How can you not love wrens! They're tiny, effervescent, funny, talkative, entertaining, and always ready to burst into song. They're the Broadway performers of the avian world! If you want to enjoy a few more of these little guys during nesting season, here's the perfect house.
This nesting box is entirely handmade of White Pine (a beautiful wood I can replenish in my own yard, a tree that will grow to maturity in my life time). The exterior is finished in your choice of 4 stain color combinations. It can be hung in a tree or shrub, or mounted to a post, building, or tree (without harming the tree). It's sturdy, safe, and made to last for years to come.
Materials – White Pine, stainless steel hardware, stain & spar urethane (on exterior only)
Dimensions & Features –
-Interior dimensions – 4” side to side, 5-1/2” front to back, 7-1/2” floor to peak
-Entrance – 1-1/8” in diameter; Predator Guard over entrance
-Drainage slot in each corner of floor
-Ventilation slot at the upper, back of the house
-Unfinished interior, safe for baby birds
-“Ladder” etched into interior of door, to help fledglings climb to the entrance on their first day of flight school
-Opens at the front top (as opposed to the side bottom), to keep eggs or baby birds from falling out when checking the house
Finishes – The interior of the box is unfinished and safe for birds – no glue, no stain or paint, no sealer inside the house. The exterior of the house is finished in two shades of stain and sealed with four coats of spar urethane. (i.e., the stuff a wooden boat is finished with) The result is long-lasting color and protection from the elements.
Ease of buy Use – This house comes with everything needed to hang from a branch or under an overhang; mount to a post or tree (without harm to the tree); or attach to a flat surface such as an exterior wall. (A screwdriver is the only tool needed and only if you choose to mount to a flat wall.) The house comes equipped with a French cleat system and heavy-duty exterior Velcro to make mounting the box quick and easy, as well as a stainless steel chain should you choose to hang from a branch.
The front door is attached with a stainless steel hinge and spring latch. The door opens at the top of the house, rather than the bottom, so it's safe check for eggs without losing any, and without having to dig though the bottom of the nest. The hinged door also makes cleaning the house simple.
Visitors you can expect – This house is sized for House, Winter, Pacific, Bewick's, and Carolina Wrens. (The visitors you host depends on where you live and the placement of the box. I suggest you refer to the Cornell Lab of Ornithology website for more information: www.allaboutbirds.org.) Personally, I always hang my wren houses from bush or thicket branches, and at least one family nests there every year. No ladder required! :-)
Inspiration – I love animals and have been feeding the birds for years. When I read about the decrease in natural nesting sites available, I thought I'd plant a few pines and put up a birdhouse or two to give a few pairs of feathered newlyweds a place to raise their families.
I love wood and feel strongly about replenishing what I use. I had a tough time finding bird houses made from a tree I personally could plant. My other frustration was that most of the houses I looked at (and a few I bought) were a big pain to put up. Very few came “ready to use” with everything needed to mount it. Finally, there seemed to be a lot of unfinished brown birdhouses, which quickly becomes unfinished gray. I've got nothing against brown – heck, chocolate is brown – but since birds see color like we do, certainly they might enjoy a little variety. (Having said that, I did include a stain combination of two rich warm brown colors.)
So, I set to making colorfully finished nesting homes that came with everything needed to mount right out of the box, and from a tree I could plant, one that would grow to maturity in my lifetime, and provide many birds some shelter just by growing. My birdhouses are made from beautiful White Pine and as a part of my business process, I plant at least one (usually more, just in case) every year. I followed the guidelines for size and features given on the Cornell Lab of Ornithology and Audubon Society websites. This house comes with everything needed to mount to a post or tree, without damaging the tree, or to a flat surface such as a shed wall. (Ok, you'll need a screwdriver if you mount on a flat wall.) They're easy to put up, easy to use, are safe, secure homes for birds, and they're really pretty in your yard.
I've been using these houses in my Ohio yard for several years and they definitely last. I usually end up with 2 families each year, one in the spring, one in the summer (cleaning out the house between each group). In the fall I empty the box again, which is super easy because the hinged front door swings open by just releasing the latch. I leave it out all winter in case there are some birds that need a roosting site during the cold months, then start all over in the spring.
I hope you enjoy your new Nesting Box as much as the birds do. It's a ton of fun to watch a feathered family flourish. If you have any questions, just let me know. Thanks for visiting my shop! Happy Birding!
Product code: Wren Nesting Box buy Birdhouse