Bluebird Nests

From: "Kromel, Terri" tkromel"at"state.pa.us
Subject: Hatchlings and a poor nest in Central PA
Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 08:40:39 -0400

I adopted a new trail of 10 nest boxes last week. My first check of the trail revealed a pair of EABL in one box. She has built the poorest nest I've ever seen. The nesting material is about an inch in depth (maybe less) forming the circle around the edge of the floor of the box and there is no bottom to the nest. She has laid 4 eggs and they are sitting right on the box floor. This week's check shows 4 eggs are still there and are as warm as pie, so she's incubating. I'm assuming she's a first time mom, unless someone wants to educate me otherwise (and I'm willing to be educated!)

Also found with this week's check that I have a second pair of EABL with two eggs so far, and a BCCH nest with no eggs yet.

The nest of EABL I have in my backyard are now actively feeding 5 hatchlings. The hatchlings seem to be two days old so they would have hatched during this cool spell we are having. Earlier this week it was particularly cool. Last week the temps were in the 80's and this week we're in the 60's with night time temps in the 30-40's. And, we're getting rain this morning - we need it badly!

Terri Kromel
Mifflintown, PA ...

Date: Thu, 25 Apr 2002 22:21:49 -0500
From: jwick"at"mail.tds.net (Ann E S Wick)
Subject: Re: Hatchlings and a poor nest in Central PA

I'm assuming she's a first time mom, unless
someone wants to educate me otherwise (and I'm willing to be educated!)
~~~~~~~~~
Hi Terri! Sometimes if a bluebird pair has had a nest elsewhere and were dirupted from that location when the female is about to lay her first egg, the female will build a nest in haste and it may not be of the quality/size of a normal nest.

Ann Wick
Black Earth, WI

Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 16:00:24 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Nesting materials
To: Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu (BLUEBIRD-L)

Hello all,
Today I missed the 1st fledging of the season. Also, I want to bring up another point. This year I have seen a much wider variety of nesting material in the Bluebird nests around here. Usually the nests are made only of fine grasses and a few pine needles. This year, I have found nests with fur, and other coarse larger blades of grass. I am wondering if anyone else in Missouri, and other surrounding states, or even anyone else with Eastern Bluebirds are having
these types of nests.

Koby Prater
Seneca, MO

From: "CJ Hazer" CeeJaaHzr"at"starband.net
Subject: Re: Nesting materials
Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 19:26:24 -0500

Koby,

My nesting materials had been all fine grasses. I'm 60 miles south of St. Louis. Also, since you're from Missouri, I'm going to try and start a society for Bluebirds in Missouri. I find it strange that the EASB is our state bird and we don't have a society for them.

Fledging soon,
CJ Hazer
Farmington, MO

From: "Elaine Whitworth" visionfarm"at"earthlink.net
Subject: Re: Nesting materials
Date: Sun, 5 May 2002 20:26:31 -0500

Yes, I have noticed strange nesting material (horse hair for example) in only one possible BB nest on my trail and I am in nw tn, so I am not too far from you. The nest puzzled me. It didn't look like a sparrow nest, but it looked maybe like a trashy BB nest. It had no eggs as of 3 days ago. My two nests that have BB eggs are normal grass BB nests. I'll check them again tomorrow. I can offer no hypothesis as to the differences. Perhaps someone on the list with may have an answer.

Elaine in nw tn, line of zones 6 & 7 36.132n,-89.027w

From: "Mary Beth Roen" mbroen"at"hotmail.com
Subject: Re: Nesting materials
Date: Sun, 05 May 2002 21:59:29 -0500

Koby,

I have the start of a nest out of pine needles for the first time ever. I have read about others having nests like this, but in the 10 years that I have been monitoring, this is a first. What is with this year?

Mary Roen, River Falls, WI

Date: Mon, 06 May 2002 11:17:38 -0400
From: Haleya Priest mablue"at"gis.net
Subject: Re: Nesting materials

Hi Koby,
I too have one nest that is interesting. She used the tree flower little tiny stems for part of the nest and then switched over to fine grass. She also has leaves in the nest.

I've got another that LOOKS like a TRES nest in terms of size of grass, but no feathers and just WAY TOO EARLY for a TRES nest to be completed. No eggs yet so I don't know.

We do have to consider that finding other things in the nest might be from a temporary take over by some other bird?????? :-)

Haleya Priest Amherst MA

From: "Jenni Sofjan" jennisof"at"houston.rr.com
Subject: RE: Nesting materials
Date: Tue, 7 May 2002 09:32:56 -0500

I just cleaned out the box, and ours used pine needles/straws for their nest. And a bit of collie fur at the top. :)

jenni
near Houston

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 19:24:24 -0500
From: Susan Wagener susan"at"cranberrybend.com
Subject: What did the baby bluebirds leave behind?

At www.cranberrybend.com/bluebird.htm I have a diary of the second nest and bluebird family we have had this summer. I was certain this time I would
get to see them fledge. But no, they were up and out early on Sunday morning. I didn't peek in every day towards the end because they were getting big - even though my bluebird house has the lid come off instead of the side. I didn't want them to try to escape. Click on any picture for a larger image. I have a few more to put up. The mom and dad became quite friendly since I was regularly putting out meal worms. They allowed for some close up pictures of them. I'll try to get them up this week.

Anyway, I went to check on them Sunday morning and all five were gone. I will assume they fledged because there was not any sign of struggle and there were no feathers anywhere. However, there was this LARGE worm/caterpillar left behind along with 5 or more live meal worms wandering around the nest. They seemed to have been very well fed! When I lifted up this worm/caterpillar it moved a little. I turned it over only to find a meal worm eating into it. YUK! I am thinking this big worm/caterpillar is some stage of a meal worm. Can anyone tell?

So, for now, I'm watching for them to come back to the meal worm feeder. Some of the kids from the first fledging were constant feeders there to. I saw them help feed the new little ones too.

Any help on this big worm left behind is appreciated!

Thanks in advance,

Susan Wagener
Nashville, IN
www.cranberrybend.com

Date: Mon, 15 Jul 2002 21:19:03 -0400
From: Pamela Ford jpford"at"comcast.net
Subject: RE: What did the baby bluebirds leave behind?

Susan, I can't see very much detail, but it is not a stage of the mealworm. The mealworm pupae is slightly shorter, though thicker, than the mealworm larvae. This critter is much larger and appears somewhat hairy.

On the trail that I help monitor, I found a few nests this year with large, dead, insects and a few live mealworms after fledge. The large insects were usually large grasshoppers and beetles. Never could figure out why the parents brought insects that big to the nest - no way the babies could swallow them!

Pam in Harford County, Maryland

Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 04:45:37 -0700
From: John Schuster wildwingco"at"earthlink.net
Subject: Re: Mucky Nests/Floor Holes

Dear Linda and friends,

Linda wrote to me:

"Holes in the floor would let nestling debris fall to the ground . . . a heads up for any ground crawler that can find a way up to the nest."

