MyWildYard.com

Building A Box

 I will be putting my own box plans and pictures up soon. Until then, use the plans from the North American Bluebird Society.

Placement

 If you want bluebirds to find and nest in your boxes, you need to put some consideration into where you place your nest box. The site should have sufficient food and water supply and it should also deter unwanted species and predators.

Fields are ideal habitat for bluebirds and other species that hunt bugs. Low grass is best for finding insects. Bluebirds will nest in both flat and hilly areas. Besides insects, bluebirds will also eat berries, so a mulberry tree or other fruit bearing tree nearby also helps to attract bluebirds. If there are trees in the area, the box should be placed at least 100yds from them. This deters the House Wren from taking up nest boxes, and it also prevents snakes from finding the nest and killing the birds.  If there are trees in the area, the box should be placed at least 100yds from them. This deters the House Wren from taking up nest boxes, and it also prevents snakes from finding the nest and killing the birds. One should try to avoid areas where starling or house sparrow populations are high. If there is a box in such an area, chances are one of these two species will claim it, or steal it if another bird claims it first.

There are many theories about the best way to face a box. Some people put weather such as sun, wind, and rain into consideration, and choose to face the box in a direction that will offer the most protection. I find that a box facing some sort of tree or bush benefits fledglings. This allows them to fly directly for cover their first time, as opposed to possibly getting stuck out in the open.

 Placing two boxes at a nest site reduces competition between bluebirds and other acceptable species of cavity dwellers. One should place boxes about 25ft apart. In most cases, a pair of bluebirds will nest in one of the boxes, and a species such as the tree swallow will nest in the other. Bluebirds and Tree Swallows usually coexist peacefully. Tree Swallows have been known to defend their box from predators, so having this species near by can really benefit a pair of bluebirds and their young.

Monitoring

Monitoring your bluebird trail is essential. Monitoring enables you to keep track of the bird’s development, and allows you to intervene if a problem arises. This gives the birds the greatest chance at survival. Monitoring also ensures that an unwanted species, such as a house sparrow or starling, is not using the box. It is better to have no box at all, than to have a box that fledges one of these species. These are non native species to the United States

Once you find nesting material in a box, it is important to identify the type of bird that claimed the box. Use information from this video regarding different nesting material and egg coloration to help you in this task. You should check each box at least once a week, but once every few days is probably best. If you find that a chickadee has chosen your box, however, avoid disturbing the box too often. Try to avoid going near the box, especially in early stages of nest building. Chickadees are more easily frightened away than other species of birds, and they will abandon a nest if it is disturbed too often.

An important part of monitoring a nest box is making sure that the baby birds are healthy. This includes checking the nest and the birds for parasites. A common myth about baby birds is that handling them will cause the parents to abandon the nest. This is completely untrue. Handling the baby birds in order to check them for any parasites is essential.

Keep track of important information about your boxes. You should be aware of the type pf species. You should also record the first day you notice eggs in the box. This allows you to estimate the time before the eggs hatch. It takes about 2 weeks for eggs to hatch. Also record the number of eggs, hatched birds, and birds that successfully fledged.

 Keeping track of hatching information also lets you know when to stop checking the box. Once birds are 14-16 days old, you should avoid checking the box. This could cause the birds to fledge even if they are not ready. Once birds fledge, it is hard to get them to stay in the box, so avoid opening the box at a late stage in development After the birds have fledged, it is important to remove the nesting material from the box. This allows the parents to begin a new nest and start another brood. They will not use the old nest, so leaving it in the box prevents the birds from nesting there again

Nest Identification

bluebird	tree swallow	chickadee	house wren	house sparrow
Bluebirds make their nest from fine grasses	tree swallows will use fine grasses then line the nest with feathers	chickadee nests are easily identified by the moss they use as well as by the fur that lines the cup	house wrens fill the boxes with sticks and then make a cup of grass. These birds will fill every box nearby completely with sticks	house sparrows will use sticks, grass, paper or whatever trash they may find

Problems

Sometimes, it’s not as easy as putting up a few boxes and checking on them every once and a while. Occasionally, a problem arises with one of the boxes. There are ways to fix some of these problems, or prevent them from happening again.

 Ants in your box can be eliminated by putting a paste or liquid ant poison under the nest. It is ok to lift the entire nest out of the box in order to apply the pesticide. Sometimes boxes get infested with blowflies, which lay small dark cigar shaped pupae which grow into grey maggots. Again, remove the nest. Shake these bugs out of the nest and brush off the bottom of the box. Then spray the inside of the box with Flys Away II, a natural insecticide which has been tested for use on small birds. A completely infested nest can be removed and replaced with fresh dry grass. Simply form the grass into a nest shape and put the young in the new nest.

 You may return to your box to find the young gone. If you find feathers around the box, and possibly some of the nesting material pulled through the hole, it was probably a cat or raccoon that got to your box. Use a guard that consists of an inverted cone on the post which prevents these animals from climbing up to the box. If the nest is undisturbed, a snake could be responsible. Keep boxes as far from heavy brush as possible, and grease the pole to keep the snakes from climbing up again.

 If you find that the nest is wet after heavy rain, replace the material with fresh dry grass to keep the young birds from getting too cold and dieing of hypothermia.

 There are a number of problems resulting from other birds. Remember to keep boxes away from forested areas to avoid house wrens from nesting. Keep dummy nests empty. Remember to pair boxes so that tree swallows and bluebirds can nest together without causing competition between the species.

If a mouse claims one of your boxes, remove the nest. Urine and feces from these animals can ruin the bottom of your box.

 Some bird related problems require more action than with the house wren and tree swallow. These are problems with house sparrows and starlings. As previously mentioned, these birds pose a great threat to the bluebird population. They kill adult birds and nestlings. They are nonnative species, so they should not even be in the US in the first place. These birds must not be allowed to nest in one of your boxes. To avoid starling nesting, remember to make your entrance holes 1-3/”x2-1/4” or 1-1/2” round. If a starling or squirrel has enlarged the hole, allowing the starling to nest, you must trap this bird using a starling trap. Plans for these traps are available online on various sits, including nabluebirdsociety.org. House sparrows pose a greater threat, because they can fit in boxes with holes designed for bluebirds. Trap these birds using the same methods as with the starling. Remove nests and eggs as well.  

Getting Children Involved

The Fall 2006 issue of the  Journal of the North American Bluebird Society states that the focus and challenge at this point in time needs to be getting more young people trained  and  involved in leadership roles in the society. The mission now is no longer bringing back bluebirds but to maintaining their improved status through youth involvement. I am presently a member of  North American Bluebird Society and am trying to do my part. When I was in fourth grade I had my class construct and place 27 bluebird boxes around our school and neighborhood. I still monitor these boxes today, which is 8 years later. Children from that school are still able to see and learn about bluebirds and their chicks. This year I produced a film geared toward 5th graders on developing and monitoring a bluebird trail. Please get your school and youngsters involved. Anyone interested in this film can email me at mywildyard@comcast.net