Friends of Raystown Lake Putt's Camp Wildlife Nesting Box Project

Friends of Raystown Lake Putt’s Camp Wildlife Nesting Box Project

Putt’s Camp provides a wonderful opportunity for people of all ages to learn and grow in the great outdoors. By creating wildlife management projects such as this packet of nesting box plans, the Friends of Raystown Lake creates an even better opportunity for the campers of Putt’s Camp to explore the natural world around them. Enclosed in this packet are guidelines for building and maintaining 11 different types of wildlife nest boxes along with annual maintenance instructions and a general map of the Putt’s Camp area.

Enclosures: Plan 1 – Nesting Box • Species: House Wren, Black-capped Chickadee, White-breasted Nuthatch, Prothonotary Warbler, White-footed Mouse, Woodland-deer Mouse, Tufted Titmouse, Bluebird

Plan 2 – Nest Shelf • Species: American Robin, Barn Swallow, Eastern and Say’s Phoebes

Plan 3 – Nesting Box • Species: Eastern, Western and Mountain Bluebirds; Tree and Violet-green Swallows

Plan 4 – Nesting Box • Species: Tree Swallow, Eastern Bluebird, Great Crested Flycatcher

Plan 5 – Eastern Screech Owl • Species: American Kestrel, Screech-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Boreal Owl, Bufflehead

Plan 6 – Northern Flicker Nesting Box • Species: Northern Flicker

Plan 7 – Nesting Box • Species: House and Bewick’s Wrens; Black-capped, Mountain, Boreal, Chestnut-backed, and Carolina Chickadees; Juniper, Black-crested, Oak, Tufted, and Bridled Titmice; Pygmy, White-breasted, Red-breasted, and Brown-headed Nuthatches; Prothonotary and Lucy’s Warbler; and Flying Squirrel

Plan 8 – Downy and Hair Woodpecker Nesting Box • Species: Downy and Hair Woodpecker

Plan 9 – Red-bellied Woodpecker Nesting Box • Red-bellied Woodpecker

Plan 10 – Bee Box

Plan 11 – Standard Bat House

Maintenance Instructions

General Map

Plan 2 - Nest Shelf American Robin, Barn Swallow, Eastern American Robin and Say’s Phoebes

oor 7" back 13½" 8"

side view 71.5° 9¼"

6" 8½" roof 18.5° sides (cut 2) 8" 6" 3" 8" 3¼" 2"

4½"

Completed Nest Shelf

Lumber: 1" x 10" x 4'

13½" 7" 8½"

side

back oor roof 8" side

Report your nesting birds to ©2009 State of Minnesota, Department of Natural Resources NestWatch.org Plan 3 - Nest Box Eastern, Western, and Mountain Bluebirds; Eastern Bluebird Tree and Violet-green Swallows

Note: Swallows are smaller than bluebirds and will be able to enter holes 1 ⁄” or larger.

See Figure 31 for entrance Two “pivot” nails allow hole template. side to swing out for ¾" cleaning. pivot nail

2¼" sides 3 9" 1 ⁄8" 9" (cut 2) front pivot nail 5½" 5½"

Use a nail or screw at bottom to keep side closed. 8¼" roof back 13½"

5½" Completed Box

5½" 5½" oor

Note: these dimensions are for ¾" thick board. Some cedar 7 boards are ⁄8" thick. If so, the oor must be 3¾" wide, not 4".

Lumber: 1" x 6" x 6'

13½" 8¼" 9" 9" 9" 4"

back roof front side side oor

Plan 5 - American Kestrel, Screech-Owl, Northern Saw-whet Owl, Boreal Owl, Bufflehead

16”

Report your nesting birds to Printed with permission from Woodcrafting for Wildlife NestWatch.org Plan 6 - Nest Box Plan for Northern Flicker

10¾”

Published with permission from Woodcrafting for Wildlife Report your nesting birds to NestWatch.org Plan 7 - Nest Box House and Bewick’s Wrens; Black-capped, Mountain, Boreal, White-breasted Chestnut-backed, and Carolina Chickadees; Juniper, Black-crested, Nuthatch Oak, Tufted, and Bridled Titmice; Pygmy, White-breasted, Red-breasted, and Brown-headed Nuthatches; Prothonotary and Lucy’s Warbler; and Flying Squirrel

Note: Entrance hole diameter is 1" for House Wrens, Lucy’s Warblers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, 1 and Pygmy Nuthatches. Use 1 ⁄8" diameter for all chickadees and Bewick’s Wren. Use 1¼" diameter for White-breasted Nuthatch, Red-breasted Nuthatch, Prothonotary Warbler, all titmouse species, and Flying Squirrel. Entrance holes 1¼" and larger will admit House Sparrows so only use the larger diameter in heavily-wooded areas where there are few House Sparrows.