"Nestling debris" falling "to the ground" could (and probably does) attract a "ground crawler", but I think to a lessor degree. My point was that it is the dead and decaying Bluebird inside the nest box that really attracts the "ground crawler", but despite the degree, if the Baby Blue gets stuck and dies in the muck or a snake gets in and eats the Baby Blues they are still dead.

Bottom line is that cleanliness is next to Godliness so if the nest has out lived it's usefulness then just get rid of it and replace it with a new one. Your Baby Blues will thank you.

Happy Bluebird Trails To You,
John Schuster...

Linda Violett wrote:

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif.

Thanks for your comments, John. Perhaps our western blues are more prone to mucky nests; some eastern monitors state they never see this fecal buildup. And, sure, most nests are fairly clean after the fledge but there is always that occasional tar-pit layer on my trail after the fledge (which becomes deadly in small boxes).

And your comments supplied one more reason for us to rethink whether to add floor drains to well-maintained boxes. Holes in the floor would let nestling debris fall to the ground) . . . a heads up for any ground crawler that can find a way up to the nest. Ever notice how fast ants can locate a hummer feeder if you spill a few drops of the sugar water during the hangup?

From: "Keith & Sandy Kridler" kridler"at"1starnet.com
Subject: building nestboxes
Date: Tue, 16 Jul 2002 07:46:20 -0500

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Interesting posts this past week!
Mucky nests/larger nestboxes: It is always fun to try different designs and historically photo's from the 1920's show nestboxes that were HUGE compared to today's bluebird boxes. One of my old books complained that Robins were taking over all of the bluebird nestboxes and were a serious competitor. Sounds like the entrance holes were too big to me!

Historically entrance holes were not drilled round but most were cut square from one of the upper corners of the box since a brace and bit was a real pain to drill a hole with in a relatively thin board! While cutting the board you simply cut a square corner off large enough for the birds to enter. This would create a nestbox with an off set entrance hole. When drills and better drill bits became more common then we also began centering the door in the front panel. The earliest mention of a "Starling Proof" entrance hole for bluebirds comes from a 1929 publication date which states, "A bluebird entrance hole should be no larger than a precisely cut 1&1/2" square hole to prevent the Starling from using the bluebird nestbox."

OK we had some debate this past spring that building deeper/larger nestboxes would only create more work for bluebirds as they wanted to build their nest to where they could look out of the entrance hole. I decided to experiment some and went back to the "historic" style of drilling a hole in an upper corner right near a side. I have used some 5"x8" wide bottoms and now have another 15 boxes with 4&1/4"x8" bottoms. This allows the bluebirds the chance to build either in a "back" corner or build the nest right up to the entrance hole to look out!

In limited tests NONE of the bluebirds built their nests up high enough to be able to "look out" of the box and over half built AWAY from the entrance in a back corner of the box. Nesting material in the larger nestboxes has just about matched the AMOUNT of material in my standard 4&3/4" square bottom nestboxes. Even with the deeper boxes 8" deep compared to 6&3/4" deep MOST of the eggs are within 1" of the bottom board. So you have this really wide looking nestbox with a hole in an upper corner of the wide front and it gives the bluebirds a chance to build their nest where ever they want and the young have a chance to really spread out, which they have done to flatten the entire nest area as in a normal "small" floored nestbox.

We will never know if this is actually better for the health of the young but it is an excuse to build more nestboxes. When building nestboxes with limited tools pick out a simple design that contains all square cuts and wastes the least amount of wood! In my case I use scrap wood and cannot use all I receive.

When using Joe Huber's wonderful sparrow trap the top of the entrance hole needs to be down about 1&1/8" from the roof of the box but with Floyd Van Ert's trap you can use slot openings right to the roof and still trap sparrows or you can now drill a round entrance hole very near the roof simulating a real woodpecker made cavity closer and still be able to trap out sparrows. Build and use several styles of nestboxes and try to encourage more species using your boxes next season! KK

From: Linda Violett, lviolett"at"earthlink.net
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2003 11:26 PM
Subject: Re: Peterson/Size

John, you had many good notes in your comments on floor size. For monitors trying to decide which is the best floor size to build, it might be helpful to visit my web page showing a Bluebird in comparison to various floor sizes: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/floorsize.html The size of the floor does not seem to affect the size of the clutch. I offer large (6"x5") floors based on my observations of Western Bluebird requirements. Fecal build-up on my trail can occur at any time during the season and seems to indicate birds under stress. Fecal build-up occurs, particularly, if a single parent is trying to feed a clutch. It could be caused by the adult trying to find food rather than cleaning the box and/or it could be caused by too much fruit being substituted for insects.

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda & Big Bear, Calif.

[Note from webmaster: for continued discussion on glop in the bottom of nestboxes, see Fecal Glue.]

From: Evelyn Cooper, emcooper"AT"bayou.com
Sent: Monday, February 23, 2004 7:33 AM
Subject: RE: Amost Bizzare Story!!! You won't believe this!!!

I checked my trail yesterday and what I found was not bizarre, but a first. Either a Bluebird or Carolina Chickadee had removed all the pine needles off the foil I had put there for roosting. I guess they want to use their own material.

[subsequent post] The little ring that was started in the other nest was 3 pine needles wide and the most perfect little ring on the bottom of the nestbox. Neat! There won't be any nest building here today as it is raining very hard and will be for two days.

Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA ...

From: Linda Violett, lviolett"at"earthlink.net
Sent: Sunday, February 22, 2004 10:01 PM
Re: Amost Bizzare Story!!! You won't believe this!!!

Evelyn, I wrote several years ago to the List that I witnessed a male Bluebird removing wood shavings (under supervision of the female) during spring. The shavings had been added to the box by me for winter roosting. The female would go to the box holes and look in, the male would follow and do the same (I use 2-holed boxes). Both entered the box but only the male "took out the trash." The sequence was repeated several times during a (20 min?) timeframe. Linda V.

From: Tiffany Hawkins [mailto:tiffh"at"direcway.com]
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 5:41 PM
Subject: How long for nest Construction ?

I have a pair of Bluebirds that evicted a pair of Chickadees and their 5 eggs 2 weeks ago.  I put a restrictor on the entrance hole in hopes that the Chickadees would continue to lay the eggs.  They did not do this, but instead chose a nestbox closer to a treeline and began making a nest there.  I removed the restrictor plate, and the Bluebirds immediately began bringing grasses and pine needles into the box.  This was Saturday.  They are building on top of the Chickadee nest.  I am curious to know how long the nest-building will go on since they didn't start from scratch.  Will it be the same amount of time as a normal construct?  Longer, because they've gotta "situate" stuff?  Anyone have experience with this?

