Eastern Bluebird Nesting Information and Tips
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 2 ส.ค. 2024
- The Eastern Bluebird is a very popular cavity nesting bird that we can help with the proper placement of a well designed and built nest box. Proper dimensions, hole size and placement are key to attracting bluebirds so they can be successful in their nesting efforts
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Mark McKellar is a wildlife biologist with over 35 years of bird study experience. He has a degree in Fish and Wildlife Sciences from North Carolina State University and has worked for the Department of the Army, the Wildlife Departments of North Carolina and Missouri. He ran nature centers for many years in Missouri and Pennsylvania before buying the Backyard Bird Center in the Northland area of Kansas City. Mark has led hundreds of bird hikes both locally and abroad. He has taught classes about birds and other wildlife to groups of all ages and brings that knowledge to the customers of his retail business every day. More information about Mark at backyardbirdcenter.com/about-...
#marksbackyardbirds, #bluebirds, #bluebirdnestboxes
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MORE INFORMATION
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Chapters
00:00 Introduction
00:30 How do we get the Bluebirds to nest in your yard
00:40 How to be a good Bluebird steward
02:36 Secrets to attracting a Bluebird
03:14 Habitat
04:28 Height
08:08 Babies
08:25 Fledging bluebirds
08:58 Nest lifts
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Great information......this was just what I was looking for! Thank you sir! 👍
I installed two bluebird houses in my yard this spring. Installed both of them on 7’ steel fence posts and faced them both to the east. A pair actually raised a clutch in one of the houses and the young fledged just last week. I removed the previous nest material and a pair are already building a new nest! I am daily removing house sparrow nesting material from the other house and won’t go into details about my methods of deterring, but I am hopeful I can get another pair of bluebirds to claim that house as well. I gifted two friends with houses and posts and they have had success as well. I’m thrilled to have the bluebirds share my property with me. Thanks for your valued information and videos.
That is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing your success.
Hey Mark, thanks for your information. I am in Blairsville GA. Our bluebirds returned early to our nest box this year around first of March. Five eggs laid in April & they didn’t hatch. She laid five more eggs on top of the first five eggs in May. Waiting to see if the second clutch hatches.
Mark, 11 eggs in all and they didn’t hatch. The bluebirds were checking out our red bellied woodpecker nesting box we put up this spring. So, I cleaned out the BB nesting box & the blue birds were checking that out this morning. It will be interesting to see up they end up doing.
This actually rather common. For some reason the first batch was not good. She or he may not be fertile. Clean the whole box out after this result reveals itself. It should be roughly two weeks to hatch, and two weeks to fledge.
I love the stewardship principle ❤. It's common sense and God approved 😉. Thank you so much 😊
You are welcome. Thanks for the comment!
I love your programming! It is great to have some local advise!
I took me some time to get my bluebirds, but one day i started putting out live meal worms and that changed everything.
I have them almost all year around and they nest in at least one box all the time.
Thanks for the comment! These birds are so beautiful!
Black Soldier Fly Larvae is cheaper and are better for the Bluebirds. Plus it's produced in the US.
Mark, please promote putting boxes on metal poles with predator guards perferably 8" x 60" round duct with cap, Tree and wooden posr mounting is a death trap for bb's due to predators clinbing these mountings, thanks
Predator guards are definitely a plus.
Thank you for all the good info.
We are east of you in Carrollton. Saw our first blue bird this Am feeding underneath the hopper feeders. 04/22/2022. He was like a sparkling sapphire out among the little purple violets.
It sounds like a bird aviary in the backyard as we have 6 feeding stations and of course a bird bath.
I put out dried meal
worms this afternoon, soaked them in water for 30 minutes first to keep them from being blown away in these high wind gust. Now at 5:00 pm they are all gone. Do not know if the Robins or Cardinals got to them first. Will try again tomorrow. We do not have a big enough yard to do bluebird houses. But think we will try. Love your information 🙏🙏
They are beautiful
Thank you! I have a pair of bluebirds for the first time at my feeding stations this year, and I am hoping that they will use the nest box that I purchased for them last year.
Good luck!
Blue birds always scout out my birdhouses in yard but never settle. That is until last year. I built 2 Peterson style birdhouses in back yard. After the tree swallows fledged the bluebird settled in the other Peterson house. I was surprised to see them start so late in season. I just built a Kentucky style BB slot house. I don't like how crowded birds are in Peterson houses.
Here in the Kansas City region, bluebirds generally nest 3 times per season. Roughly April, June and August. In my yare I typically do not get them in the April nesting but I have had them in June and August. The whole thing with the Peterson box was they were supposed to discourage House Sparrow. Never found them to be effective though.
@@MarksBackyardBirds Yeah, I don't see how it would discourage HS. Especially with the long elongated entry holes. Fortunately I rarely get them in my yard.
