tomthemagicman Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 (edited) I've been itching to make one of these for a long time but I have a question. How do you guys attach them to the trees? Is it against the guidelines to put a nail in a tree? More importantly can I pound a nail into the tree without hurting it? edit: I just found out that putting a nail in a tree won't hurt it much at all as long as the tree isn't "young and small or have signs of existing decay" but I'd still like to know if anyone has had trouble with local geocachers criticizing their cache because of a nail in a tree or it Groundspeak has a rule against it. Thank you Edited July 24, 2009 by tomthemagicman Quote Link to comment
+Knight2000 Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I have found a couple. None were hanging on a nail. The one I remember most was on its own post stuck on the ground. It's really not about following the guidelines, it's more like will someone report you. I am all about following guidelines but the fact is that many caches out there don't. I have seen my fair share and I don't even have that many finds. No one in my area really says anything. I used to but it just created angst locally so I try to just keep quiet unless it could really cause future problems with land managers. Quote Link to comment
+ras_oscar Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 I found a birdhouse cache that was a coffee can with a fake birdhouse built around it. You pulled out 2 dowels from the bottom to release the coffee can from the birdhouse. It was hung from the branch or a tree, no nail required. Quote Link to comment
+mahini Posted July 24, 2009 Share Posted July 24, 2009 The one I found was mounted to the tree securely, but the lid lifted off & then it had a tupperware inside. the front had a hole that could be for birds, but it was covered over with mesh Quote Link to comment
+niraD Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I've seen birdhouse caches hanging from ropes/chains, just like real birdhouses. I think the key details for a birdhouse cache are (1) preventing birds from actually using it (so cachers won't disturb nesting birds in the birdhouse cache), and (2) making it obvious which birdhouse is the cache (so cachers won't disturb nesting birds in nearby real birdhouses). Quote Link to comment
tomthemagicman Posted July 25, 2009 Author Share Posted July 25, 2009 cool, thanks for the speedy responses Quote Link to comment
+mfamilee Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 We have a birdhouse cache which is just hanging from a branch in a tree. No need for nails... Quote Link to comment
+Kohavis Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Attach a cord to the top and just loop it over a branch stub on the main trunk about 4 or 5 feet off the ground. Here's a nicely done one I found a few months ago. It was hung from a branch. Although it was mounted lower than I would have hung it, it was good craftsmanship. You remove the dowels at the bottom and the 4x4 tupperware and a bottom panel drop out. Perfect for high-muggle areas. Some local teacher had her 3rd grade class make it, and then go out and hide it I've also made a couple of smaller birdhouse caches, of which one is in the wild now. It's also hung from a branch stub. Quote Link to comment
+Captain Spherical Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 Hello to all, I found a bird-house cache yesterday........ But - because I am older than Methuselah, weigh more than your average SUV, and am not 9 meters tall............. I had to gaze wistfully upon this unreachable cache, heave a sigh of frustration and leave it for the more agile of the caching community. Still all part of the fun.... Captain Spherical Quote Link to comment
+SaltercreaseRangers Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 (edited) Using a single nail or screw may not damage a mature tree and is a generally accepted practise for fixing nestboxes when placing them for birds to use The UK's Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) guidance improves this with "It is better to attach it either with a nylon bolt or with wire around the trunk or branch." Edited July 25, 2009 by SaltercreaseRangers Quote Link to comment
+Von-Horst Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 It probably goes without saying that you should ensure that there are no real birdhouses nearby first! Quote Link to comment
+The Leprechauns Posted July 25, 2009 Share Posted July 25, 2009 I've found maybe 50 "fake birdhouse" caches. One common theme is that a lot of them seem to be hidden in nature preserves with permission from the land manager. Maybe they like the idea of something 'hidden in plain sight' better than having people rooting around in stumps and turning over rocks. Anyways, here is an idea I had (and may use someday): To get permission to place a cache in your favorite local bird watching park, offer to construct three or four real birdhouses at places of their choosing, using materials and labor donated by you. Then there would be an extra birdhouse 100 feet further away, that was really a geocache. How could a land manager say no to that offer? Quote Link to comment
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