From: Kenny Kleinpeter [mailto:kpkmajk"at"cox.net]
Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2004 6:20 PM
Subject: RE: How long for nest Construction ?

Hey, Tiffany. I do know that when chickadees experience a nest failure, they will never return to that particular nestbox. A few years ago, I had a dream nestbox just outside my office window. One day, a male HOSP was seen on top of the box. I was “too busy” at the time to immediately intervene and in just two hours, he had thrown the eggs out. I put a reducer on the box but they never came back. I should have moved the box with the reducer at the time but I didn't know. I hear them “fussing” all the time around me but I haven't gotten them to give me a second chance (yet). Good luck with your CACHs. Now days, I don't wait until I see a HOSP, I go after them when I hear them – sometimes several houses down. That incezzznt chirp ruins my day.

Seems like your blues will finish their nest in a few days – they're incredibly quick at that task. !

Kenny Kleinpeter, Baton Rouge, LA. Member, LBBS

From: Nahanna2"at"aol.com
Sent: Wednesday, May 05, 2004 8:22 PM
Subject: Red Flower in nest?

Hello All:

I have a newly completed Bluebird nest with a somewhat large (about 2 1/2 inch) flat red fabric flower. I haven't seen this before or read anything about this. Interior decorating for Bluebirds?

Happy birding, Nancy
Walnut Creek, Ca

From: L Violett [mailto:lviolett"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, May 06, 2004 2:56 AM
Subject: RE: Red Flower in nest?

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Is your nestbox near a cemetery?  Fabric flowers on my trail for Western Bluebirds sometimes appear in nests at a cemetery where fake flower arrangements are available.

From: Glenn Williams [ mailto:glenwill"at"chilitech.net ]
Sent: Saturday, May 15, 2004 7:52 PM
Subject: Pine straw???

All week long a male EABL has been spending ALL (and I do mean ALL!)of the day light hours on top of my slot box ... This A. M,. for the first time, I saw him bring a female to the box, she peered into the box and then left! I then went and got ready for work. When I came home from work, this afternoon, there he was on top of the box, I went out and opened the box to see if he and the female had decided to set up housekeeping, the box has a layer of small pine branches, not pine needles but small branches.

Is this what is referred to as "pine straw" in some of the posts here? I have had EABL nests, in the past, and they usually are all grass, I'm wondering if another species is sneaking in when I am not around?!?

Best regards, Glenn N. Central PA, USA ....

The third successful nesting of my backyard bluebird pair has hatched ...

I could tell the babies were here before I even checked the box because of the way the blues were acting. During my years of backyard bluebird observation, I’ve noticed that the parent bluebirds become noticeably excited when the babies first hatch. If I were to anthropomorphize, I’d say they are announcing the birth. The male will alternately peer into the box and sit on top wing waving and singing. The female seems to take a brief break from incubating and sits on a nearby post fluffing her feathers and preening. The absolute picture of proud new parents!

But, all emotion aside, they are probably just trying to figure out is going on happened inside their nestbox!

Has anyone else on the list noticed that although different females have different nest building styles (materials, depth of nest, time to build, etc.), the depth of subsequent nests decreases during the nesting season? This current nest is no more than an inch and a half high and the bottom of the cup is probably only a half inch from the nestbox floor.

Pam in Harford County, Maryland

From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com]
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 12:52 AM
Re: third nesting of backyard bluebird pair has hatched in Maryland!

Pam et al, Good question. I have not noticed this as a trend with third nestings, but since I have only really had one true third nesting, my experience is sorely lacking. For their third nesting, my backyard bluebirds completed a beautiful 3.5" high nest out of pine needles in the same box they used for the first two nestings. From beginning of constuction until the end was 3 days. The female then decided to use a different box in my yard and completed an even better 4" high nest out of pine needles and cup lined with fine grass. The construction of this second nest also took 3 days and then she began to lay her eggs. Egg #4 was laid this morning. There may be 5 tomorrow. I also had a strange occurrence with a second nesting by a different pair on my trail this year. A couple days after fledging their first brood, I approached their box to remove the old nest, but found both parents - one on and one in the box. The babies had fledged right on schedule and I took the presence of the parents to mean they intended to use their old nest again. They had kept it very clean and I left it for them. They started egg laying shortly therafter and successfully fledged their second brood of 5 EABL from the same old nest. I think the quality of the nest, construction time, and amount of material used can be due to a number of factors. I imagine the experience of the mother is key. I do not know exactly how the reproductive urges work with the EABL, but would imagine they might get in a hurry sometimes and have to make a skimpy nest? Harrassment of the EABL by another bird trying to take the nesting site could also cause problems. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio

From: Pamela Ford [mailto:jpford"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2004 8:30 AM
RE: third nesting of backyard bluebird pair has hatched in Maryland!

Paula, thanks for the input. It appears that what I've seen is not the rule. Always good to know. I agree that house sparrow pressure can cause changes in nest building. One year, a bluebird pair kept being harassed by a male HOSP while they were building. The female then proceeded to build the highest nest I've ever seen. I would take some of the bottom out, but she would build it back up. She proceeded to lay eggs and spent her incubation period with her head right at nestbox-hole level. I suspected it was to keep an eye on the HOSP - she didn't feel safe. After a week of incubating, the eggs disappeared. Pam in Harford County, Maryland

From: Tena Taylor [mailto:ccbluebirder "at"tds.net]
Sent: Monday, April 04, 2005 6:49 AM
Subject: Cotton-lined nests

Yesterday I ran my trail. In spite of the cold weather and all the rain I discovered 13 perfect bluebird nests, 2 chickadee nests and 1 tufted titmouse nest. No eggs yet, but I KNOW there will be eggs soon! Two nestboxes are located near a huge cotton field - and those two nests are definitely bluebird nests with perfectly formed cups, but the nests are lined with cotton! I've never had this occur before! There was a pair of bluebirds on the power line at one of these. Has anybody seen this with Eastern Bluebirds or do you think another bird has taken over the nests?

Tena Taylor
Calhoun County, Mississippi
Land of Cotton and Sweet Potatoes!

Tena, the bluebird nest in my backyard suddenly had what looked like some of
my Golden Retriever's hair in the bottom of it. It appeared after the nest
had been finished about 3 days. I was thinking the Carolina Chickadee was
trying to take it over. However, now it has 5 bluebird eggs in it and they
are incubating! The Carolina Chickadee might have put it in there, but it
did not succeed in taking it!
...

Evelyn

One of the first bluebird nests I monitored was lined with horse mane hair, so when I started reading about bluebirds “only” using grass or pine straw, I knew the books were wrong. I have left pieces of mane hair outside every spring since then.

Kate Arnold
Paris, TX, 100 mi NE of Dallas ....