Hello there, Mark. I'm new to "backyard birding" & am finding your videos very useful & enjoyable! I recently purchased a home that has several blue bird boxes in place. I just returned home from a few days away & was thrilled to find that a pair of beautiful blue birds have decided to make one of the boxes their home & as of today three eggs have been laid. My concern is, I live in the South & the summer heat is in full swing. It is currently late June & temperatures are predicted to be ~ 98 degrees over the next week. I'm concerned about the temps inside of the house becoming extreme, as it receives afternoon sun with little shade. I would be thrilled if you or any of your followers have any suggestions of what I can do to protect the box from the heat in some way. I even thought of attaching an umbrella to the post to provide shade, lol. Or is it too late to make any sort of alterations now that the eggs are already being laid? Thank you in advance to anyone who may come across my comment & have any suggestions. Happy Birding!
I would not make any changes at this point. It may scare them away. They can deal with the heat especially if you have a source of clean water close by.
@@MarksBackyardBirds Thank you so much for responding. She laid her fourth egg today & is now actively incubating. I do have a bird bath close to the box that I maintain with fresh water. The temps are cooler at night, it’s just those afternoon hours of direct sun & high temps I’m concerned about. Here’s hoping for the best🤞🏼
I just put up my first Bluebird nest box in my back yard last week. Is it too late for them to want to use it? Have they already decide where they want their nests?
Bluebirds typically nest 3 times per season in our area (April, June and August roughly) Even if they are nesting now, you can still get them later in the season.
Can you can tell me how to get good pics of B birds male and female and house sparrows , male and female , to monitor ?
A great resource is the Cornell Lab of Ornithology at www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/search# Just enter the bird you want to get pictures of in the search bar.
Female was putting nesting material inside our box but now is taking it out along with the male. Do you know why that is?
It is common for them to place a few pieces of grass in the nest box early in the spring as part of pair bonding. I'm not sure why they would take it back out again. Interesting.
It's seems the female builds more then one nest. Seems she likes to keep her options open until the first egg is laid. The pair will visit all nests until the first egg is laid. I was also surprised to see this happen. The mating ritual is the male will start a building small part of a nest and keep taking parts of it in and out of the nest doing a dance above the nest location to attract females. He will also fend off other males trying to run him off. Once he finds a mate the other males will stop. The female she finishes the nest. I even seen other female bluebirds trying to steal the nest after it is built. The male bluebird run's them off before they can get into the nest. It's pretty interesting to see. I ddn"t even know I had that many bluebirds in the area. The male had 4 other male bluebirds trying to run him off. The reason I know this is because I saw it all happen in front of my kitchen window. The female is now in the egg laying process we think. The reason we don't know is we can't see into the nest she picked. They took over a purple martin nest house on the top floor. It doesn't have access to the nest. All we see now is the male sits on top guarding the nest while the female is in the nest. They are there for only part of the day.
string fishing line around the base of the roof and over the top in an x pattern, the sparrows will stay away and the blue birds aren't bothered
I will give that a try. Thanks!
Can I put my house in my front yard! It is open! I have about 25ft backyard with a field on the side and 30 east of the house I have a oak tree! Please give me some hints! I do cut my yard short! I did have some before but never nests! Maybe to close to my purple Martin house’s!
It sounds like good habitat. I would place closer to the open space. It could go on the oak tree but I prefer them on a stand alone post.
I have had a nest box on the same pole for years. It's been a good box for tree swallows but the cat got the female last time.
I cleaned it out. I've watching a male bluebird for 2years. He hangs around that box waiting for a mate. He finally got one. She built her nest in the box and layed her first egg yesterday. I bought a guard for the hole. When would be a good time to attach it? I didn't want it to be a distraction or scare her away.
I would be afraid to attaching it this early in the nesting process. I would wait until she has finished this nest. Do what you can to discourage the cats.
The box is nailed into a tree?
Yes. This customer chose to nail their box into a tree long before they met me. The age of the box is evident in the picture.
Mother bluebird ird has been gone for the past few days, so I opened the box to check on her eggs that had been incubated for over 21 days. The eggs fell out when I opened the door😭I am devastated 😢The babies were developed in the eggs. I am so sad😭
@@gijiette7685 That is so sad. It is a tough world they live in. There are many possible things that could have happened. Best you can do is clean the box out well and hope another pair finds it.
I had the female lay 1 egg and the never came back. It has been a few days now. The male was checking inside. Did she die perhaps? I am sad. First time for me too. Any feedback?
It is highly likely. They are less committed to nest in the earlier stages and can be scared off more easily. You will want to clean out the nest and egg soon. A male, the same or a different one, will likely try to attract a new female to it. They nest 3 times per season.
Wish I could see blue bird where I live. Too many house sparrows I presume.
While they do nest in urban areas, it is far more challenging for them because of the House Sparrows and starlings.
A raccoon can reach inside and rip the nest out of boxes no problem a predator baffle on a pole is a must
Predator guards are great but not every house/pole can accommodate them. Devises that extend the the opening can keep raccoons from reaching the nest as well.