Wren house

ok - maybe the Upper Mid-westerners are more active this week than the wildlife forum! This is a little off-topic but I bet some of you do enjoy the birds also and may know the answer. I bought 2 wooden wren houses. They are unfinished wood. Can anyone tell me the ideal place for a wren to nest, and also if I should finish these with paint or other sealant? I hate to wait for the chemical smell to go away before hanging them. I want to get them up early enough. Last year I put out scraps of yarn and grasses for the birds to build nests but I was too late! They were well into sitting on eggs before I thought it was warm enough.

I don't have a lot of evergreens but do have a stand of 10 foot firs if they like that kind of cover. And will they need protection for their eggs from raccoons - which we have a plentiful supply of? Ask my pileated woodpeckers - the coons come at night and finish off the suet cakes.

Hey Al - cute picture! My kind of Dad - good for you.

Hi Al
My parents have house wrens in houses, they certainly are not shy of people. They will nest in a suitable house about anywhere it seems. They do try to protect them from the racoons also, even if they don't get eggs they do a lot of damage trying.
As far as sealing I would guess it's personal preference, I would agree that if you are ,to do it soon and let it air out a few weeks.
Maybe a better birder can hekp you here.
Al

I have mine under a garage overhang. It is hard for the squirrels, grackles etc to interfere with the babies, also keeps it out of wind and rain.
Cannot wait for them to arrive.

We have a lot of feeders and houses. Wren houses should be about eye level to 10 feet high, facing away from the prevailing wind. Wrens are friendly, and unlike a lot of other birds, they'll nest close to your house. Pick somewhere that doesn't get too much sun. The trick is finding a spot where there's nothing to climb. Hanging under an eave like Marcia said is a good idea. If you mount the house on a tree or fence, racoons can climb right up - try using a pvc pole over a smaller metal pole instead. The metal does the supporting, and the pvc is slick. There are also cone baffles that you can buy, but if you get one make sure it's metal - the critters will chew on the plastic ones.

For nesting material they'll use all sorts of stuff. I put out dryer lint, and the birds seem to like it.

Last thing, some bird houses come with a little perch at the opening - if yours has one, remove it... it looks cute, the wrens don't need it, but marauders like starlings will use it to get at the eggs.

Wrens are funny to watch come nesting time. The boys will make several nests, then the girls pick which one they like best.