From: markmele"at"att.net [mailto:markmele"at"att.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 10, 2005 10:37 PM
Subject: Re: mystery nest ID solved

Speaking of strange nesting materials...I was checking out one of my BB boxes this past weekend after a single BB fledged from it. Inside the nest I found four BB eggs buried about half way down in the nest towards the bottom of the box. The eggs were obviously duds, and must have worked themselves down in the nesting material at some point; but the interesting thing about the BB nesting material, is that a good portion of the middle of nest was made with what appears to be horse hair, or maybe from a deer. This is a first for me; has anyone else ever seen hair as nesting material? I saved the nest in a ziplock for further evaluation.

Mark
Hillsborough, NJ

The first bluebird nest I ever observed had my horse’s mane hair lining the
nest cup—it looked really neat, but I have never observed that since.

Kate Arnold
Paris, TX, 100 mi NE of Dallas

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas
Where the bluebirds are numerous and the nestboxes are few it is common for bluebirds to be found nesting inside the flip up "cap" of propane tanks.
Another place to look for bluebird nests is in electric meter boxes where the meter has been removed for a while. Mailboxes and paper tubes along roadsides are also used. Ledges under porches, old barn swallow nests, on top of beams in buildings and inside holes in old abandoned buildings are all common nest sites. Don't forget to look in the ends of hollow steel clothes line tee poles. Bluebirds often nest in open ends of horizontal or vertical pipe.

I gave a bluebird talk just last week up north of Dallas Texas on Lake Lavon and as soon as I drove into the Baptist church encampment I saw a male bluebird fly up and out of the top of a propane tank. The lone male flew to a small tree and was wing waving and singing like he had just found an approved nestbox:-)) KK

Every year when we trim the horses we save the horse hair fromtrimming the
manes & put it out for the birds. Robins, EABL & Orioles all use this & I'm
sure others do too.

Me, too! I also put out cat hair (I have 3 indoor only cats that I comb).
The Chickadees and Titmice love the cat hair!

Shawn in Sevierville, TN

From: David Middleton Edelen II
Sent: May 16, 2005
RE:

Hello all again,
I have not checked my bb house in some time until this weekend.
There was what appeared to be an old nest in it so I removed it. It was constructed mainly of pine needles, a couple of mockingbird feathers stuck in it, and two or three pieces of down. What is weird is that the nearest pines are about one or two hundred yards away, maybe even a block away.
Anyway, my question is this: I keep wondering what if it was a new nest and they just had not laid eggs yet and when they come home their nest will be gone? I know that BBs have two or three sets of babies a year.
Would they be having them now or would they be between two families or are they done with nesting and having babies by this time? What do y'all think:
was it an old nest or a new one just without eggs yet?
By the way, I started a file on my computer called, BLUEBIRD AND BLUEBIRD HOUSE MONITERING. When I told my wife I had joined a Bluebirding mailing list and started a bluebird file she cracked up as did a friend of ours. They laughingly said I am obsessing! I love Bonanza and have a file of pics from that show, mainly pertaining to the house because I love it. They accuse me of obsessing over that too! Whatever happened to someone just happening to get into something or having a hobby?!? Why does it have to be obsessing?!? That is like when someone gets old enough to be financially secure and finally be able to afford some sleek vehicle or some other "toy"
such as a nice bike, etc., that they have always wanted and gets it then people say they are having a mid-life crisis! Ha!
Thanks,
Dave

Bluebirds will fly that far to pick up pine needles. I watch them do it to build their nests in my yard.

One way to tell if it is an old nest, it would most likely have some feces in the bottom of it. Most of the time the nest is flat, but not always. I had one nest with only two babies and it was not quite as flat as the others. It had a little feces in the bottom. For me, if there was any doubt in my mind about it, I would leave it. Bluebirds will re-work a nest and use it.

As for being picked on about your obsession, let it go through one ear and out the other. When I started getting excited about my "obsession" and being picked on, I told them I had listened to hunting tales for more years that I would like to recall and now it is my turn and I talk their ears off.

Your new "hobby" will bring you much happiness. I know for certain.

Evelyn Cooper
Delhi, LA

From: bookfanaticef-bluebird"at"yahoo.com [mailto:bookfanaticef-bluebird"at"yahoo.com]
Sent: Wednesday, May 18, 2005 5:02 PM
Subject: Re: A question about BB nesting times?

The nest could have been either--an old nest, or a new one with no eggs yet. Or it could have been the old nest, and the pair was going to re-use it. I've had birds re-use an old nest without adding any new material to it, while others use the old nest & add more stuff on top. If by some chance you kept the nest, I would suggest replacing it in the box. If the pair is re-nesting, then they might come back & just start over from the beginning. In the future, I would not remove any nest whose stage you are unsure of. I check my boxes 1-2 times a week, and so don't usually know if an old nest is being re-used a pair, so I just leave it. I don't have time to stake out the box for extended periods & see if the pair is around, and if they have new fledglings, they usually won't be around for a few days anyhow. I do make sure to remove all old nests at the very end of the season, though. Only once (this year) have I removed a nest before the end of t! he season, and though the pair may have been going to re-use the old nest for their second brood, I removed it because it was infested with imported red fire ants (thankfully, I knew for a fact that brood fledged a couple days before, so the ants didn't attack the nestlings, only invaded afterwards)

In this area, bluebirds will start pairing up & claiming boxes as early as February sometimes, will have the first clutch started by late March/early April, and will continue nesting through the summer until about mid-August. I have records of chicks near fledging as late as ~Aug 15. Currently, I have EABL nests in various stages--not all the birds start at the same time, or follow the exact same cycle. The cycles get more & more out of sync as the breeding season progresses, since some nests fail (often at different stages) & the pair has to start over, while others are successful & take care of fledglings before going for a 2nd or 3rd time. Some of my nests fledged a month ago and the adults are likely re-nesting already, some are fledging now, others are hatching or halfway to fledging, still others have eggs for the first time, and some boxes are still being fought over prior to nesting.

I think it's great you've started a file, and don't consider it "obsessing" at all. It will make a good record to have, especially if continued over many years, as you'll be able to keep track of trends & patterns. But then, my training is in wildlife ecology, and I've held several jobs now that required me to keep extensive records of nest monitoring activities, with very detailed notes of what I found at each nest at each time, time of day, weather, etc. Not only did we keep paper field notes, but each day, the data was entered into computer, usually in several different files & sometimes in slightly different ways, depending on who wanted it & how they wanted it formatted. And then, all of these were copied so that the records were on more than one computer and set of disks--with each copy being kept in different places--just in case something happened like maybe the field computer & files becoming victims of a lightning strik! e or something. Oh yeah--and the files were backed up about once a week. Trust me, you can't get much more obsessive than that! I guess science wouldn't advance very far if scientists weren't that way though.

I wish I had a backyard (I live in an apt) where I could put up nest boxes to watch--and I'd be sure to have a file on it! Enjoy your "obsession"!
