Date: 6/23/26 2:09 pm From: Daniel Getman <000003a484abda6a-dmarc-request...> Subject: House Wren Nestbox Survey
Well I just completed a survey of our 22 House Wren nestboxes, which are spread around the edge of treelines on our 5.4 acres.
In the past, I’ve used Bird House Gourds with a 1 1/8 inch hole. But you can’t really monitor them and you can’t reuse them. I originally started this to keep them away from our bluebird houses, which generally has worked.
This year I used small 8 inch tall nest boxes with a 1 1/8 inch hole made from untreated cedar fencing planks and followed Cornell’s nest box plan. Most are attached to a fork in a tree branch They worked very well and were readily accepted by the wrens.
I’ve never really been able to tell how many wrens are nesting in our yard. This is the 1st year to do so.
HERE’S A SUMMARY:
- 8 successful nests, including 1 in a bluebird house, 1 in a flicker nest box and 1 in a carolina wren nest box. That’s a lot of new House Wrens!
- 5 new nests, ongoing with eggs
- 9 with a mouse nest
- 1 not used
- 1 unknown
All completed nests and those with mouse nests, were cleaned and are now available for a 2nd brood attempt (16 boxes)!
CHANGES FOR NEXT YEAR:
1) Because of the number occupied by mice, I’m going to switch to poles with a baffle for most, if not all, houses.
2) I’m going to try some more Carolina Wren houses. We have 2 attached to our house that have never been utilized by any kind of wren and this year I put one in the back where a Carolina Wren had been calling. A House Wren has now claimed it for its 2nd brood.
This past winter we had at least 1 Carolina Wren calling around the yard and this summer I’ve heard several calling in different parts of the yard, including on our patio. I had wondered if House Wrens and Carolina Wrens would co-exist and it appears so. The Carolina Wren house is similar in size, but has a 2.5 x 5 inch slot instead of a hole.
I’ll be curious how many 2nd broods of House Wrens occur this year.
We’ve had various nest boxes for 14 years now. If you want to observe and learn about birds, put up a nest box and regularly monitor it!
Dan Getman, Kirksville, northeast MO
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