BIRD NEWS BLOG
Mother's Day Gift Ideas
The Mom in your life will love something from
The Wood Thrush Shop
Thursday May 9 thru Saturday May 11
Mother’s Day Gift Ideas
And Specials
Birdbaths and Fountains
Our Favorite ATZ Bluebird Houses 25% Off
New Whimsical Bird Clocks
Heartwood Birdhouses 20% Off
Solar Lanterns
Corinthian Bells Wind chimes 20% Off
Gift Certificates
Bluebird & Hummingbird T-shirts 20% Off
Hummingbird Feeders
Bird and Butterfly Books 25% Off
Doormats and Mailbox Covers 30% Off
Plus a few 50% Off Items!
Heartwood Bluebird Boxes
Last week, we discussed our favorite overall bluebird house, the ATZ Woodcrafters Classic Bluebird box. This week we will go over our more decorative bluebird boxes. Our preferred options are produced by Heartwood and made by hand down in Star, Mississippi. Founded 20 years ago by brothers Jerry and Larry Glass, these two brothers transitioned from building houses for people to wood creations for local craft fairs and at their mother’s suggestion, began building bird houses. Fast forward to today, and their unique but practical bluebird boxes have become a perennial favorite of ours.
We are especially fond of the models shown here for their practicality and versatility. They work well on our three piece pole setup, ($58 with tax) a 4x4 post, fence, or even tree. All open from the front, top down, for ease of monitoring and cleaning between each nesting. With Mother’s Day just a month away, they also make great gifts!
Models shown:
(White: Bluebird Manor, $85)
(Yellow: Bluebird Bright, $85)
(Natural: Bluebird Bunkhouse, $92)
Our Favorite Bluebird Box
This time of year we are often asked for advice on picking a bluebird box. With so many choices, as well as the vast wealth of misinformation online, folks can be left feeling like they will be making the wrong decision regardless of which box or setup they choose. Fortunately for us, the Eastern bluebird didn’t establish a range from Nicaragua in the south to Nova Scotia in the north because they are picky! Quite the opposite in fact, as we have seen these adaptable little birds nest successfully everywhere from a broken box in our service alley to in an unusual instance, a cinder block in a customer’s yard.
All that being said, the question remains: Which box should I get? Our favorite over the years is by far the ATZ Woodcrafts Classic Bluebird Nest Box. These boxes are handmade in Ohio out of kiln-dried cedar. This material is resistant to rot and can often give many seasons of use. They also feature a pre-installed guard to prevent animals from chewing and enlarging the opening. These boxes are also some of the best for ease of maintenance and monitoring thanks to them opening from the top down. This means that no matter how high up they fill the box with nest material, you can still peek in and get a good view. These also have two pre drilled holes in the back making them easy to attach to a fence, tree, or 4x4 post.