This nestbox style was designed by Gary Springer, who formerly ran RealBirdHomes. It is related to the NABS style nestbox, but 
has a pitched roof with gable ends instead of flat roof.
Excessive heat builds up inside nest boxes much the same way as it does inside automobiles parked in the sun on hot summer days. Temperatures can easily soar above 100 degrees and take the lives of the chicks or destroy the eggs. The designer felt that the roof and ventilation system of the Chalet prevents this over heating and mortality because:
-
At 168 square inches, the roof area of the Chalet is nearly double that of many other nest boxes. And, the roof panels of the Chalet come down over the sides of the nest box. Therefore, most of the front and side surfaces of the Chalet are in the shade all day.
-
The chalet has a ventilation slot under the roof on each side. These slots measure one half inch wide and five and a half inches long. That is a full five and a half square inches of ventilation. With other nest box designs, providing even half that much ventilation increases the risk that rain water will run under the roof and inside the nest box. There is no risk that rain water will dampen the nest inside the Chalet.
Birds inside nest boxes mounted on trees, wooden fence posts or other wooden structures are extremely vulnerable to predation by fire ants, cats, raccoons, opossums, snakes and other animals. The Chalet with Quick Mount attaches to the top of a 1″ diameter galvanized EMT electrical conduit pole in seconds with no tools or other hardware.
Applying a thin coat of axle grease to the smooth galvanized one inch diameter pole when the nest is occupied has shown to be 100% effective against predation by fire ants.
When the Chalet is mounted 6 feet high on top of a smooth 1″ diameter galvanized pole coated with grease, it is extremely unlikely that the nest will be raided by cats, raccoons, snakes and other predators that access the nest by climbing or jumping.
Some birders believe baffle guards are necessary for increased predator protection. Springer believed a nestbox mounted six feet above the ground on a greased smooth 1″ diameter metal pole offers better protection unless the top of the baffle is 6 and a half feet above the ground. If the top of the baffle is only 5 feet off the ground, he argued that many snakes, cats, and raccoons can reach or jump up to the top of the baffle without touching the pole, then climb up onto the nest box or raid the nest while sitting on top of the baffle.
The effectiveness of a Chalet can be improved by using hole reducers, ventilation blocks, false floors, nest lowering, and a double roof.
MORE INFORMATION & RESOURCES:
Measure twice, cut once, then force it to fit.
