The Finsters got six new nest boxes today! Sorry about the photo, the light is terrible. I use four-inch square "kraft paper" boxes that are sold by a jewelry-supply company as gift boxes. They're really too small to use if birds are really interested in hatching chicks — you'd want a five- or six-inch square box for that. But these work well for birds — like Society finches — that like to sleep in nests even if they're not sitting on eggs.

As you can see, I modify the boxes. I cut a hole in the front, I add a perch, I use wire to hang them, and I put plastic vines on top — liberal amounts of hot glue are used. In fact, most of the birds spend quite a bit of time on top of the boxes during the day, and seem to appreciate the vines glued there. The Societies usually sleep inside a box, but Frank and Sally always sleep on top of one — often, they all use the same box.

Needless to say, the boxes get quite covered in poop after awhile, so I have to make a new batch pretty regularly. Despite the fact that I've made the nest boxes the same way for years, and put the six new boxes in the exact same spots as the six old boxes, all the Finsters are quite flutterpated. They are prey animals, after all. It doesn't take much to get them scared. I put the boxes in about noon, and am hoping that the finches will calm down by bedtime.

I just got a plastic box, which I'll try out next week. I'll still add the vines on top, but I should be able to wash the nests, instead of making new ones all the time.