A quality birdhouse or nest box can be found online through Urban Nature Store, with options built in both cedar and pine to suit wrens and chickadees, ranging from an affordable build-it-yourself kit to a fully finished cedar box made to Audubon's own construction specifications.
What Should Be Considered Before Choosing a Birdhouse or Nest Box?
Four details matter most when choosing a nest box: the material it is built from, the size of its entrance hole, how it mounts, and how easily it opens for cleaning.
- Material: cedar resists rot and insects far better than untreated wood, while pine keeps the price down.
- Entrance hole size: this determines which species can get inside and which larger birds get shut out.
- Mounting style: a hanging box suits different spots in a yard than one meant to sit on a pole or wall.
- Clean-out access: a removable panel or door makes yearly cleaning far simpler once nesting season ends.
What Materials Are Birdhouses and Nest Boxes Made From at Urban Nature Store?
Birdhouses and nest boxes at Urban Nature Store are built from either pine or cedar, depending on the balance of price and durability being looked for. The Pine Bird House Kit keeps things simple and budget-friendly, arriving as a build-it-yourself kit made from white pine and handmade in Canada, going together with nothing more than a hammer and a screwdriver. The Hanging Wren Box Bird House, Cedar takes the longer-lasting route, built from insect and rot-resistant premium cedar with a water-based protective stain, and it comes ready to hang straight out of the box on its own vinyl-coated steel cable.
Does Entrance Hole Size Actually Matter?
Yes, entrance hole size determines exactly which birds can move into a nest box and which get excluded entirely. The Hanging Wren Box Bird House, Cedar uses a 1 inch entrance, sized specifically to let wrens through while keeping sparrows and other larger birds from taking the box over for themselves.
Which Nest Box Offers the Most Finished, Ready-Made Build?
The Audubon Cedar Box Wren/Chickadee House is the most finished option for anyone who wants a box built to a recognized standard rather than assembled at home. It is made entirely from natural cedar to Audubon's own construction specifications, with an easy-to-clean design and enough interior room, measuring 6-1/4 by 6-3/4 by 11 inches, to comfortably suit wrens and chickadees.
Which Nest Box Works Well as a Beginner or Kids' Project?
The Pine Bird House Kit fills that role well, since putting it together is a two-tool job, just a hammer and a screwdriver, which is part of why it is described as a great project for kids to build alongside an adult before it ever goes up in the yard.
Frequently Asked Questions
How Do the Two Cedar Nest Box Options Compare in Size?
The Audubon Cedar Box Wren/Chickadee House measures 6-1/4 by 6-3/4 by 11 inches, while the Hanging Wren Box Bird House, Cedar is a more compact 8 by 8-7/8 by 8-1/8 inches, giving the Audubon box more interior depth in a narrower footprint.
Is the Audubon Cedar Box Suitable for Both Wrens and Chickadees?
Yes. Unlike the Hanging Wren Box Bird House, Cedar, which is sized specifically around a 1 inch entrance for wrens, the Audubon Cedar Box Wren/Chickadee House is built and named for dual occupancy by both species.
Which Nest Box Is Easiest to Clean?
The Audubon Cedar Box Wren/Chickadee House and the Hanging Wren Box Bird House, Cedar are both built with cleaning in mind, with easy-access designs meant to make emptying out old nesting material straightforward once a season ends.
