Monitoring a bluebird nest box can be a quick process and doesn’t need to take longer than a minute or two. It’s imperative that you check on your nest box as least once a week to monitor the progress of your bluebird nest and address any problems. It’s important to remember that bluebirds are very accepting of human interaction and will never abandon a nest because of monitoring.  However, it’s usually best to monitor a nest when the adult male and female are not inside.  If you’re not sure if a bluebird is not inside the nest box, you can make a whistle or call to alert them to your presence.

There are two primary functions of monitoring:  checking for problems and hazards and recording the progress of your bluebird nest.  For this reason, you’ll want to have a log form to record things such as when bluebirds arrive, started building a nest, lay their eggs, how many eggs, hatch, how many fledged, predator problems and etc. You can download the necessary forms form the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania website at thebsp.org  These forms are easy to use and are self explanatory. Your recorded information is very useful to the Bluebird Society of Pennsylvania.

Monitoring in early spring

In the onset of spring, before bluebirds arrive, you want to check and make sure your bluebird nest box is ready for the upcoming breeding season.  Look for holes, cracks or other damage.  It’s also a good idea to make sure that the size of the entrance hasn’t been altered by other birds.  Lastly, make sure that wasps haven’t built a nest on the ceiling of your nest box, as their presence will prevent bluebirds from nesting. You may use a bar of ivory soap to deter wasp nest from building under the roof inside of your nest box.

Bluebird courtship and nest building

Male bluebirds will arrive before females to establish territory.  Their arrival dates depends on geography, as bluebirds arrive at warmer destinations earlier, but the general range is between mid-February and March in Pennsylvania. Once the male arrives, he will attempt to attract the female through a courtship songs, flights such as wing waving. This will often occur around the nest box.  If the female likes the male and the nest box, she will begin building the nest immediately.  Nest construction takes on average 4-5 days.

Monitoring egg laying

Eggs are laid in the morning, between 7:00 a.m. and 9:30 A.M., and you should avoid monitoring around this time. The female will lay an egg a day, sometimes missing a day if it’s cold or rainy.  The number of eggs laid varies by bluebird species, but will usually be no more than eight and generally 4 to 5 for the Eastern Bluebirds. The female will spend time away from the nest during the egg laying period, but if you do open the nest box while she is there, simply close the door gently and come back another time. Preferably the afternoon time when she is out forging for insects.

Monitoring Incubation

The female will not begin incubation until she has laid her last egg, after which the incubation period will last approximately 14 days.  During this period, you should allow the female privacy.  If it is a rainy season you may want to check the nest to see if it is wet. A wet nest poses danger to the eggs not hatching or the chicks perishing due to hypothermia. Here is when a Monitor comes in handy to replace the grass nest with a dry one. Carefully replace the eggs or nestlings into your dry cup nest and place into the nest box. Congratulations; you just saved bluebirds from perishing.

Nestlings

During the first few days after young birds are hatched, the father brings them food, while the mother continues to remain on top of the nest to keep the nestlings warm; this is called brooding.  You may notice the adults departing the nest with a white blob in their bills.  These are fecal sacs, which the adults remove from the nest to keep it clean.

During the nestling stage, the most important function of monitoring is to ensure that the nestlings aren’t attacked by predators. House sparrows, raccoons, cats and even snakes will all prey on newly-born bluebirds.This is why it is so important to make use of predator guards. If you find an injured bluebird, or a bluebird that needs assistance you can take it to the nearest wildlife rehabilitation clinic.

After approximately 20 days, the nestlings will become fledglings and leave the nest. If you make it to this stage, you will have successfully raised a new brood of bluebirds! Congratulations!! You are now a successful landlord Monitor to these once threaten species.

