Side Opening vs. Top Opening Bird Nest Boxes
If you’re shopping for bluebird nest boxes or chickadee houses, you might wonder, which is better a top opening or a side opening? There are several reasons why a side opening is a better nest box setup. This includes cleaning, monitoring and bird health advantages. While there are a lot of pros and very few cons to the side opening box.
To very quickly clarify what we mean by side opening and top opening nest boxes:
- A side opening nest box is a nest box where any of the four sides can open for access. This can include the front panel. We will be more specific sometimes and say a “front opening” when we mean that style in particular.
- A top opening means that the roof element opens up. Pictured below is a nest box that was adapted into a side-opening box. But if you look very closely, the roof panel can slide off the top in order to give monitors access.
Pros and Cons of a Side Opening Bluebird Nest Box
Side Opening Nest Box Advantages (Pros)
There are several advantages to the side opening box:
Cleaning – Bluebird boxes are not entirely small when it comes to bird houses, but they aren’t big either. Now imagine you’ve volunteered to monitor a nest trail with unmonitored boxes already set up. You already know some of these nest boxes are full of dirty, compact house sparrow nests. To clear it out, you’ve got to really dig in there, get your arm down in there to clear it out. With a side opening, however, you’re not forced to stick your arm in there to clear everything out.
Bugs – The second concern with a top opening nest box has to do with the bug situation. Blow flies infestations can be a big concern, and a top opening doesn’t let you see what’s actually happening in the nest where that’s concerned. Whole broods have been lost to blow flies. Carpenter ants are another concern. When they’re along the bottom and sides, a top opening box won’t really let you see that.
Monofilament Line – Monofilament line, or fishing line is added to nest boxes sometimes to help deter house sparrows. While this is not a perfect deterrent, it can certainly help.
The challenge of installing monofilament line on a top opening nest box, especially if the top is designed to slide off, is that it will not be possible to slide the top off. If you’re not familiar with how monofilament line is installed or why this will present a problem, we have a helpful article with more details and illustrations.
Van Ert Trap Install – Installing a Van Ert sparrow trap can be pretty easy depending on the box style. Nest boxes that open from one of their four sides, especially the front side make Van Ert trap installation very easy. For top-opening boxes, it won’t be too difficult either, you will just have to unscrew the sides of the box to get the initial mounting screws in first.
Of the three options, top, front and side, Van Ert installation is the easiest in a front opening nest box. This is because the Van Ert trap is positioned over the nest box hole, and a front opening lets you open the box up and have free access for a drill and screw driver.
Nest box camera installation could cause conflict depending on box opening type – If you have to install the blink camera into the top of the box, and the top opening is a slide off style, you won’t be able to close your box after install because there won’t be a way for the lid to slide back in (we’re not talking about Gilbertson style boxes, which open differently).
And if you dismantle part of the box in order to install the camera on the top, if it’s a slide-off, you won’t be able to slide the lid back off without dismantling the box again. In times of crisis, this is not a good situation.
If the top opening pops off or is hinged style, then camera install may actually be super easy. In this case a hinged top-opening box like this presents a great advantage when installing a nest box camera.
Get illustrated instructions about how to install a Blink camera into a nest box here.
With that in mind, camera installation is not easy for side opening boxes, and it might require taking components of the nest box apart, installing, and then reassembling.
Side Opening Nest Box Disadvantages (Cons)
There aren’t a lot of cons when it comes to a side opening nest box versus a top opening nest box. The only con, which is not that significant when weighing against the pros, has to do with photography.
- Taking pictures might mean more disruption. Having a side opening nest box means you’re really going to have to open it up in order to take pictures with your cell phone. Thankfully bluebirds are fairly tolerant of monitoring.
- Nest box camera installation can be frustrating – Getting a camera installed in your box can be frustrating, but it’s not impossible. If you’re good, you’ll be able to maneuver a small awl and screw driver in there. Or if the box is wide enough, getting the tools in there might not be as much of a problem. But the other way to go is unscrewing one of the sides in order to get in there.
The verdict on the whole topic – if you’re in the decision-making process, go with a side or front opening box. It will save you a ton of hassle in the long run. If you already have just bought a top opening box, things will be ok. There is a way around everything.
