Big Nest Boxes for Owls, Kestrels, & Ducks

A male American Kestrel surveys the area outside a big nest box that a pair has adopted for the nesting season. Big nest boxes supplement the lack of safe, natural nesting cavities and help to reduce competition for nest sites.

A female Wood Duck perches atop a big nest box during an incubation break. You can position a big nest box for ducks near a wetland, or in the midst of a marsh.

For another level of birding fun, consider adding a big nest box to your property, or to a nearby park or nature center – with permission of course. Big nest boxes provide additional, safer nesting locations for large cavity nesting birds, including such impressive birds as Screech Owls, American Kestrels, Wood Ducks, and Hooded Mergansers. Large natural cavities suitable for these nesting birds are in especially short supply, and we can provide safer nesting options for larger cavity nesting birds by providing Big Nest Boxes with all the right features.

The larger cavity nesting birds – owls, kestrels, and ducks – primarily rely on large natural holes in tree trunks and large cavities in branches, but these are not always safe from predators like raccoons, large snakes, and tree squirrels. Large woodpecker cavities can be used by small owls and kestrels, but ducks can only use larger natural cavities that have a bigger entrance hole.

Good natural nesting cavities are few and far between, and safe nesting cavities are even more scarce, which creates a real limiting factor for birds interested in nesting in a given area. It also creates a lot of competition for limited existing nesting cavities.

That’s where we come in! We birders provide more and more nest boxes each year for the benefit of cavity nesting birds large and small. But having covered songbird-sized nest boxes in 2 February issues of The Birding Wire (Feb 19th and 26th), in this article we will emphasize big nest boxes for larger cavity nesting birds –owls, kestrels, and ducks.

Owls: If you are interested in attracting a pair of small nesting owls, your best chance of success is to try to attract one of the screech owls – Eastern Screech Owls or Western Screech Owls. Between the 2 species, they range across most of the Lower 48 States and southern Canada and Alaska. Two more species of owls could occupy your big nest box if you live within their range – Northern Saw-whet Owls or Northern Pygmy Owls.

Kestrels: Attracting a pair of American Kestrels to use a big nest box can be a big highlight for any birder, and these mini-falcons can be lured to rural locations with a big nest box positioned in an open area, or on the edge of an open field.

Ducks: Only a few ducks nest in cavities, but they include a few prized species that will use big nest boxes. Wood Ducks are especially exciting to attract to a big nest box positioned in a location near a pond, marsh, or lake. Five other species of ducks are also cavity nesters – Hooded Mergansers, Common Goldeneyes, Barrow’s Goldeneyes, Buffleheads, and Black-bellied Whistling Ducks, each with their own nest box dimensions.

Range & Habitat: To attract a certain species to use a big nest box, you obviously must be within the nesting range of that species. It’s also just as important to install the nest box in or adjacent to prime habitat for the specific birds you wish to attract. For example, a big nest box positioned at the edge of an open woodland bordering a grassy meadow could attract a pair of small owls or kestrels. Access to water will be essential to attract a nesting duck. To learn more about each individual species’ requirements, including nest box size, entrance hole diameter, habitat preferences, and all other relevant information about each species, see All About Birdhouses – NestWatch

Buying a Big Nest Box: When shopping for a nest box, you will want to be sure a given model has all the features listed on the NestWatch website for a good nest box, including a hinged panel so you can monitor and maintain the big nest box. Your best bet for buying a quality big nest box is to shop at BestNest. Our pick hits are the Woodlink Screech Owl & Kestrel Nest Box (see Woodlink Screech Owl & Kestrel House at BestNest.com) and for Wood Duck nest boxes, refer to the Coveside Wood Duck House at BestNest.com and Pine Wood Duck House by Prime Retreat at BestNest.com The 3 big nest boxes linked here are the best we are aware of on the market, although it’s relatively easy to build your own if you have some extra time.

DIY – Building a Big Nest Box: To learn specifics about the best design, entrance hole size, materials, and more before you try to build and install a big nest box for the species of your choice, you should refer to the Cornel Lab of Ornithology’s NestWatch webpages at Right Bird, Right House – NestWatch and for basic nest box building information, see Features of a Good Birdhouse – NestWatch You can certainly take a lot of personal pride if you build your own nest boxes, not just for your construction efforts, but for the ecological benefits you provide too!

Predator Proofing: All nest boxes need predator proofing, either a wide cone-shaped metal baffle or a long piece of stove pipe metal screwed around the pole you mount your nest box to. Predator proofing will stop raccoons, snakes, squirrels, cats, and other potential predators from reaching a nest box, keeping it a safe haven for nesting birds. Without predator proofing, your nest box can become a snack box, so don’t overlook the importance of predator proofing.

Roosting Option: Another plus about big nest boxes is that they can also provide off-season roosting sites for small owls, which makes any big nest box doubly valuable – and a super addition to your yard or property.

Much of the fun of attracting birds to nest in a big nest box is that you never know how much the birds will enhance your birding experiences. Who wouldn’t enjoy monitoring screech owls, a nesting Wood Duck, or the activities of a pair of American Kestrels raising a brood of mini-falcons in a big nest box that you provide!

Any time you install a new nest box you may need a little extra patience before it is adopted by a pair of nesting birds. It may take a year or so, before you see some action, but it’s well worth the wait. You will find that a big nest box will be a point of interest that your eyes check any time the unit is in sight. A big nest box is a great conversation piece too, especially when it becomes the nesting center for small owls, kestrels, or ducks.

Is there anyone out there who has tried to attract as many different species that nest in Big Nest Boxes as possible, by putting up a number of big nest boxes, each in a different habitat to attract different species? Just a thought, or food for thought. Good Luck on all your nest box efforts this spring!

Share your backyard birding experiences and photographs with The Birding Wire at editorstbw2@gmail.com