1" Two “pivot” nails allow side to swing out for cleaning. sides pivot nail 1" 8" 8" (cut 2) front

5½" 5½" pivot nail

5½" oor

11" back Use a nail or screw at bottom to keep 4" side closed.

Completed Box 5½" 8¼" roof

5½"

Note: these dimensions are for ¾" thick board. Some cedar boards are7 ⁄8" thick. If so, the oor must be 3¾" wide, not 4".

Lumber: 1" x 6" x 4'

11" 8¼" 8" 8" 8" 4"

back roof front side side oor

Materials One 1x8” x 8’ rough cedar board 7½" Twenty 1-1/2” outdoor wood screws or 3/8" # 7 galvanized nails 6" Floor Wire to keep side door shut A

A AA Pivot screws work as hinges. To allow 12" Side 14" the side to open easily, the pivot screw on the opposite side needs to be level with the one in front. BB Loop wire around nails B CC Holes for attaching box to a tree or post with nails, lag bolts, or wire. 14" Side C Mounting the Nest Box Mount box 6 feet high or more and keep the flyway open in front of the box. 10½" Roof Tilt box forward about 15 degrees to make it easier for the babies to climb up 1/4" to the entry hole. 2" Fill box to the top with wood shavings (animal bedding can be purchased 1¼" at a pet store). Fine sawdust is not 12" diam. recommended because it remains damp and is difficult for birds to work with. Front Pack-in shavings to discourage starlings and sparrows from nesting in the box. Excavating a cavity is part of the bird’s mating behavior.

Assembly Sequence 20" Back

Extra

WDFW Living With Wildlife Series • www.wdfw.wa.gov/living/projects/ Plan 9 - Red-Bellied Woodpecker Nest Box

Red cedar is preferred for materials and mount 12-20 feet above the ground. Attach one side about three inches down the back so there is space for it to be secured to your preferred mount and then attach the bottom. Attach the other side and front followed by the roof.

Floor: 5x5 inches with four holes for drainage Two Sides: 12x5 inches

Back: 18x5 inches Front: 12x5 inches with a 2 inch diameter hole

Roof: 7.5x5 inches

Built by Katie Emery Plan 10 Native Bee Nesting Block

5/16” diameter 3/8” diameter

Mount small gauge fencing approx. 12” 4 inchecs off of the front to prevent birds from eating the bees.

5” 6” 4”

Material: Cedar or Redwood 1) A block of wood 4 inches wide, 6 inches deep and a foot tall is a good size. Or glue together several foot-long pieces of 4- by 6-inch boards with predrilled holes. 2) Drilling holes in different sizes encourages diversity. Alternating rows of holes that are five-sixteenths in diameter with rows that are three-eighths is recommended. Or have more than one condo with different sizes of holes to attract different kinds of bees. Holes of all sizes should be about 5 inches long 3) The finishing touches are adding an overhanging roof and drilling a hole in the back to make installation easier 4) Mount the bee condo near flowers or trees in a sunny location that’s protected from wind. It can be placed anywhere between 3 to 15 feet off the ground. 5) After several years, redrill the holes and soak the nest block for 30 minutes in a solution of water and bleach. Rehang the bee condo after it’s dry. Built by Katie Emery

Maintenance Instructions:

Note: These instructions can apply to all nesting boxes in this packet, however they specifically apply to Plans 1-3, 6-8, and 10.

There is no “best” time to put up nest boxes. By putting up boxes in the autumn you can provide much needed winter refuges for roosting birds and increase the chance of them staying and nesting there when spring comes around. However, any box erected before the end of February stands a good chance of being occupied. Even after February there is still a chance that they will be used.

Where your bird box is located is much more important than when you decide to hang it. Nest boxes must provide a safe, comfortable environment and protect the inhabitants from predators and the worst of the weather. Nest boxes can be fixed to walls, trees or buildings and different styles of boxes are available which are suitable for each. Fixing to artificial surfaces means the growth of the tree does not have to be considered which is useful. For many species the height of the box is not crucial. However, by placing it at least several metres off the ground you can help prevent predators and human interference. The direction of the entrance hole is also not too important but it is beneficial for there to be a clear flight path to the box. The box should be sheltered from the prevailing wind, rain and strong sunlight.

A well-built nest box will only need maintenance once a year in the winter. Remove the contents, scattering them on the ground some way from the box to help prevent parasites re- infesting the nest box. Use a small brush or scraper to remove debris from the corners. Boiling water can be used to kill any parasites remaining in the box, but remember to leave the lid off for a while for it to dry out. Do not wait until too late into the winter to clean out nest boxes as birds may already be roosting in them.

Putts Camp Lease

4.5 Acres

15.5 Acres

U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Deer Fence Forest Mgmt. Raystown Lake Project Project Roads Even-age (Clear-cut) !( Project Gates Shelterwood Project Streams Thinning Project Boundary / Lease Area 1 Lease Area 2 0 200 400 600 800 Feet