Mark installed
a bird house hole guard or protector on his sister’s bluebird house
since she was having trouble with squirrels chewing out the hole and
making it larger. He hid a large washer around the hole and
then shaped
a wooden doughnut to cover the washer up.

Basic Installation Instructions for Hole Guard:

1. First, the wood was recessed so the washer
   would be flush with the wood.
2. A round piece was cut with a hole saw.
3. The piece was shaped with a router.
4. The doughnut was mounted over the washer and
   painted.

Mark didn’t say how the doughnut was mounted, but
I assume it was glued around the outside. The washer would make it
difficult to attach with screws from the back side.

The area surrounding the hole is recessed so the washer sits flush.

Bird House Hole Guard Installed

Wood Dougnut Placed Over Hole Guard For Aesthetic Reasons

Finished Bluebird House w/ Hole Guard Installed.
Yes, Mark’s sister is a University at Birmingham fan, hence the colors!

Below are bird house hole protectors you can install easily on your bird house if you don’t want something as fancy as Mark’s:

No doubt the washer will slow a squirrel
down.  They may try to gnaw around the hole and could cause a
lot of damage to the doughnut, but they will not gnaw through the
washer. If given enough time, they could eventually dislodge the
washer, but let’s hope those squirrels give up and move on to natural
holes before that happens.

Mark explained, “I know that there are many easier
ways to install
metal at the entrance of the birdhouse. But this way gives me the
finished look that I wanted. Heck you could just take a can lid and
nail it to the front after cutting a correctly sized hole in the center
and it would work just as well. I just don’t care for the look it would
have.”

Bluebird House Plans

Go to the bluebird house plans page to view the detailed plans which includes an
insulated layer and heat vent tube to reduce the temperature inside the
birdhouse on hot days. One of the most unique bluebird house plans we
have seen. 

Basic Bluebird
House Plans – Basic one-board bluebird bird house plans and
others including Peterson, Gilbertson and boxes for Western and Eastern
Bluebirds.

Wrap-Around Squirrel Baffle for Bird Houses & Feeders

Or Make Your Own Homemade Squirrel Baffle

All Bird House Plans

Bird House Dimensions Chart

Hole Guards Explained at Sialis.org

Our Favorite Bird Watching Binoculars, Squirrel-Proof Feeder & Hummingbird Feeder Read Our Reviews:
Nikon Monarch M5 Best mid-priced bird watching binoculars. Waterproof, shockproof, multi-coated ED-Glass.	Squirrel-Proof No batteries, adjustable, easy to clean…and no squirrels! “Best New Product” Award.	Bird Bath Heater Keeps your bird baths ice-free down to -20 F. Low-operating costs ~$1/mo
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