Bluebirds have a handy way of disposal of the nestlings waste material. Their nestlings produce droppings neatly packaged in a membranous bag called a fecal sac. Without some kind of sanitation behavior, droppings would accumulate and soiling the nesting material and exposing the  nestlings to disease and predation. Especially to Blow-flies (please read my Parasites and Blowfly larva solution topic for more information in controlling this kind of predator.) After a parent bluebird feeds its nestlings they watch out for the nestling that was just feed to produce a fecal sac. The nestling actually points its end upward  when producing a fecal sac and the parent quickly carries it away. Sometimes the parent bird get rid of the fecal sacs by swallowing them. It sounds disgusting, but by eating its youngsters’ dropping the adult can obtain useful nutrients. Usually this happens only early in the nesting stages – later as the young birds approaches fledging age , the parents tend to carry fecal sacs off and discard them away form the nesting area. Biologist suggest this is because a newly hatched nestling’s digestive system is not yet mature, so its droppings contain nutrients that the young can’t yet absorb. As the nestlings grow older, its intestinal tract digest more effectively and then becomes less desirable to the parent bird. Diaper service isn’t available to all birds and their nesting material can get get really foul. If you ever clean out a House Sparrow nest from your nest box you’ll know what I mean.  For  non – cavity  nesting  species like baby herons and birds of prey for instance does not produce fecal sacs and they simply back up to the edge of the nest and squirt feces over the edge. Bluebird are one of the most beautiful songbirds in America and they are really  neat and clean  nest keepers. Place a nest box up today and enjoy the wonders of  Bluebirding.

Heat Shields will shade nest Boxes and reduce heat inside your nest boxes.

Styrofoam under heat shield will reduce heat from the primary roof.

Leave 1/2 inch air space between Styrofoam and Primary Roof.

Heat Shields and Styrofoam and Over-sized Roof  will reduce heat inside your nest boxes when the heat rises to 90 degrees. Please read my blog concerning Climate Changes and the effects on Bluebirds.

I have never lost a nestling or a bluebird in this nest box because of heat. It takes a little time building this nest box but the results so far are excellent.

Created by the Ambassador

The relationship between Florence and her bluebirds is incredible. This loving little old lady walks outside on the porch rings a dinner bell for dinner, and not only the family responds to the sound but the bluebirds too. The bluebirds come in flying all around Florence waiting for their medley dinner of fresh mealworms and cornmeal honey mixture as the family members all settle down for dinner. Totally awesome!

In the mornings Florence goes outside and calls the bluebirds with her soft voice singing: BLUEBIRDS , BLUEBIRDS , GOOD MORNING BLUEBIRDS, TIME FOR BREAKFAST and sure enough the bluebirds come flying in for fresh tasty mealworms and a warm cornmeal mixture of honey. What a delightful experience to witness. The bluebirds are bouncing around wing waving while Florence is talking to them and serving them breakfast.

She is so knowledgeable of her mealworm farm that I was impressed as she explains to me how she manages the several containers of the mealworms. She explains to me in detail the beetle and larva stages and the care that is needed in feeding, changing the bedding material, moisture control and warmth that is needed to keep the mealworm farm in a productive stages. What a remarkable demonstration!

This is a special relationship between bluebirds and a little old loving lady that is so unique that brings her much joy and happiness as she lives her remaining days in caring for her family and nature too. What a remarkable testimony. I thought I had a passion for bluebirds, until I met Florence, The Bluebird Lady.

While monitoring our bluebird nest box we can experience different color and sizes of the eggs. The normal color of the bluebird eggs are rich sky blue, but at time we can find white eggs as well. White eggs are called albanistic eggs. The female will lay either all blue or all white eggs never a mixture. If you do discover one or two different colored eggs in the nest it was cause by egg dumping. Albanistic eggs have been found in all three species of bluebirds nest. The hatching rates between the two show no difference. And there is no connection between white eggs and albinos. About 8% of bluebird’s eggs do no hatch, these eggs are term infertile. This can be caused by several factors, including a defect in the sexual organs of the male or the female, the ingestion of chemicals causing either bird to be sterile or just malnutrition of the female during egg production due to incumbent weather. Also some eggs can be fertile but for some reason stop developing during incubation. Temperature can affect eggs being too cold or over heated. A female bluebird can abandon a clutch after 5 or 6 days of incubation, how she can tell that the eggs will not hatch is not known. She may start building a new nest right over the old eggs, or move to another nest box. Another variation is a very small egg known as a dwarf or runt egg. These eggs are not fully developed inside having no yolk. Another variation is the size of the eggs. Some eggs increase as the egg laying progress continues being that the last egg laid is the largest. With all these variables don’t be too hard on yourself if your bluebirds nesting attempt fails.