Elizabeth Farley
Gainesville, FL

Hello all,
Someone advised me that they had been out of town but had just seen my query from the other day asking if the nest I threw out was an old one or possibly a new one. They said that I had probably indeed thrown out a new nest. If that is the case, then I am sick at heart about it. What on earth will the poor expectant family do, try to build another nest? Can they do that with eggs in her belly? Will she have time? Since I threw that nest out nothing has put anything back in it. I have seen a bluebird investigating the other three houses I put up out front. But so far nothing is in either of them. I have not seen the bluebird or a sparrow near them in a couple of days. Where are they? Did they move on? It has been rainy today. Maybe they are off roosting somewhere. Oh I wish I had not've tossed that nest out. But I thought that they were done having babies for the season. I guesse we learn as we go.
Take care,
Dave

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 8:11 AM
Subject: Re: the nest I threw out

Dave,
If I were you I would make a new nest myself, using the same materials, and copying the original as closely as possible. When I have discarded blowfly-infested nests, I have often had Bluebirds accept nests that I've made (Burdett-made nests) without hesitation, though they do re-work them somewhat. It's certainly worth a try.

Bruce Burdett, SW NH

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 31, 2005 11:39 AM
Subject: Re: Dry grasses or needles

Dave,
If you make a replacement Bluebird nest yourself, it is very important, whether you use pine straw or grasses, to use absolutely *dry* material. Most of mine are made of light dry grasses, but the few that are made of pine needles use needles that are *brown* and dessicated, not green. Green needles will contain too much moisture, and I can promise you that they will not like them.

Bruce Burdett, SW NH

I have four boxes here - a set of paired Gilbertson boxes, and a set of paired wooden boxes (one of them a slot box). The only thing I've had nest this year so far is a TRES couple who successfully fledged six adorable babies about a week and a half ago.

I've had a male Bluebird I've dubbed "Ani" hanging around my yard all Spring. Early on, I saw a female with him, and the beginnings of a nest appeared in one of the Gilbertson boxes, but then stopped, and then the female seemed to disappear. Since then I've seen only Ani - every day he comes and sits on the round-opening wooden nestbox, and on the Gilbertson box that the nest start is in. He checks out the boxes, and scuffles with the TRES over them, but no further signs of his having a female.

Then just yesterday, when we pulled into the driveway, I caught a flash of blue flying from the direction of the Gilbertson box. My daughter said she thought she saw a second flash of blue (perhaps a female?), and when I went to check the box, the old nest halo was gone! I didn't clean it out - could he have found a girl, and they're getting rid of all evidence of his "ex" before starting a family of their own?
--
Cher

We have had bluebirds nesting in the same bird box for two years.
We clean out the box in the late autumn (or early winter).
Last year we had 2 sets of fledglings (7 total)

This year we observed the pair bringing nesting material into the box and removing nesting material from the box.

Has anyone else observed this behavior or know the significance of it?
Could this be a decoy nest this year?

Thanks-
Mary Clare
San Diego Cty, CA

Mary Clare,
I can't really answer your question because I clean out
all my boxes (72) immediately after every fledging. They like to nest in a
clean box.
Bruce Burdett, SW NH

From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 6:10 AM
Subject: Re: Removing nesting material

Your question was about did we know why would the pair be bringing nesting material into the box and removing material from the box.

First, it is only the female that does the nest building. The male will make every trip she makes sometimes and sit in a tree above her and watch over her.

I had a female to remove the grass off the foil that I had put there for winter roosting when I went in early spring to remove it. She had removed it and I suppose was ready to build a nest.

I have seen the female bring nesting material and build over a nest.

However. for her to be bringing it in and taking it out at the same time seems rather odd. I never heard of that. Sometimes they start a nest and then decide to go to another box and build one. But, to be removing it and putting it in there at the same time is strange. Maybe she can't make up her little birdie mind.

Evelyn, Dehli LA

P.S. I forgot to add that if she removed an old nest first and then carried the material for a new nest, this is not unusual behavior. It wasn't quite clear which she did, so to clarify that for us would help. If it was a clean box and she was taking it in and taking it out at the same time, I have not seen that behavior.
Evelyn

From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com]
Sent: Tuesday, March 14, 2006 6:23 AM
Subject: Re: Removing nesting material

Ooops! I just re-read your message and you said you cleaned the box out in the fall. So, that means it was a clean box.

Sorry, it is a little early. Well, that is odd behavior to me. Maybe someone else has seen it.

Evelyn

From: Mary Clare [mailto:maryclare"a"cox.net]
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 12:07 AM
To: 'Bluebird-L'
Subject: RE: Removing nesting material

Yes, it was a clean box.

Also, I have seen the male remove nesting material from the female's beak and drop it.
.
This is in addition to my observation (that started this thread) of the female
occasionally removing material soon after bringing some in.

Mary Clare
San Diego County

From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"a"bayou.com]
Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 9:11 AM
Subject: Re: Removing nesting material

Bluebirds put some straw in the boxes before they get serious about building a nest. Sometimes it is one or two or sometimes it can almost cover the bottom. Even though there is no official name for this act and no research has been done (if I remember correctly), some call it a claim straw. (Please, no "claim straw" war", just relating some info).

If a bird has put some of this in the bottom of the box and another pair come along and decide they want the box to build in, it is not unusual for the female to remove the existing straw or grass as was in my case of the pine needles put there for winter roosting.

That was an enduring gesture from the male removing the nesting material from the female's beak.

I get the opportunity to watch the nest building from start to finish in a box east of my bedroom window. She comes to the ground right outside my window to gather the pine needles and he flies along side her and lands in the tree and watches over her. He flies back with her and sits in a tree while she does her thing in the box and then flies back with her for another beak load. He is keeping the "bad guys" off.

There are lots of sources for information about bluebird nest building behavior in books and on the internet.

Evelyn

From: F Lovelett [mailto:flovelett"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 7:15 AM
Subject: No Nest Building Yet & Another Wasp Deterrent

Hi,

I am fairly new to this. In 1983-1985, I did put up a few boxes on my farm, but stopped due to lack of time to properly monitor the boxes for HOSP and wasps.

Last fall, I moved to a small but isolated farm that borders a state park. There are exceptionally large numbers of bluebirds, flickers and hummingbirds here.

....

My five nestboxes (four at 100 yards apart with one paired box) went up late last week. The three boxes closest to the house (all visible from deck on the roof) were immediately claimed by bluebirds with a daily display of wing-flicking, hovering, darting in/out of the box and twittering. One pair even chased away a starling and then attacked a poor confused male cardinal who got too close.

But that’s all: there isn’t any evidence of nest building (I checked yesterday). When ARE they going to get down to work?

All winter long “my” bluebirds would appear at the heated bird bath together (up to eight birds at a time). Is this unusual?

