Just learned why my birdhouse kept getting raided

I was at the local hardware store last Saturday picking up some wood glue when this older guy in the gardening section overheard me talking about my bluebird house getting cleaned out every spring. He said I probably had the entrance hole too big. Turns out he was right - I measured my hole and it was 2 inches across. He told me bluebirds need exactly 1.5 inches or else starlings and squirrels can squeeze in. I re-drilled the hole yesterday and also added a metal predator guard around it that cost me $8. Felt pretty dumb for not checking that years ago but at least now I know. Anyone else make basic mistakes like this on their first few builds?

2 comments

2 Comments

wright.drew1mo ago

Yeah I did the same thing with my first birdhouse, drilled a 2 inch hole not knowing any better and wondered why starlings kept moving in. The metal guard is the way to go. I also learned the hard way to put the house on a pole with a baffle instead of a tree trunk.

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charlie_roberts871mo ago

Is it really that serious though? I mean, starlings are just birds trying to find a place to live like any other. They get a bad rap but they're not exactly destroying the neighborhood. I've had a birdhouse up in my yard for three years now with a 2 inch hole and the starlings come and go, but the blue jays and chickadees still visit the feeder right next to it. The whole predator guard and baffle thing feels like overkill to me unless you live somewhere with raccoons climbing your fence every night.