Flutterby wrote:I see Duke & Sharifa and SM have nesting logs. I saw one at Builder's on Saturday and was quite keen to get one, but wanted to ask some questions first.
Are they fussy about where the log is, ie. in specific trees?
Does the log have to face a particular direction?
We have 3 dogs, would that put the birds off?
Hey Flutts
You can put the log in any tree, preferably it must have a nearby branch they can sit on near the entrance. A friend of mine hanged one under the roofs overhang and the Barbet's moved in within a week. My Barbets moved in the next day after hanging the log - it only took them a day to excuvate hole deep enough to sleep in and for the next week they still worked on it.
Yes Barbet's prefer that the entrance face Easterly, a bit off does not matter.
We have four dogs and Barbet's are not put off by the dogs sitting under the tree, when the chicks are there they do "yell" at us or the dogs when we near the tree, but then just return to what they were doing after a while.
Sometimes the people that "make" the logs, makes the pilot hole on the wrong side, meaning its up side down, the bark on the log must have the "sharp" side to the top so that the Barbet's feet can grab hold underneath the entrance, you can feel that pulling your hand over the log. If the whole is on the wrong side they struggle to hang on making the hole and sometimes give up and look for another place to make home.
21.4.2011 
4.5.2011 
14.5.2011