Do I have a population of bluebirds that just wants to party?

Impatiently,

Felicia Lovelett
Sykesville, MD

From: Brucemac1"at"aol.com [mailto:Brucemac1"at"aol.com]
Sent: Thursday, March 16, 2006 7:57 AM
Subject: Re: No Nest Building Yet & Another Wasp Deterrent

Good Morning Felicia.....

In answer to your primary question, nest construction should begin any day now...!! I'm located near the north shore of Lake Erie. In a normal year, our BB's will begin nestbuilding 3rd or 4th week of March. First eggs will appear early in April, usually the 1st week.

Here's a tip that Bluebirds will appreciate. Keith Kridler brought this to our attention a few years ago.
....Locate a spot where white pines are growing. Underneath these trees you will find the ground covered with fallen white pine needles. Scoop up a small pailful of the dry needles. Throw a few handfuls near where the BB's are examining nestboxes.

We've been doing this on our trails and find that nests are now constructed, almost exclusively, with these needles.

As Keith has pointed out, the pine needles do not compress and become moist, mouldy and smelly. There may be some insecticidal benefits too.

Thank you for your contribution to our forum.

Bruce Macdonald, SW Ontario, south of Detroit

From: Sue
Sent: Saturday, April 01, 2006 10:46 PM
Subject: New

Greetings! My name is Susan and I live in semi-rural south/east Virginia and have the perfect back yard area (unfenced with thirty foot grassy easement behind backed by deciduous woods) for wildlife and birding. It was suggested to me that it might also be perfect for Bluebirds. I put up a box on March 3rd and had Bluebirds looking at it the very next morning. They kept tabs on it and finally started moving in this past week.

The nest structure is built and the pair has spent the day lining it with white fluff. I am not sure where they have been getting it but broke the head off a cattail and wedged it in a nearby tree to see if they wanted to try it as well.

They are cooperative and I have been able to get some great pictures of the pair if anyone is interested. I am not a pro by any means but they are beautiful birds!
....

Thank you in advance,
Susan in Virginia Beach, VA (Less than five miles from Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge)

From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net]
Sent: Sunday, April 02, 2006 2:37 PM
Subject: Re: New nest

Sue,
I am surprised that your Bluebird nest is lined with "white fluff." I have never seen a Bluebird nest lined with anything except the building material itself, usually dried grass or dried pine needles. (These must be Eastern Bluebirds, right?)
Have others seen Bluebird nests lined with white fluff?"

Bruce Burdett, SW NH

PS Tree Swallows routinely include all kinds of stuff in their nests: feathers, birch bark, paper, plastic, rubber, milkweed fluff, foil, cloth, and so on.

The very first bluebird nest I ever monitored was lined with chestnut mane hair which made a beautiful lining. I guess the pieces were not too long, and it was tightly woven, so there was no tangling of little legs.

Kate Arnold
Paris, Texas

The female that built her nest in our yard box last year made 4 nests. All 4 nests had a few feathers in the cup lining. That was the only time I had ever seen that.

Evan, NE Ohio

I've often seen nests "decorated" with a feather or two placed in the rim of the nest, but I've never seen any bluebird nest with feathers in the cup. I'd watch to make sure you've got a bluebird nest there!

Barbara in Cloverdale, CA

So funny you mentioned that Bruce. In fact until just today, I had never seen a bluebird nest lined with anything either. Maybe the occasional small feather or strip of something other than grass, by usually, just dried grass.

I’ve been watching my backyard boxes closely since I had reported that nest building was behind schedule here. It usually starts in early March and proceeds very slowly to eggs laying beginning between 4/1 and 4/7. This year there was no hint of a nest until 3/30. I’ve been watching the female build the nest and in just two days it was complete, if too high. Today I checked it to see if there was an egg yet, and discovered tufts and chunks of rabbit hair in the nest cup. I haven’t seen any other birds around this box and the bluebirds are very protective of it, so I don’t think it was another bird. But, then, I’ve never seen a bluebird use fur previously.

Pam in Harford County, Maryland

Barbara,

Have to assume they were all EABL nests,as 16 Blues fledged from it :)

Evan

Bruce, have not seen "white fluff" lining at all in EABL nests. I have seen black or palomino hairs from our horses' manes right before the EABL will lay eggs though. Interestingly, the EABL will inevitably leave one "hair" hanging out of the entry hole. When monitoring EABL nest boxes, that's how I can tell right away if new nest boxes have been nested.

Trudy Pischer
Willard, MO

I checked on the nest today and the fluff appears to be dog/animal hair (of some type). There is some white and some gray. I am curious to see what it is for certain when they are done with the nest.

Susan

Bruce, here's photos of Western Bluebird nests which were in the process of being built: Note the large amount of fluff in the first photo. It is unusual to have that much insulation material added, but it does happen.
http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/newbegin.html

And, here are photos of other Western Bluebird nests http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/NestPics.html

Linda Violett
Yorba Linda, Calif.

What a wonderful discussion list!

My husband and I are new to bluebird watching. We recently moved to a wooded lot in a heavily wooded neighborhood, and set out a box at the end of a large grassy area about 2 weeks ago. A pair of bluebirds showed up within a couple of days to check it out. They have visited almost every day for a little while to put pine needle nesting in it. A chickadee tried to work on it, a few times when they weren't around, but it seems to have given up.

The nest looks big enough to us, based on pictures we've seen on the internet, but they seem to spend less and less time there now. There are no wasps nesting in it, and there are only pine needles in the nest. Have they just lost interest?

After reading all the advice on here for a few days, yesterday we took the house down to add a predator deterent and add an escape hole. No sign of HOSP in the area so far. There are raccoons out here for sure, and we've heard there are copperhead snakes.

Donna in VA

Hi Donna:

Even though you have added the second hole, I am assuming your box has vent holes. If you have extreme heat like we do in Louisiana and Keith K does in Texas, we have to have it for cross ventilation.

I hope you do not see any HOSP in your area. I am blessed to never have any. However, using aggressive control usually insures that not only will it help save the lives of the adults, but eggs and babies as well. Many people that use aggressive control diligently report that eventually they have no HOSP problems or very little. I worked with an LBBS member last year using aggressive control in her back yard of several boxes and finally, she trapped enough males that her Bluebirds and Prothonotary Warblers came back to nest and she didn't have anymore problems. However, if a person is anywhere close to a HOSP infected area, it could be an ongoing battle. It is still worth the effort.

I have Bluebirds that build a nest and then wait 3 weeks before laying an egg! Hang in there, I feel you will have some little blue eggs in no time.

Evelyn

From: Donna [mailto:spraydm"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, April 13, 2006 3:45 PM
Subject: Re: nesting behavior of bluebirds - how long does it take?

