Love it,hope you get a cup and saucer up there with it,that would look so good :) Did you make the bench from a chair or a headboard? I really like it a lot! Everything looks great :)

Hey everyone I was just wondering if you could spare a minute to fill out a quick survey on bird watching. IâÂÂm currently studying IT at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane, Australia and at the moment weâÂÂre looking at bird watching as a part of design in context. Would really appreciate all the help I could get, thanks. Here is a link that might be useful: Survey

Shaking it is something that a raccoon might try. They are quite smart. You can never stop every predator. Even a snake can slither into the hole to the nest. But at least from my point of view, I usually support the house in such a way that it could not be shaken. Not because I thought something will shake it, but just that I've usually seen bird houses on something stable, such as the pole you mentioned. I would find a way to put a fence backboard next to the house, and the fasten the bird house to that in some way. If there are no babies yet, you can also try to move the bird house next to one of the larger main branches and fasten it there. At least it won't be able to be shaken. I can't see the hole but also do not have any branches near the opening, otherwise other birds and predators may attack the parent sitting in the nest or the babies.

Hi Cattyles - Like all our non-native pests, they were transported here. Some species by accident; some on purpose. English House Sparrows (HoSP) were introduced from England in the late 1800s by a Shakespearian group that performed plays in NYC's central park. Someone got the wild idea it would be great to have all the birds mentioned in the Bard's plays flying around the park. They imported them and released them in the park. All the species, except two - the European Starling - and the English House sparrows - died out quickly. These two aggressive species took off like wildfire. With the explosion of fast food places and shopping malls toward the late 1950s, the HoSP came into their own. Now every fast food place and big box garden center is literally crawling with them. Pink Mountain - I don't want to sound contrary, but my chickadees nest in a wooden box, set on a metal pole, 5' from my neighbor's busy garage. While it's not ideal, it is for them because of the safety. I keep clean bird houses and have illuminated the house sparrows in this little corner of town. They, like all cavity nesters, would prefer an old dead tree full of abandoned woodpecker holes, but that's not always possible. I wanted to bring one in, too, but there's just not room. HoSPs will nest anywhere, in bird houses, drain pipes, under roof eaves, trees, any sort of place at all. They will enter a cavity nesters "home" (they wrecked havoc on the woodpecker population, too) smash eggs or kill the young and pull their nesting material in right over the bodies. This picture doesn't show the birds, but this garage is on our property line. I have the bird house about 5' away from it. The neighbors are siding their garage, while a tree swallow is in the nest incubating her eggs. This is the box the chickadees use in the early spring. I've had a pair checking it out all week right now. After they leave the tree swallows arrive and take over. About 40 feet to the left I have another nest box attached to their privacy fence. It alternates each year between wrens or more tree swallows.