Bluebirds communicate with one another through the use of sounds and gestures. Songs are given by both sexes, but most often by the male. He uses it to announce his territory and to attract a female. When directed toward other intruding male inside his nesting territory it becomes very aggressive, even to the point of audible bill-snapping. Another important sound for the bluebirds is for alarm or danger. This can consist of a short harsh calls or rapid chattering. At the beginning of nesting season if the male does not have a mate, he will start singing loudly from tree tops. Once he attracts a female he becomes much quieter and then resorts to using gestures. These movements are very interesting to observe, they are called wing-waves. The male will use this gesture by lifting one wing or both in a quick wave like fashion to attract the female attention. You can witness this action of the male on top of his nest box as he tries to convince the female that this is a great place to raise a family. Along with wing waving he is singing softly too. He’s hoping the female will accept his invitation and if she enters the nest box it’s a good sign she did. Also bluebirds can deviate from their normal flight pattern as a way of communication. This is done mostly by the male during territory formation and courtship. In one type of flight display he uses slow long wing beats, in another he flies with a lopsided flight, in another he will hover in front of the nest entrance. All these types of communication help them to organize their lives and to successfully breed and to survive in the wild.

Many of the facts shared in my blogs pertaining to the eastern bluebird can be applied to the other two species. Being similar but different.

Mountain Bluebird Sialia currucoides

Adult Male                         Adult Female

The Mountain Bluebirds are slightly larger than both western and eastern bluebirds. They have longer thinner bills and their tails are longer. Mountains bluebirds tend to hover when hunting for food. Somewhat like an American kestrel. The mountain bluebird sometimes hybridizes with the eastern bluebird where their ranges overlap. The mountain bluebird ranges broadly overlaps that of the western bluebird, and there are several reports of the two species pairing together and producing what is called hybrid young.

The range of the mountain bluebird is in the western part of the United States. The bird breeds in the western states and western Canada, as far east as northeast North Dakota and far north as central Alaska. The mountain bluebird is the most migratory of the three species which extends farther south into Texas and southern Mexico. It has been from extensive conservation efforts by many people that the mountain bluebirds population is increasing. If not for people getting involved in conservation efforts to help these birds, all three species of bluebirds would have been eradicated from the earth.

Western Bluebird Sialia mexicana

Adult Male                          Adult Female

Only the Western male bluebird could be confused with the male Eastern bluebird since they are the only two bluebirds with red on their breast. The big difference is the western bluebird has a  blue chin rather than a red chin that the eastern bluebird has.

The western bluebirds are paring with mountain bluebirds and raising hybrid young. This is to be expected since their ranges so broadly overlap. The western bluebird can be found breeding in most of the western states and British Columbia. It is most abundant along the California coast and in the southwestern states. It winters in the same areas it inhabits, and therefore is not a migratory bird as the mountain and the eastern bluebird are. Of the three species of bluebirds, the western bluebird is the most in decline. In the 1970s more bluebirds trails were formed and the western bluebird is now beginning to make a come back. Again this is a result of so many people getting involved in conservation efforts.

Bluebirds are secondary cavity nesting bird, which mean that they are unable to create a cavity for themselves. They must rely on other animals or birds such as woodpeckers to create a cavity for them. It’s now a known fact that bluebirds would have been an extinct species if not for conservation efforts. A big thank you goes out there on behalf of all the Bluebirds to the many Landlords across the United States of America

Copulation takes place several times during nest building. Studies indicate that fertilization is more effective about a week before the egg laying. Copulation usually occurs within 20 to 30 feet of the nest box and may occur on top of the nest box as well as on the ground or in nearby trees. During copulation the female crouches down and quiver her wings and lifts her tail upward or to the side. The male lands on her back and bend his tail downward to make contact and transfer his sperm. Sperm can be transferred from male to the female in a blink of an eye – less than a second. It is important to note that the external sex organs of bluebirds are alike and are simply openings called Cloacas.

For more information on this subject, visit the expert at:

http://www.enature.com/expert/expert_show_question.asp?questionID=8763

Studies of bluebird nestlings have shown that their parents are not always the adults that are attending the nest.  Male bluebirds knows that copulation takes place near the females nesting site.  So intruding males will often land at a nest box to increase his chances to mate with a resident female.  When a resident male discovers another male in his territory he not only chases him away but copulates with his mate right away. He wants to make sure it is his sperm that is fertilizing his mate.

