SSEE - Tnwatchablewildlife

forWI m L I F ESSEEAgency

WOODWORKING FOR WILDLIFE IN TENNESSEE-Adapted primarily from the Minnemta W d w u r k i n for Wildlife forTennessee conditions by Robert M. Hatcher, Nonga me Cwrdinator, TENNESSEEWILDLIFE RESOURCES AGENCY,by permissionof the Minnesota author,Carrol L.Henderson,Nongame Wildlife Supervisor, Minnesota Department ofNatural ResourcesART CREDITSWildlife art by Dan Metz and Dan RobinsonHouseand Platform drawings by Carrol L. Henderson, JudyVoigt-Englundand Mary MillerThe Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency appreciates the availability of thebasic text and majority of drawings for adaptation in this publication.This publication is partially funded by the Forest Stewardship Program and theMonsanto CompanyDISCLAIMER*'The useof trade namesor references to specificcompanies or productsin thispublication does not imply endorsement by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. They are included only as an aid to the reader.

TABLE OF CONTENTSInbmluction .12General House and Platform Instructions . .Part 1- Nest l b x s and Platforms for UseIn Backyards. Farmsteads andand Small Deciduous WoodlotsHouse Wren .White-breastd Nuthatch .Mourning Dove .Carolina Chickadee .Eastern Bluebird .American Robin .Barn Swallow .Eastern Phoebe .Purple Martin .Northern Flicker .Barn Owl .&Its .Gray and Fox Squirrels .Raccoon .American Kestrel .Part 2- Nest Boxes and Piatiorrns for34'4456667889101011Usein Extensive h i d u o u s orConiferous ForestsBarred Owl . .Great Crested Flycatcher .Prothonotary Warbler .Eastern kreech-owl .Northern and Southern Flying Squirrels .Grcat Horned Owl .Eastern Red Squirrel .Pilca ted Woodpecker .Part 3- Nest Boxes and Platforms for Use inLakes. Rivers. Marshes. Ponds andAdjacent Upland HabitatsW d Duck .DouMe-crested Cormorant . :.Great Blue Heron .Turtlc and Duck Loafing Piatform .Osprey . .Canada Goose .Cliff Swallow .Mallard .Woodworking Plans-Figures 1-20 .1112121212121213141515161616171819-38

WOODWORKING FOR WILDLIFEINTRODUCTIONProviding houses for cavity-nesting birds is a popular hobby for almosteveryone who enpys wildlife aroundtheir homes. Building houses according to p r o p s p i h c a t i m s , placing themin a suitable habitat, and qularly maintaining the houses canbenefit both birdsand mammals. IF they arc not built andmaintained properly, lhcy can k o m eeitha "sparrow slums," remain unused,or actually become a death trap to nesting birds and-mammals.Nest boxes are k o m i n g incrcasingly important as intensifying forestmanagement and firewood cutting reduce the availability of natural cavities.Nest boxes are therefore helpful for manycavity-nesting species.Although most people Lhink of easternbluebirds, purplemartins and waodducks as the primary -pantsof h o u ,many other birds and mammals willoccupy them. There are over 30 speciesof birds in Tennessee which nest in treholes. So birdhousesareusuallybuilt tosimuIatea nahral cavi ty in a tree. Manyother birds or marnnials will also adaptto w d e n nest platforms if they havethe oppartunity. ,Birdhouses are especially useful inareas that lack large, old, hollow treesfor nesting. They can lessen competition by houw sparrows and Europeanstarlings, because natural cavities haveentrance sizes that often admit both ofthese pest species. Nest h x e s for somesongbirds, however, can be designedwith small enbance hdes so that one orboth pest species on be excluded.A variely of game bird and mammal box designs are included in thispublicationbecause they arevery p p u lar and o n be 'used by many othcrspecies as well.The house and platform instructions have been simplifid as much aspossible Most patterns arc " o n e b r d "houses, including those in Figure 1,4,6,B, 10,12and14. Andright-angle cutsare used wherever feasible.Wildlife watching is one of the fastest growing activities in Tmnessee.This booklet is written in three sectionsaccording to the habitatsinvolved.The first includa houses and platformsappropriate for u ine backyards,

through the nesting material and can be removed from thc httom of the box. id Whenever house sparrows or Euro- pean starlings begin nesting in a birdhouse, tear out the nest and eggs since they arc not protected by Statc! or federai law. Nestsmay need tabc removed fiv