WINTERIZING YOUR BLUEBIRD BOXES PERMANENTLY

Svante Humbla of Cincinnati, OH has produced many good innovations on s his bluebird trails. One is a solution for temporarily closing ventilation openings so that bluebirds and other songbirds can use the boxes for roosting, especially in cold weather. Some methods , such as duct tape pieces of insulation and wood strips have been suggested. The May 1994 Bluebird News featured Svante's ideas for more permanent shutters for a Peterson- nest box. We asked him to come up with shutter designs for a Gilbertson PVC box and the NABS style rectangular box.

Shutter for Gilbertson Box

is made of 411 thin-wall PVC pipe, as is the box itself. Cut a 2 ½" (64mm) wide by 5 ½" (144mm) long. Make a template of thin cardboard or paper. Bend it over the piece of PVC and trace outline and slot. Drill three 3/1611 (4mm) holes at the ends & corner of the slot, and cut out lines with a coping saw. (Note: right end of L slot is slightly lower than the vertical part. In turning the shutter to the left it will move slightly forward to contact the roof tightly, as it locks into place.) Mark screw hole on box body by removing roof and sliding shutter up on back of box, with top edges flush and shutter center line lined up with back center of box. (Rubber bands will hold it in place). Drill 3/16" (4mm) hole just to the right of the bend in the L, as shown. Insert screw from inside box, with washer and nut on outside of shutter. When cold season starts, just raise shutter and twist to lock.

SHUTTERS FOR PETERSON BOX

Side and slot shutters for the Peterson box are easy to make out of 1/4" lattice, lath, plywood, 3/8" cedar or old window shutters. They are held in place with 3/4" long screws & washers, as shown.  Round corners so they do not interfere with roof

Vent cover for NABS (Standard) box, both side and front opening, can be same material as for Peterson box and made larger for larger boxes. Attach with screws.

Without these shutters, nest boxes can be a drafty place to dwell in during a winter storm, and in late spring when nests have been completed, eggs laid, and young chicks are exposed.

DESIGN AND SKETCH BY SVANTE HUMBLA CINCINNATI, OH OCTOBER 25,1998

Posted with permission from the February 1999 Bluebird Recovery Program Newsletter "BLUEBIRD NEWS"