Carol,
Is the wire you used bendable? If so you might be able to adjust it down to 1 3/8″ or so.
Steve G. told me an interesting story about Starlings and the Gilwood. He trapped some starlings, put them inside a few Gilwoods, and waited. Within minutes, they ALL escaped. But he rarely had Starlings even attempt a nest in his Gilwoods. I asked him why, if they could squeeze themselves under that wire, that they didn’t nest there.
“It’s way too much work for them, having to squeeze in and out so many times during a nesting cycle. In studying Bluebird behavior, I realized that birds pay attention to this. Combined with a floor that’s really too small for their needs, they usually give up on a Gilwood and go elsewhere.”
The subtleties of a nestbox design are sometimes not so subtle after all.
Fred
Waleska, GA
NestboxBuilder