Evelyn;

Thanks for your reply. Yes, we do have small vent and drain holes. We don't have the extreme heat that you do, but it can get pretty warm in Virginia. There is shade on the box for about 1/3 of the daylight hours as well, since it is near the edge of a wooded area.

It's good to know that it can take up to three weeks. They may nest there yet. I'll keep you posted.

Donna

You are quicker on the uptake than most of the old-timers of this List by adding the extra "escape" hole.
Even though I can think of no drawback to adding the second hole on the face of the box, most folks prefer to add a slurry of ventilation holes at the upper sides of the box rather than add an extra escape hole.

It has not yet been scientifically proven that Bluebirds use the second hole as an escape. In fact, Keith Kridler says his birds will not use an escape hole because they fight to the death during a House Sparrow attack.

But Western Bluebirds on my trail aren't as gallant as Keith's. Under a
HOSP attack, nestlings/eggs may be lost to HOSP, but the adults will live to nest again and seem to learn how to overcome House Sparrows.

Linda Violett
Yorba Linda, Calif.

From: denisefarmer"at"comcast.net [mailto:denisefarmer"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 4:20 PM
Subject: I have a nest on my trail - How long for eggs?

Hey All,

I checked my 5 boxes on the trail that I monitor for the Middle Patuxtant Environmental Area (MPEA) and up until today all five boxes were empty. I am happy to report that one box has a nest and since it is so neat and round with dried grasses only, I am thinking it is a BB nest. Gosh, I sure hope so. When I went to the nest box, no one was in it and I did not see any birds nearby. now that a nest is made, how long before I should expect to see eggs? If it is a BB, how come they are so late building a nest when the nest at my work location has had eggs for a week?

I get more excited by the moment,

Thanks

Denise
Parkville, MD

From: Lynn Emerich [mailto:lemerich"at"epix.net]
Sent: Friday, April 14, 2006 4:40 PM
Subject: Re: I have a nest on my trail - How long for eggs?

I am in the same kind of boat. I have had a nest completed or nearly completed for well over a week, but no activity. I do see the pair in the yard and there is no competition. Yesterday I saw the female go into the nest, but she left about a minute later. Nice cup ready to go. Much later than other years.

Lynn near Bernville PA

It appears we simply missed some stealthy nesting. We checked the box this evening and there are four eggs! So she probably started laying about the time we started missing them, and emailed this list for advice.

What we now realize is - now that there are eggs in the nest they have changed their behavior - they don't hang around outside the house like they did before. Also, the female enters and exits at pretty high speed. I suppose she doesn't want to draw any attention to the nest.

So...where does hubby BB sleep? :-)

Donna in VA

I think they sleep in a tree nearby or some place very close. I do know that I see males sitting on the power lines during the day above the nestboxes on the road. Seems they are keeping guard. I have eight nestboxes on the road with power lines and everyday, I see them sitting there. I had my first to fledge yesterday, so the whole little group is nowhere to be seen right now. It won't be long and I will be seeing how many survived the "big jump" because they will all come and sit on the power line. This part of my trail is where neighbors and friends get a "close up" look and get to enjoy them too.

Evelyn

Hello,

I just checked my bluebird house today and the nest strikes me as unusually high, approximately 4 inches. I have a nesting box in which a pivoting nail lets me swing up the side wall. My bluebirds began nesting building on March 25th. The cup is nicely formed in the middle, but no eggs yet. I check the box weekly. The temps have just begun to stay in the low 50's at night. My nest box has 6 inches from the bottom of the entrance hole to the floor of the box. I also have wooden cleats under the hole. Is that nest height unusual?

P.S. This is the same female bluebird who still attacks my back windows and noses around on the screens. I put up a wind sock/kite on the overhang above the windows, but she is undeterred. May try some mylar strips on the windows next.

Thanks for any insight.

-Theresa Nelsen
Southern Maryland

From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com]
Sent: Sunday, April 16, 2006 5:22 PM
Subject: Re: Nest Height?

You could measure from the bottom of the hole to the bottom of the nest and if it is 4 1/2 inches or less, a Starling or larger bird could reach it.  You can lower the nest by taking some of the bottom, but this should only be done after the first egg is laid.  I tried it and they will just build it right back up there.

Evelyn

From: Kathleen Arnold [mailto:koscharn"at"cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 12:34 PM
Subject: Feathers in Bluebird Nests

Earlier someone posted about a bluebird nest with white feathers. I have a nest with a few white feathers twined in the grass, not lining the cup as swallows do. This is the first time I have observed this in a bluebird nest.

Kate Arnold
Paris, Texas

Hello,

I just checked my bluebird house today and the nest strikes me as unusually
high, approximately 4 inches. I have a nesting box in which a pivoting nail
lets me swing up the side wall. My bluebirds began nesting building on
March 25th. The cup is nicely formed in the middle, but no eggs yet. I
check the box weekly. The temps have just begun to stay in the low 50's at
night. My nest box has 6 inches from the bottom of the entrance hole to the
floor of the box. I also have wooden cleats under the hole. Is that nest
height unusual?

P.S. This is the same female bluebird who still attacks my back windows and
noses around on the screens. I put up a wind sock/kite on the overhang
above the windows, but she is undeterred. May try some mylar strips on the
windows next.

Thanks for any insight.

-Theresa Nelsen
Southern Maryland

I have seen many bluebird nests this height. I have one right now in a Gilwood box,
and even with this height, the 6 babies are smushing it down to the bottom.

Typical (is there any such thing?) is SUPPOSEDLY fairly deep, often cylindrical nest cup - usually
3-4" deep, with the cup portion 2.5" in diameter and about 2.25" deep.

Bet from CT

Nest and egg ID: http://www.sialis.org/nests.htm

From: Kathleen Arnold [mailto:koscharn"at"cox.net]
Sent: Saturday, April 22, 2006 12:34 PM
Subject: Feathers in Bluebird Nests

Earlier someone posted about a bluebird nest with white feathers. I have a nest with a few white
feathers twined in the grass, not lining the cup as swallows do. This is the first time I have
observed this in a bluebird nest.

Kate Arnold
Paris, Texas

http://www.sialis.org/whiteeggs.htm - fotos of 3 different bluebird nest with feathers, not all
white. It's not uncommon for me to see about 1-3 feathers in an Eastern Bluebird nest. I have one
this year with some rootlets in it. Also saw seedheads in a tree swallow nest, and a tree swallow
nest with no feathers.

One of the many challenges of nest ID!

Eastern Bluebird: Neat, cup shaped, woven nest of 100% fine grass or pine needles. Cup may be in the
back of the box. Occasionally bits of fur or a few feathers, or even some hair (e.g., from a horse).
Fairly deep, often cylindrical nest cup - usually 3-4" deep, with the cup portion 2.5" in diameter
and about 2.25" deep.