Question often ask, are bluebirds monogamous? Watching the bluebird’s behavioral habits around their nest box surely might indicate so. But then again, once we realizes that extra pair copulations is occurring and the young in the nest box can be from different parents, then all kinds of mixing is going on. I think it’s safe to conclude that bluebirds have been seen as monogamous but at times can be polygamous. I strongly believe bluebird’s pair up more for procreation than for permanent bonding.

A fledgling is a bird that is out of the nest but still dependent on its parents for food and care. Once the fledgling bluebird can gather food on their own, they are termed Juvenile birds. When juvenile birds molt into their adult plumage in the fall, they are then called Adults.

Nestling bluebirds know when to leave the nest box. They become restless at the end of the nesting stage, moving about and stretching their wings. At times parents stop feeding and calling to them as to encouraging them to leave the nest box. Adult bluebirds do not have to teach the young to fly. Their first flight will carry them 100 to 400 feet to the nearest perch and sometimes to the ground. This is why it is helpful that a tree or a shrub is nearby so that the fledglings can make a safe landing. Usually all the young leave the nest within an hour or two on the same day. The fledglings will call to their parents and they in turn try to get the siblings to stay together. The parents will lead the young to a safe spot away from the nesting site to care for their needs. This is why it might be difficult for the landlord to locate the family of bluebirds once they have fledged. Both parents will care for the fledgling’s needs for the first few days but after that the male will see to their every need while the female starts building another nest and starting the process all over again. Bluebirds can have up to three nesting cycles a year. By the second week the fledglings begin to follow the parents around to get fed more often. After three weeks the fledglings begin to gather some food on their own. After the forth week, the fledglings begin to learn the behaviors of their parents of forging for insects from a perching position and the parents stop feeding the young going into the fifth week. Finally during the sixth week the fledgelings becomes a Juvenile bird. Juvenile birds often remain with their parents or in the general area throughout summer and into fall. Some juvenile birds are noted for helping feed other broods born later in the season.

Experiencing the nestling’s fledging is what the landlord is striving for. And having a successful fledging experience will be beneficial for the bluebirds as well, because they too remember their experience and will return to rebuild year after year. So hindsight tells us to do what ever we can do to safe guard the nest box with proper predator guards and to monitor the box so the bluebirds will not only have a successful fledge but return as well.

Sipping on a warm hazelnut coffee and enjoying the cool morning air of September, I noticed bluebirds flying into my backyard. More and more were arriving, soon there was a flock of bluebirds flying from tree to tree and darting to the ground forging for insects. They seem to be fighting over the nest box or maybe checking it over for the next nesting season. They acted as if they made claim on my backyard chasing away other birds that was intruding in their air space. Many small crickets and grasshoppers are on the ground this time of the year and the bluebirds were taking advantage of this easy food source. The bluebirds kept coming closer and closer to the patio where I was sitting and seeing so many bluebirds all at the same time was sheer joy. Early fall is when many birds flock together because there is safety in numbers, and the mature birds know how to locate food during the seasonal changes. By flocking together the juvenile bird’s survival increases as they continue to learn what nature has to offer and hopefully learn what skills are needed to survive.

All three species of bluebirds share some similar migration behaviors. Though the Western bluebird can inhabit the same area it nest in because of its mild seasonal location. They all migrate during the day and many join up with resident flocks of bluebirds to find food, water and roost sites. Fall migration seems to be determined by the shortening of daylight rather than weather. Food is still plentiful and weather conditions are still pleasant when they begin to depart. Weather can influence migration, however. Birds may linger for longer periods at foraging sites when the weather is mild. When weather turns inclement, it may cause them to move south at a faster pace. Not all bluebirds migrate, depending on how harsh the winter becomes some stay as long as food can be found such as berries and seedlings.

Seeing so many bluebirds together is an awesome site to behold. I hope you too will experience this migrating habit of bluebirds flocking together.

Molting is an interesting process. Bluebird fledgling’s have a complete molt after nesting, molting into their basic plumage. Molting occurs in response to a mixture of hormonal changes brought about by growth and seasonal changes. The entire process is very complex. A feather is a “dead” structure, somewhat like hair or nails in humans. The hardness of a feather is caused by the formation of the protein called ( keratin. ) Since feathers cannot heal themselves when damaged, they have to be completely replaced. The replacement of all or part of the feathers is called a molt. Molts produce feathers that match the age and sex of the bird, and sometimes the season. Damaged feathers are replaced during a molt. A feather that has been lost completely is replaced immediately.

