photo #4472627

Ingenious. Karen Kohl Rowe took this photo of a quick and easy "Florida room" for a bluebird nest that doubles as protection against raccoons and opossums trying to conduct a raid. Here's Karen's description of the device:A dear friend of mine, Lillian Franklin, is an expert on nesting bluebirds. She's in her late 80s and can tell you anything you need to know about bluebirds; a truly amazing intelligent lady. She was having issues with raccoons and opossums reaching into the nest box after climbing over the baffle. There are various versions of the entrance extender but clever Lillian found these wire baskets at Dollar Tree and cut a hole in the bottom so the bluebirds could come and go. Coons and possums could not reach through the hole in the basket to grab the eggs or nestlings inside. She said both adults would sit in the wire “porch“ to keep an eye on the natural world. I call this the Lillian predator guard. It’s so easy to make an entrance and attach it to the box with a bungee cord.