Simple ways to prevent nesting birds overheating & dying during hot weather.
Hey folks, recently one of our sub members, through absolutely no fault of their own, lost 3 nestling chickadees due to heatstroke during hot weather - incredibly tragic because they were healthy & ready to fledge. I wanted to make a simple list of suggestions as to how you can minimize the risk of nestlings dying during hot summer weather. The inside of a nest box is usually 10 - 15 degrees hotter than the outside temperature, meaning temperatures that get to the mid 80s see a nest box at around 100 degrees - extremely dangerous for baby birds. The good news is you can mitigate this in a number of ways, I'll list them below & please use any that could be of benefit in your particular situation.
When choosing a box look for a thick wooden nestbox that has ample ventilation & no dark colors. The best ive seen is the "Kettle Moraine cedar super bluebird box" for example.
Placement: Look to place nest boxes somewhere with afternoon shade if possible.
Nest boxes with dark colors - nest boxes that have any dark colors will trap excessive heat. Any part of your box that is dark should be painted white using a low voc exterior paint. If you own a dark colored nestbox please voice your concerns to the manufacturers - these are killing birds during summer months when it's so easily prevented by offering light colored designs instead.
umbrellas 🌂 : You can shade your birdhouse by rigging up an umbrella to the back- uv reflecting umbrellas work best to deflect heat (choose a light colored one) & can be strapped on using bungee ties or drilled in using brackets. An even simpler way to provide shade is to purchase a patio umbrella with its own stand & have that shading the bird house.
Gel ice packs: On days where temperatures get to over 80 degrees (which would be 95 degrees inside of the bird house) simply place an ice pack on the roof of the house - or even a bag of frozen peas or veg would work.
If anyone has further information to add that can help reduce birds dying from heat related stress please add your suggestions & what's worked for you.