Mountain Bluebird: Nest of grass, weed stems, pine needles, twigs, rootlets, bark, and, sometimes,
wool, hair, or feathers.

Western Bluebird: Collection of grasses, weed stems, and, sometimes, hair and feathers. Routinely
add ribbons, cellophane,thin bark and leaves to their nest, which may cause some to confuse it with
a House Sparrow nest.

Bet from CT

From: Shawn [mailto:shawnee4"at"charter.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:22 PM
Subject: EABL Nest height

I know this has been addressed before (I save a lot of the emails from the list, and checked them first, but didn't find it). How tall should the nest be? I think a new female is carried away in one of our NABS style boxes - the nest almost reaches the entrance hole! I'm thinking I need to wait until she lays at least one egg, then remove some material from the bottom of the nest, but I don't want to remove too much.

Thank you,

Shawn in Sevierville, TN

From: denisefarmer"at"comcast.net [mailto:denisefarmer"at"comcast.net]
Sent: Wednesday, May 17, 2006 10:48 PM
Subject: RE: EABL Nest height

Shawn,

I think it is advocated that once the BB lays an egg or two, removing some will not deter her once her eggs are in there. Just use a lot of TLC and lower that nest a tad. GOod luck,

Denise
parkvile, MD

From: Jill S. Lutz [mailto:jslutz"at"earthlink.net]
Sent: Monday, May 29, 2006 11:18 PM
Subject: Bluebird nest in house remodeling area, when is the best time to move it?

Hi all,

I'm sure there have been numerous posts on moving bluebird nests; I have encountered some comments regarding nest boxes. I have just now joined the list, and my message is in regards to a nest made inside the eaves of a house. The eaves in this area will be removed during the construction of a house addition in Buena Vista, CO. This house is my mother and stepfather's, and my mother is pretty sure they are bluebirds since she often seens them hanging around the area. She shone a flashlight in there this evening and a pair of beady eyes stared back. So it seems they are in nesting mode - having laid eggs or just getting ready to.

My parents plan to remove this area in about 3 weeks. I know the best thing to do is leave it alone and wait. My stepdad however, when he gets moving on a construction project, usually is not to be stopped! He doesn't want to have to move the nest either so perhaps with a little more arm-twisting, this e-mail will be for naught and we won't have to worry about it! However, this has sparked my curiousity as to house remodeling situations like this - when would be the best time to move a nest that may "hinder" construction progress? (Vs. the construction hindering the birds' nesting season!) And obviously, the moved nest should be as close to the original location as possible as well as in a protected area and not out in the open subject to predators. How close is "close"? The nearest tree is 20 feet away in their particular situation.

Thanks,

Jill
Westminster, CO

From: Keith & Sandy Kridler [mailto:txbluebirder"at"sbcglobal.net]
Sent: Tuesday, May 30, 2006 8:13 AM
Subject: Re: Bluebird nest in house remodeling area, when is the best time to move it?

Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas only.04" of rainfall in northeast TX.

Birds do not bond very well to a nest right after they lay their eggs. If they fear predators or there is a lot of disturbance they will simply abandon the eggs, nest and location and move to a better area. Once they have spent the time to incubate and hatch out the young they will put up with a lot more interference and continue to feed and defend their young.

I would prepare a nestbox without the roof and get ready to move the nest. Check to see if there are eggs later this week, it sounds like you will have to use a mirror to look in the nest. If you can wait until the young hatch you would attach the open roof nestbox to the wall of the house and below the original nest at noon or so of the day before you want to move the nest. Let the parents get used to the nestbox with an empty nest installed in it for the rest of the afternoon. The next morning about 3 hours after daybreak you can move the young birds down to the nestbox and remove the old nest and discard it from the eaves. The adults should continue to feed them. Later in the afternoon you can lower the nest and baby birds down deeper in the nestbox. The next morning I would install a roof on the nestbox and observe if they will feed through the entrance hole. (You need 1&9/16" round for Mountain Bluebirds.)

Once they start feeding their young through the hole and entering the nestbox you can then move the nestbox to a pole a few feet away from the wall of the house. You can then move the box a few feet at a time two to four times a day and the birds should continue to follow the box away from the house and give workmen room to work and the birds enough privacy to continue to raise their young. (If you have to you can move eggs the same way only there is greater chances of them abandoning them.)

Last month a builder called complaining about MY bluebirds building in two out of three of the electric meter bases on temporary service poles at his soon to be spec houses. He asked why they always build in these as soon as the electrician installs a new pole. As soon as he gets the green tag the electric company throws out their nests after inspection and when they install the new meter. I explained how to build a nestbox and move the nest right beside the meter base. I explained how many bluebirds we have in this area and they are desperate to find nesting sites at this time of the year. He asked if I was still helping schools build nestboxes and I told him yes. He said he had some "junk" lumber and would drop it off sometime.

Anyway a couple of weeks ago I come home and find a huge stack of white pine furniture parts in the middle of my truck bay from this builder. I built forty kits last week for the Wild Turkey Federation event and I cut out another 60 kits last night for a school group event for tomorrow morning and it looks like I have enough left for at least another 200 nestboxes for events I have scheduled in June. The white pine is in three foot lengths and I double rip the edges to remove decorative router cuts and dado's for drawer bottoms and they are the perfect width for my normal nestbox design:-)) With good saws I am able to cut out 120 parts an hour or 20 nestbox kits per hour out of this lumber.

Spec house builders throw enough scrap wood away each year to build hundreds of nestboxes per people house. Phoenix Arizona in just their metro area issued 63,700 new single family home building permits last year. Las Vegas is growing at 10,000 new people per month! Each new person consumes habitat for wild creatures. In the time it takes to watch a movie you can build enough nestboxes for a lot of cavity nesters! KK

From: Doogelbery"at"aol.com [mailto:Doogelbery"at"aol.com]
Sent: Monday, July 31, 2006 1:28 PM
Subject: Re: An interesting Blue Bird nest

Dear Group,
I wrote a few weeks ago about Blue Birds claiming my Blue Bird box in late July in Beltsville, Maryland after Tree Swallows had used it earlier in the year. The blue birds had finished the nest and I expected eggs when I returned from being out of town for about 4 days. When I returned and checked it out, they must have not liked their first nest and build another one right on top of the first one they made, making the total two nest height about 3.5 inches, as they mashed the other down some, and are using it. Yesterday one egg, today two....
Last year I had a late nester build one high nest, that was twice as high as the first two nest of the season. I just have found this behavior interesting and thought I would share it.
Doug

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For more information about Bluebird_L, check out http://www.cit.corn.edu/cit-pubs/email/using-lists/index.htm. If you wish to contact the author of a post, you will need to edit the e-mail address, replacing "at" with the "at" symbol (above the number 2 on your keyboard). (This change was made to discourage spammers.)

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