Bluebird boxes

I made five Eastern Bluebird boxes yesterday and today to donate to the DeKalb Co. Forest Preserve. I will monitor these nest boxes throughout the spring and summer at Afton Forest Preserve and Wilkinson/Renwick Forest Preserve, two of my favorite places to bird in DeKalb County. I used cedar planks I bought from Lowes and galvanized nails. An entry plank is on the right side of each box. I used a 1 1/2" diameter entrance hole which is recommended for Eastern Bluebirds. Any smaller and a female Bluebird full of eggs may have a tough time entering the box. Any larger, and you may get European Starlings.

The cost turned out to be roughly $5/box and it took me about 45 minutes to build one from scratch. Last year I bought pre-made cedar boxes from Menards for $10/box which were quite successful. Three of the four boxes we installed had nests in them. One box had Eastern Bluebirds and the other two were occupied by house wrens. I hope the Bluebirds don't mind my home made version.