Creating Our Pole Mount System

Barn Owl nest boxes need to be ten feet or more off the ground. When installing a box in an open field, this fact can present some logistical problems. Most poles at the hardware store are exactly ten feet long, or at longer lengths that require costly cutting. Poles placed in the ground need a hole of two feet or more, making a ten foot pole potentially unviable. Installing poles on site could take a couple of hours or more.
One of our volunteer carpenters, Robin, suggested using 1 1/2 inch diameter gas pipe mounted in a concrete-filled tire as a nest box support. A standard ten foot section of pipe from Lowes would then stand exactly ten feet tall. We decided to try that system at Mason Farm, and it worked perfectly. The piping was solid, and there was little sway due to the weight of the concrete.  So we decided that we would use this system for all 25 of our nest boxes.
One downside to using this system is that it takes time to set ten feet of pipe in concrete. The pipe-in-tire setup is also extremely heavy, and must be maneuvered carefully for transport. There are also unforseen consequences of using old tires. Worn steel belted radials, for instance, have a tendency to slice a finger open if given the opportunity (a fact that I learned first hand).
The upsides to using this setup, though, far outweigh the downsides. The tire setup is mobile, allowing nest boxes to be moved when necessary, as for a prescribed burn. The system can also be assembled at a neutral site, which means a faster installation once in the field. The boxes can be brought down easily for cleaning. And in the case of a hurricane, which is not an uncommon event in this part of the country, the boxes can be brought down entirely to escape the wind.
On our first two "pole workdays," we set aside two to three hours, with two to four volunteers present. Per Robin's original instructions, we first lay a piece of plywood on flat ground. We then lay one or two tires down, with tar paper placed at the bottom of the holes to prevent wet concrete from leaking out. We then hammered short lengths of 2X4 into the ground around the tires.

Next we used wood screws to place buttresses at an angle, to help stabilize the pipe. Two buttresses per tire allows a pole or pipe to be fully supported at a right angle. 

A 1 1/2 inch diameter pipe was then secured to the buttresses using clamps. Pipe can be very heavy and cumbersome, but is very solid once fixed in place. One inch pipe is also OK to use, but be sure to get the proper sized flange for attachment to the nest box.

Next we mixed the concrete: two 80lb bags per tire. That seemed like a lot of concrete, but the weight of the tire is what gives the pole its stability.

Packing the concrete into the tire is fairly rewarding. Once filled, the concrete is evened out and smoothed. 

We managed to finish two poles this weekend in two hours, with four people. With some practice, we should be able to finish in half the time. If you have some carpentery or handyman skills, and would like to help us mix concrete and set the poles, please let us know.

After 24 hours, the mounts are be ready to go. We will be using these poles to install boxes 5 and 6 this weekend!!