Someone once said that 'what the world needs is a good nights sleep.' I agree and appreciate everything about a good night's sleep.

I am thankful for a peaceful environment in which to go to bed. And I enjoy awaking at times during a good night's rest feeling warm and comfortable, perhaps with the sound of rain dripping off the eaves of the house. I welcome a natural wakening in the morning; free from an alarm clocks clanging, or the equally annoying but less jolting, crackle of a radio alarm clock. (I would imagine that if most heart attacks and strokes happen in early morning it would be directly attributable to alarm clocks). All in all, a good night's rest is a tremendous gift.

With such a high regard for a good night's sleep, it isn't surprising that I often wonder how wild birds and small rodents slumber away without locks on their doors, and safe locations. How does a red squirrel elude night predators that could easily enter its den? How does a hollow tree full of Chickadees repel a weasel, which comes in through the only entrance and traps them inside? I sometimes picture night roosting crows swaying in their roost trees as the tree limbs lash about and the rain pelts down. I imagine that most wild animals doze fitfully at best, and live lives which are often sleep deprived.

I'd often contemplated a 'good night's sleep' project. The project would convert a tall, unused nest box, hanging on a tree next to the driveway, into a roosting box for Chickadees. (For those unfamiliar with the sleeping habits of Chickadees, Nuthatches and Creepers, I will explain.) In order to protect themselves from extreme cold, and night predators, Chickadees, Nuthatches, and Creepers seek out natural cavities in trees and then huddle inside, sharing body heat to keep warm.

A roost box is a bird box designed and built to replicate and improve upon the natural cavity experience. There are several key design elements in a roost box. The entrance hole should be located near the bottom of the box, and should be no bigger than 1.25 inches in diameter as only smaller birds would use this box. Perches should be built inside the box to provide roosting spots. A roost box is also taller than most bird boxes with a larger interior space.

This was to be my very first roost box, so I gave it much thought ahead of time. The first challenge was drilling dowel holes for the perches. I could imagine the holes not lining up properly if I drilled them in the wrong spots, then I had a brilliant idea. I laid the two planks that would be the sides of the box on top of each other and drilled through both planks at once. How could the holes not match up? If I wanted perches running front to back, I could simply drill similar holes in the front/back boards. I drilled my holes in a zigzag pattern, clustering them near the top so the heat could be trapped and warm the potential roosters.

Next, I nailed the two drilled sides to the front slab with the entrance hole down near the bottom. With one open side remaining I easily pushed the dowel from one side of the box across to the other. I discovered that I had drilled far too many holes for the amount of dowel material so I inserted a bit of the dowel into each hole and broke it off to block any drafts. Next, I attached the last side, the roof, and the bottom.

The roost box now hangs from a dead pine in the yard awaiting investigation by flocks of sleepy birds. I don't expect them to be instantly smitten with my efforts. I have a Flicker that roosts nightly in a punky poplar in the yard, and has done so for 3 consecutive winters. If this is any indication the tried and true, trusted night roosts are known, and moving to a new location might be more a case of necessity than novelty.