Congrats, Dean on your little ones...so glad they made it safely! I never see mine from the first brood and can't understand why...my second should fledge any minute now..

How do you cool your nestbox? It's really hot (mid 90's) so if I'm lucky enough to have a third nesting, I'd like some advice...Congrats again!!!!

Donna

Wonderful news Dean!!!! Maybe you could get permission to put more boxes up at a neighbors house. That's what I do. They want to see the birds but don't want to do the work and I know they wouldn't do it properly.
Cathy

Congrats! I thought the sky looked a bit blue-er today!
BlueBars

Dean4, I don't know anything about where your boxes are in your yard, but I take a mister and connect it to the back of the birdhouse and let it mist the box when temps are horrible. The bluebirds absolutely love to perch on it and get a cooling off from it and it keeps the box temps lower for the babies while they are in it.

Yes Congrats Dean4!

We had 5 fledge about a week ago, and have seen and shot them mostly too far off and poorly lit. But the parents are bringing them to our backyard to feed this morning. So I got some photos a little closer:

Oh, and we have some little brick shaped icepacks which could easily be fastened to the top of a NAB box... I wonder what harm that could cause when summer gets here ?

Kenn :)

Donna - I place a second roof on the nest box with 4 - 1" spacers and screws. This creates an air space in between and keeps the inside of the box at least 10 degrees cooler. I do the same thing on the west and south side of the box. Nest box is facing east. I use 1 " cedar. Hope it helps.
Vozz - The mister sounds neat. Is it hooked to a constant water source?
Cathy - I'll give the neighbors a try. I also have one nest box up at work (unoccupied so far) and I'm trying to get the OK to put up some more. It is a military base with lots of large grassy areas. I see and hear lots of BBs around.
Dean - SE GA

Dean4, I just hook it up to a hose that runs to the back of my yard and put the hook of the mister inside the hole at the top of the pole. I turn the mister off at night when it cools down. It uses very little water to operate, you turn the water on just a tad.

I've built a few raised roofs for the various boxes that have been on my main post, and I would have a small roof for the boxes that I could take off after it got hot. These roofs and boxes have evolved. Haven't been to happy with the last design, will eventually make something like it but a lot smaller. but definitely with the dowel rods through top, boy they love them. I only have pictures from 2 of 3 designs I've used. Below is what I have pictures of, with last years box first and this years first box second.
{{!gwi}}

{{!gwi}}

The first time I tried something like this I use the biggest drinage dish I could find for a flower pot and attached it upside down. As far as I know the nest never got wet.
Keith