Keep Snakes Far From Your Bird's Nest Box With One Simple Addition

There are numerous ways to attract birds to your garden, from building a charming DIY birdhouse to using a simple egg carton hack. You can also leave nesting materials out in your yard, such as straw and grass clippings, or mount a wooden nest box to a tree or pole. Unlike birdhouses, nest boxes are utilitarian rather than decorative and tailor-made to meet the needs of one specific species of bird. They also tend to be larger so as to comfortably accommodate a nest. When mounting your nest box, don't forget to add a layer of protection in the form of a baffle.

Snakes in particular pose a major threat to eggs and baby birds so including a baffle with your nest box can help prevent these slithering predators from accessing your bird family's home. If the nest is in a tree, install a ready-made baffle – a sheet of metal or plastic – around the trunk to stop snakes from making their way up. If, on the other hand, the little ones are inside a pole-mounted nest box, you can easily DIY a metal baffle out of stovepipe to make it snake-proof. 

If your nest box is mounted on a pole rather than a tree, installing a baffle is a great way to keep snakes — and other unwanted guests — out. You can cheaply DIY a stovepipe baffle using hardware cloth and a galvanized pipe that's 24 to 36 inches long. In order to ensure snakes aren't able to simply slither past, you'll want to choose an 8-inch diameter or larger pipe and use metal, not PVC.

First, cut a circle out of hardware cloth that's about 1 inch bigger in diameter than your pipe, making a hole in the middle so it can slide over your nest box's pole. Fold the edges of the cloth down and slide them inside the pipe. Make sure it's a snug fit and help keep it in place by cutting three to four tabs in your pipe and folding them down over the cloth. Next, attach two hanger iron straps to the nest box's pole and slide your DIY baffle on top until it rests on the straps. The Ohio Bluebird Society recommends keeping a distance of 1 inch between the top of the baffle and your nest box while also ensuring the top of the baffle is at least 4 feet off the ground. If you're not great at DIYs, a 2017 study published in the Wildlife Society Bulletin found that a ready-made cone-shaped baffle can also work wonders.

Adding a baffle below your nest box will play a big role in deterring snakes from going after the eggs and hatchlings in your yard. However, choosing the right placement for it can also make a difference. When setting up your nest box, make sure it's at least 6 to 8 feet off the ground and far away from any overhanging branches that snakes could use to access the nest from above.

Equally important is to make sure that the grass around your nest is as clean as possible. Because snakes are drawn to spots with lots of leaves and natural debris, rake regularly, leaving only grass. And while putting grease on the pole may seem tempting to reduce potential predators' grip, Lori Vanover, a certified Wisconsin Extension master gardener, writes in Birds & Blooms that this should be avoided as it can actually hurt birds.

If, after all of this, your best efforts fail, don't feel disheartened. While snakes may prey on birds occasionally, they also help keep them safe in the grand scheme of things by pushing other predators away.