Featured Articles

A list of featured articles and posts.

  • A female Eastern Bluebird carries nesting material while perched atop a wooden nest box.
    Nest Box Placement

    Need help placing your boxes? You’ve come to the right place!

    Make sure that your boxes are installed well before the breeding season begins. Don’t be discouraged if birds don’t begin nesting in them immediately; sometimes it takes time for the…

  • a male house sparrow perched at the entrance of a nest box with a nestling reaching its head out of the entrance hole
    Managing House Sparrows and European Starlings

    Please note that the methods described below are only for controlling House Sparrows (Passer domesticus) and European Starlings (Sturnus vulgaris), which are not protected by the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and that it is illegal to harm or harass any…

  • a snake curled up on a mossy nest inside a nest box
    Dealing with Predators

    Although nest boxes provide nesting opportunities for many native birds, they also can make easy targets for predators. Common predators of nests in nest boxes include raccoons, cats, snakes, and squirrels. Here are some tips to help you thwart these…

  • a flying squirrel perched at the entrance hole of a nest box
    Managing Nest Box Competitors

    Sometimes nest boxes are used by species for which they were not intended. Wasps, mice, squirrels, and other wildlife can compete with native cavity-nesting birds for nest sites. Here are some tips for discouraging nest box usurpers.

    House Wrens are sometimes…

  • Nest Box Troubleshooting Guide

    Having trouble with your nest box tenants? Use this quick guide to troubleshoot it.
    Download the Nest Box Troubleshooting Guide