitive to environmental pollutants (remember the canary in the coal mine?), don’t take any chances.

Many of the nesting boxes I’ve built in the past were made from plywood, because I always had scraps of plywood on hand.

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Nesting boxes can also be made using outer boards (logs) that have an outer layer of wood when the wood is cut to form a log.

I did this by first folding the sheet, then punching a hole in each side, drilling an entry hole, then attaching the two halves together with a wooden dowel and screws.

For several years I have been planning to build a birdhouse or nesting box out of a real tree log.

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I love the way they look and the extra thick walls keep the birds away from the heat and cold.

I was looking for a nice 10-12 inch log, so when we found a new 10 inch aspen that had fallen near our campsite two years ago, I knew I had found the right log.

We don’t have the best video camera and we didn’t want to get too close and end up bothering the nesting trees because they were too nice to pick out and use the birdhouse :-), but here’s a quick short video. aspen tree birdhouse:

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I didn’t want to split the aspen root, because I like the way the bark looks and didn’t want to mark it or have it fall off the log.

I cut a two foot section from the felled tree with the idea that I could make two nest boxes.

They have successfully nested in a nesting box attached to the downspout on our front porch for several years.

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The entrance to the new aspen nest will be placed in the back yard, where there was more open space.

Since Tree Swallows often nest in sheds, many people have assumed that both species need the same size box.

According to the Tree Swallow Projects website, a Tree Swallow nest box should have a minimum floor space of 5×5 inches and a depth from the hole to the ground of 7 inches.

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An overcrowded nest of Woodpeckers can overcrowd a small bluebird nest box, reducing their nesting success.

They can and will use a small box if nothing else is available, but more nests survive if a larger box is available.

If the recommended space for a wood swallow bird house cavity is 5×5 inches or 25 inches square, what dimensions are needed to create a cavity of the same area?

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If my log was 10 inches, then the radius was 5 inches. If I left two inches of wood around, the diameter of the open space was 3 inches.

The nest box was still too heavy and there was about two inches of wood left around the edge of the nest, so I thinned it to about 1½ inches.

Our houses are made of 2×4 lumber, which is 1½ inches thick, so it should be plenty thick for a birdhouse.

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If you are thinking of building a nesting log, I have calculated the number of sizes needed to create the minimum space required for several types of nesting birds.

Table 1 shows recommended nest box sizes for three sizes of nest boxes and for five species of birds that commonly use nest boxes.

That minimum size requirement can be met with logs between 11-13 inches with a wall thickness between 1 and 2 inches.

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A 14- and 15-inch log with a 2-inch-thick wall would be 78.5 and 95 square inches, respectively, or 23% and 49% larger than an 8×8-inch nesting box.

If the wall thickness is reduced by one inch the minimum requirement can be met with logs as small as 7¾ inches.

If the inlet wall of the slot is 1½ inches thick, a minimum of 8¾ inches is required.

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You saw earlier that the nest size we used for the Tree Swallows was 10 inches and the beam spacing was 3½.

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