We love our yardbirds! From finches to hummingbirds, Americans spend millions on feeders, seed, nest boxes, and the like to attract and observe our little feathered friends. Our good intentions must be preserved by being responsible backyard birdwatchers…ones that do no harm.
Providing nest boxes for Eastern Bluebirds is very rewarding and the maintenance is fairly easy. At our latitude, we usually enjoy watching two or three broods a year.
Please step into my backyard for the latest in a series of articles on preventing or mitigating backyard disasters, this time concerning providing bluebird nest boxes.
Whether purchased or built, nest box construction is very important! Boxes should be made of non-pressure-treated wood which is three quarters of an inch thick or thicker to provide adequate insulation. Neither the inside nor outside should be painted. A preservative such as linseed oil on the outside is ok.
The floor should be four inches by four inches. The distance from the floor to the bottom of the hole should be five to seven inches and the height for any wall should be at least ten inches to allow adequate ventilation above the nest. The use of a cardboard “starter cup” provided with many purchased boxes is not necessary; however, if used, ensure it does not reduce the inside space.
The area for the outside flyway into the box should be open. The entrance hole should be one and one half inches in diameter and have a metal or wood-block plate to prevent woodpeckers from enlarging it for their use or opportunistic nesters like flying squirrels and other bird species. Ventilation holes on both sides are required for air flow.
A well-designed box will have a down sloping roof to shed rain, a roof that overhangs the hole providing a shade and rain shield. The bottom of the box should have holes in the floor corners to allow drainage of any rain that gets in.
Boxes should be attached to a pipe or small post, with a baffle below the box to deter snakes and other predators from climbing in. The bottom of the box should be at least four feet off the ground for predator protection but convenient for you to maintain given your height.
Also, boxes should have top or side openings allowing easy access for monitoring and keeping them clean. Remove the old nesting material and wasp nests and other insect infestations and then wash the inside of the box with a hose between broods.
For complete nest box criteria, the latest box construction plans, and to see new predator guard designs go to the North American Bluebird Society’s website: http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/.
What activity should you expect? Female bluebirds build nests over several days. They gather nest material such as pine straw off the ground and may be seen carrying it into the nest box. The nest inside will be a loosely-constructed, cup-shaped nest of straw or grass.
Egg-laying starts as soon as the nest is finished. One egg a day is laid in the morning and incubation begins after the last or next-to-last egg is laid.
The female alone incubates the clutch and then broods the young. Hatching normally occurs in fourteen days. The length of brooding, which depends on the temperature, relative humidity, and solar radiation, typically lasts for the first five to seven days after hatching. The average age at fledging is nineteen days.
Both adults start feeding the nestlings within an hour of hatching and continue until approximately three weeks after fledging
My first batch fledged on May 24 and, as usual, I did not see the fledglings immediately afterwards. In early June, I saw one of the adults with a fledgling. My photo is definitely the picture of success!
On June 4, the adults returned, inspected the box, and without hesitation they started building a new nest. Of course, I had cleaned out the old nest per the instructions above.
As I wrapped up this article at 3 pm on June 20, the temperature was 100 degrees with sunny skies. Given the adverse conditions and being their apprehensive godfather, I decided to check the box. As I looked outside, the female entered the box and stayed. The second batch must be in good shape!
Original Article
Ken Keegan Real Estate Broker
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