RON KINGSTON'S SNAKE/PREDATOR GUARD

By using a section of stovepipe, a round piece of hardware cloth, and two strips of hanging iron, a pipe-mounted nest box guard can be made which will stop most climbing predators including snakes
(Fig. 1).

Black Rat Snake in nest box

Figure 1. Black Rat Snake in Box.

Materials Needed

1 stovepipe 24 in. (61.0 cm) x 8 in. (20.6 cm) or greater
1 hanger iron 14 in. (35.6 cm) x 3/4 in.(1.9 cm)
1 piece hardware cloth 8 in. (20.3 cm) x 8 in. (20.3 cm)
2 machine screws with nuts 8 - 32 x 1/2 in. (1.3 cm)

The hanger iron is cut into two 7 inch (17.8 cm) strips and bolted together around the nest box mounting pipe (Fig. 2). The hardware cloth is cut into a circle with a diameter of 8 inches (20.3 cm). The outer edge is bent down to fit snugly into the stovepipe. A hole is cut in the hardware cloth so it will fit around and down onto the mounting pipe (Fig. 3).

Figure 2. Hanger Iron.

Harware Cloth Figure 3. Hardware Cloth

Using tin snips, cut the stovepipe so that "flaps" can be bent inward to hold the stovepipe over the circular hardware cloth. Note: the hardware cloth and stovepipe can be assembled before installation on the mounting pipe.

The hardware cloth and s assembly rests on the hanger, which acts as a bracket. The entire assembly is stable and should keep the stovepipe rigid, not allowing it to touch the mounting pipe (Fig. 4).

Stovepipe and Hardware Cloth on Hanger Iron

Figure 4 Stovepipe and Hardware Cloth on Hanger Iron

The guards were used in 1990 on nest boxes which were mounted in areas where black rat snakes were known to exist. Grease was smeared on all mounting pipes to Indicate predator activity and to stop ants (Fig. 5).

Complete Predator Guard

Figure 5. Completed Predator Guard.

Snakes tried to reach the nest boxes but were unsuccessful. They went up the mounting pipe, tried to get through the hardware cloth, could not, went down the pipe, and left the area. Raccoons never were able to go up the stovepipe either.

The more open the habitat in which a nest box is located the less likely it will be predated. If boxes must be placed near areas where there are predators, a box mounted on a pipe with a stovepipe guard will fledge more young birds year after year than an unprotected one.

Ron Kingston
3690 Country Lane
Charlottesville, VA 22903-7636

The original article is reprinted, with permission, from "Sialia," Quarterly Journal (Spring 1990) of the North American Bluebird Society. NABS is a membership organization for persons interested in bluebirds and other North American birds which use cavities for nesting. For membership information, send a message to nabluebird@aol.com or go to the NABS web site at http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/. Ron Kingston asked that I change the following portions of the text: the recommended size of stove pipe be 8 in or larger, remove a reference to using garden sulfur at the base of the post, and zip code change for his personal address.