Watching junior molt and grow gives me great satisfaction, especially knowing once his kind was at the brink of extinction. The gratification comes from being a landlord and experiencing the nesting process of these beautiful birds. Though the bluebird’s nesting season here in Pennsylvania is coming to a close, we landlords still can enjoy the bluebirds in watching Junior grow.

Documentary studies at the School of Biological Sciences University of Kentucky Lexington, Kentucky 40506. Associated with The USA Department of Forestry University of Kentucky showed that Eastern Bluebirds chose boxes containing old nests in 38 of 41 instances in which these boxes were paired with empty ones. Other species nesting in bluebird boxes chose boxes containing old nests in four of five instances. This result conflicts with the prevailing opinion that cavity-nesting birds avoid boxes that contain old nests. This study showed bluebirds prefer re-working old nest material to building a completely new nest.

Being the case one must ponder are we doing the right thing by removing nesting material new (abandonment nest) or a used one from our nest boxes. If to suggest we do it to control nest parasites, then what about natural nest cavities? As for nest parasites, they can be controlled without removing the nest. Read my blog concerning Parasites and Blowflies.

I am left wondering, should I be removing the nest from my nest box if abandon. I usually remove the old nest because it’s so foul inside the nest box by the time the nestling’s fledge and will only attract blowfly infestation.

Untreated Wood and Not Less Than 3/4inches Thick. Wooden nest boxes are found to be cooler and better insulating material. Pine, Fir, Cedar and are good choices and the latter is better. Do not place harmful stain, sealer, or paint, on your nest box.  The first year permit your nest box to the elements of the weather. Allow it to turn gray and rustic looking. Keeping in mind the bluebirds are looking for a natural nesting cavity. Each Fall rub RAW Linseed oil  (outside of box only ) on your nest box, this is a safe product to use. Your nest box will last for many many years. Raw Linseed  Oil  comes from the Flax Plant  Seeds and is a natural product without chemicals added to it. Boiled Linseed Oil has chemicals and solvent added to it. Do Not Use Boiled Linseed Oil. (Raw Linseed oil generally can be found at ACE Hardware Stores.)

Roof – I recommend a large over hanging roof. It will prevent water from getting into the nest box from severe storms and shades the nest box from direct sunlight. Do not put anything on the roof such as tin and roofing shingles, this will only cause excessive heat. I recommend the roof to extend three or four inches over the front and three inches over the sides of your nest box. (A 12×12 inch board for the roof will work well with a 4×4 inside floor measurement.

Ventilation – The most important part of a nest box. Never drill holes into the side of your nest box for ventilation. This will not allow enough heat to escape or let enough air to circulate inside of the nest box. I recommend ¼ inch space between the sides and the roof of the nest box as well as the floor corners notched out (4 corners) ¼ inches. this will allow water to escape but more importantly the air to circulate inside the nest box. Entrance hole 1 1/2 inches and 7 inches up from the inside floor for Eastern and Western Bluebirds and 1 9/16 entrance hole for Mountain Bluebirds.

Easy Access for Monitoring and Cleaning. I recommend side openings, Top openings make it difficult to clean the box and to monitor. Front opening the birds fly into your face when monitoring.

Rough or Grooved Interior Walls – Allows a foot hold for the nestlings to fledged the nest box. Though it is not necessary.

Recessed Floor - Prevents water entering the nest box.

Sturdy Construction - Nothing less than ¾ inch wood. Use 1 ½ inch screws instead of nails. Pre-drill holes. Search for a timber yards (wood cut raw) is exactly 1 inch thick,  Amish Lumber Yards are a great place to look for and the price is good as well.

Front Predator Guard – By placing an additional board on the front of the nest box protects eggs, nestlings, and adult bird from outside intruders such as starlings and other animals. This no way replaces the baffle that is highly recommended to be mounted on the pole. Do not mount boxes on tress.

No Outside Perches at the Entrance Hole – Bluebirds do not require them. This only invites other birds that might harass the bluebirds.

Sparrow Trap – It is through my experience that a good bluebird nest box must be ready to control House Sparrows. I recommend purchasing the Van –Ert  Sparrow Trap and install the screws that come with it. Then all you will have to do is slide the trap in place when needed. For more information on this subject click on my Blog topic creating a vindictive House Sparrow.

Click on Photo to Enlarge

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