Carving a nest hole in a live tree

[Lider Sucre]

Hello to all carvers! i have joined this forum in hopes of getting some insight or suggestions about best ways to carve nest holes in standing tree trunks - not necesarilly always live trunks.

The need: Many threatened bird species here in the tropics nest in tree holes. This is a requirement for them to breed. The tree holes are (more often than not) carved by larger woodpecker species, then later used by many other birds. Toucans, macaws, quetzals, and many others depend on finding such suitable holes - and in many areas their population is constrained not by hunting or lack of food, but for lack of nesting sites.

Many of these birds can carve rotting wood that is still standing on dead trees - but such large dead standing trees can be a rarity in logged-over areas.

Nest boxes are less desirable in many of our locations for a number of reasons.

The question What are different techniques, ways, tools that can be used to carve a hole in a standing tree trunk? Some considerations:

• Only a single entrance, about 2 inches to 4 inches in diameter. This entrance is near the top of the cavity or nest. Inside cavity is ideally 12" to 24" deep and 5" to 12" wide.
• In our area, many softer wood "trees" such as palm trees and balsa are often available. Many other trees have rotten portions mid-trunk (for example, where a large branch has been knocked down by another falling tree, leaving a branch stub where subsequently rot has spread somewhat into the tree trunk under the rainy, humid, hot conditions).
• Sometimes electricity is available via extension cords, but usually not.
• Height of hole usually has to be above 12 feet up the tree trunk, or birds will not use it because of increased predator risk. This makes it hard to bring heavy machinery to the "work area" - hand tools are about it, but I'm willing to hear all ideas!

In general, the capability to bring the right hand tools in a backpack is greatly priced - many places are quite remote. So leads on what these hand tools might be and how to use them woud be appreciated!

Thank you all who care to contribute!

Lider Sucre
Panama

[AlArchie]

You have a dillema, there, Lider! I don't know of ANY tools that will do the job for you entirely from the outside, let alone hand tools.

You might try this; take a saw and cut two kerfs, halfway through the tree trunk, 15 to 18 inches apart vertically. With an axe and a large WOODEN mallet, attack that trunk vertically from both sides, driving the axe into the trunk to wedge the face of the cut portion away from the trunk. Now with chisles and gouges, you should be able to create the hollow in the trunk and the removed section of trunk. You should be able to cut out the entrance hole now with a large gouge.

When all this is done, replace the front section of the now hollowed out nesting cavity and seal it up with automotive body putty, such as Bondo. This can be worked around to fill the saw kerfs, seal the nest against the weather, and be worked to resemble the bark, before it sets up solid in a couple hours.

If anyone has a better idea, I'll retract this suggestion......hehehe.

Here's a sketch of what I mean. HOPE THIS HELPS.

Al

[Hi_Ho_Sliver]

How about doing the same as Al described only use barrels and paint them to match the surroundings? The are already hollow, you just have to cut the right diameter hole?Cowboy

[wade clark]

Dave hit it. The right diameter hole is very important! Many birds that nest in "holes" won't nest in just any hole, it has to be the right size.
I think your best bet is probably still nest boxes hung on trees. They could be fairly mass-produced, knocked together on site, and nailed or tied to a tree.
Any time you cut a hole or wound a tree it opens the tree to disease and usually shortens its' life. with all the deforestation we read about, every tree we can save could be saving us! That said, since December I've removed 25 trees from my home in Tennessee...but I've planted far more, plus a vineyard! I've removed pines and maple volunteers. I've planted cherries, apples, pears, peaches, plums, pomogranates, apricots, blueberries, and about 100 grapes...sure I left several things out!
Maybe you could plant a few trees for every tree you bore into if that's what you need to do, but nest boxes might be the better answer.
Wade

[Dusty Buffalo]

Originally Posted by AlArchie

You have a dillema, there, Lider! I don't know of ANY tools that will do the job for you entirely from the outside, let alone hand tools.

You might try this; take a saw and cut two kerfs, halfway through the tree trunk, 15 to 18 inches apart vertically. With an axe and a large WOODEN mallet, attack that trunk vertically from both sides, driving the axe into the trunk to wedge the face of the cut portion away from the trunk. Now with chisles and gouges, you should be able to create the hollow in the trunk and the removed section of trunk. You should be able to cut out the entrance hole now with a large gouge.

When all this is done, replace the front section of the now hollowed out nesting cavity and seal it up with automotive body putty, such as Bondo. This can be worked around to fill the saw kerfs, seal the nest against the weather, and be worked to resemble the bark, before it sets up solid in a couple hours.

If anyone has a better idea, I'll retract this suggestion......hehehe.

Here's a sketch of what I mean. HOPE THIS HELPS.

Al

My only addition, is that if you use Bondo, you need to somehow seal it. Bondo is actually a porous material and needs to be sealed to keep from cracking and falling out/off of the tree. You can't leave it open to the elements, especially if it's extremely humid.

[Ashbys]

Will the birds nest in man made external nest attached to the tree?

I would think if they would the safest way for both the bird , the man and the tree would be a nest made for the bird out of dead tree material with a screw brace for attachment to the live tree.

Would be quick to attach, supply a natural nesting area and not damage the tree like cutting into the bark and the heartwood of the tree to allow insects easy access to untreated wood.

The bracket for holding such a box could be made out of enviromentaly safe materials that would be safe and would only require an annual inspection for both the nest and the bracket, like a natural material not a plastic.