Chickadee nestbox – The Build
I had decided on a pipe design for my chickadee nestbox.
It's an intriguing design, dreamt up by biologists who wanted an efficient design that they could easily mass-produce. The original plans call for using PVC plumbers piping. The thin-walled plastic piping is simple to cut into a 30 cm long section. It is a little harder to drill out the 3 cm entrance hole, as the drill bit digs in to the soft plastic, but some filing easily smoothes the edge. A wooden roof is screwed to the top cap which can be pulled off to get into the nestbox. The bottom cap is glued and drilled with three ventilation holes. The area just below the entrance is scratched up to provide grip for perching. Two screws through the back wall top and bottom secure wire strapping that will be nailed to the trunk at installation. All that is left to do is a coat of paint which transforms the cold white pipe into a warm structure. And finally, the pipe is filled to just below the entrance with wood chips to simulate the inside of a snag.
Next week: Installation.
How do I identify Chickadees?