Purchase at the Nature Center
Evergreen Audubon has been making nestboxes specific to the species in the mountain area for more than 30 years. Our nestboxes are high quality, made with premium Western Red Cedar for outdoor durability. They feature metal predator guards to minimize squirrels and other nest predators from getting at chicks. (Flicker boxes are the exception, and we hope to find a predator guard solution for those boxes soon.)
Nestboxes are for sale at the Evergreen Nature Center in the Gift Closet, where you can also find other nature-themed gifts. We also sell the nestboxes every March at the King Soopers in Conifer and Bergen Park.
Nestbox Prices:
- Flicker $40
- Bluebird $30
- Chickadee $25
- Robin $15
- Flycatcher $10
Build Your Own
If you’d like to build your own nestbox, the best source of nestbox plans is at:
- All About Birds – Cornell Lab
They have plans for many many different bird species, along with great advice about how high and in what direction the nestboxes should be mounted.
You can find detailed nestbox plans for nestboxes for specific birds tailored to our region and your habitat here:
- Right Bird, Right House – Cornell Lab
What kind of nestbox should I buy/make, and where should I put it?
Chickadee boxes are the most used by smaller birds. If you have bluebirds nearby, then you can use the bluebird box since smaller birds will also use it (the chickadee box hole is too small for the bluebirds). Swallows will commonly use bluebird boxes too. If you have flickers around, a flicker box may work.
Note that not all swallows nest in boxes, but several species common in Colorado do. Flicker boxes also work for other woodpeckers as well. Here in Evergreen, flicker boxes are often put up to provide an alternative to having flickers try to hammer nests into the siding of one’s house. Not surprisingly, flickers and other woodpeckers tend to be more common in heavily wooded properties. The Robin boxes work for a range of other birds that have open nests, including flycatchers.
The type of nestbox(es) you choose is sometimes a function of the landscape you will put them in. If you have a heavily wooded lot, the chickadee boxes are a good place to start, while the bluebird boxes would be a good fit if you have a more open lot and especially if you’ve observed swallows or bluebirds in your area.
Nestbox Build Day at the Nature Center
We host a nestbox-building activity for the community every Fall where pieces pre-cut by Evergreen Audubon members can be assembled to make all the different types of nestboxes.
