The Complete Handbook of Bird & Wildlife House Accessories
A practical field reference for professionals, retailers, and serious enthusiasts who build, install, sell, or maintain bird and wildlife houses and their accessories.
by Alumigogo Books
non-fiction
From predator guards to ventilation baffles: select, install, and maintain every bird house accessory with confidence.
About this book
A bird house is only as good as its accessories. A well-built nest box without a predator guard, proper drainage, or a functional cleaning door is a liability—not an asset—for both the birds and the person maintaining it. This handbook moves beyond glossy product catalogs to give you the working knowledge professionals need: how each accessory functions, what specifications actually matter, and how to choose, install, and maintain components for specific species and conditions.
Structured for practical use, the book covers the full category tree—from essential hardware like mounting poles and baffles to specialized tools like nest-check kits and monitoring cameras. It also addresses the business side: how to identify market gaps, position products for retail, and offer installation and maintenance services as a profitable niche. Whether you manage a nature center, run a landscaping crew, or maintain a serious personal bluebird trail, this handbook is designed to be the reference you keep on your workbench, not on a shelf.
Grounded in real-world examples—from the white-footed mouse problem in suburban nest boxes to the corrosion issues of galvanized poles in coastal climates—this is a practical, durable reference for anyone who takes bird and wildlife housing seriously.
Reader Reviews
Barbara Allen
★★★★★Finally, a reference that treats this seriously. I run a bluebird trail with 80 boxes, and the chapter on predator guards alone saved me hours of research. The specs are concrete—exact gap sizes, mounting heights, material recommendations. I've already ordered a second copy for our volunteer crew.
Brian Ramirez
★★★★★It's thorough, I'll give it that, but I felt some sections went deeper than I needed. The business opportunities chapter felt out of place for a handbook, and the writing can be dry in places. Still, the maintenance chapter is genuinely useful, and the glossary at the back is a nice touch.
Carol Lewis
★★★★★As someone who installs and maintains boxes for a local land trust, I've had to learn most of this through trial and error. This book validates what I do right and corrected several things I was doing wrong—my cleaning door placement was backwards. Worth every penny for the installation chapter alone.
Susan Rodriguez
★★★★★Good practical resource. I appreciated the specific numbers on things like baffle cone angles and pole diameter minimums. The book is clearly written by someone who has actually been on a ladder with a drill. I just wish there were more diagrams, though the descriptions are detailed enough to manage.
Betty Carter
★★★★★I bought this for the monitoring tools section and found a whole world I didn't know existed. The explanation of nest check protocols and the difference between functional and gimmick cameras was exactly what I needed. A solid, no-nonsense resource that respects the reader's intelligence.
Laura Perez
★★★★★Our garden center started stocking accessories last year, and we've been guessing on what to recommend. This handbook gave our staff the confidence to actually talk specs with customers. We've already changed what we stock based on the durability comparisons. It's become our unofficial training manual.
Angela Hernandez
★★★★★This is the reference I've been needing for years. The troubleshooting section is brilliant—I found the cause of a recurrent raccoon problem in minutes. The writing is direct, clear, and free of the fluff you get in most books these days. It's the kind of handbook that earns its place on your shelf.
Amanda Flores
★★★★★Solid reference overall. I particularly liked the climate-specific advice, like how to adjust ventilation and drainage for humid versus arid regions. A few more real-world case studies would have been nice, but the depth of practical detail makes up for it. A recommended addition for any serious birder's library.