Bluebird Boxes

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Just rec'd a Wood Link Mfg Bluebird Box from Amazon.

Price was only $20(shipped) for an outstanding quality redwood constructed nesting box. Made with 3/4" cedar plus brass screwed together. I was so impressed i ordered another one.

Yesterday morn i saw a beautiful bluebird in my back yard...first in many years so hoping to keep him here & attract more.



(1)The bird house is constructed of reforested, kiln dried, inland red cedar
(2)Ornithologically designed to attract bluebirds. the one 1/2-inch hole is ideal for eastern bluebirds
(3)Easy open front to make cleaning easy
(4)Made in the USA

[Dutch]

We have a few at our club. Did see some bluebirds fledged from the one.

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Mar 5, 2013 16:57:51 GMT -5 Dutch said:

We have a few at our club. Did see some bluebirds fledged from the one.

Great Dutch!!

The one I saw Yesterday's magnificant beauty pushed me to put 2 nesting boxes out. Per my research they are pretty much dependent upon us in helping to supplement their diminishing nesting habitat.

[Dutch]

Tough part is keeping all the other trash birds out. That is why Bluebirds are having trouble.

[tomcat]

Good deal Loggy, I hope you attract some bluebirds! It sure is nice to see them raise their young and watch the fledglings take the first flight. I have a box behind the house which is used every year for two broods. Just saw four bluebirds checking it out the other day.

The biggest problem I have is English sparrows. Every spring they try to take over the bluebird box, I shoot the male and the female disappears. I realize shooting sparrows may not be an option where you live but at least remove the nests every time they build one.

If you put up a second box, don't put them too close together. Think they should be 100 yards apart minimum because those pretty, docile little blue birds are territorial and will fight each to protect their house.

Good luck and enjoy

[Deleted]

I've ordered 4 over the last year or so from the PGC's Howard nursery. They are holding up well.

There's 2 in my yard and last year I had two sets of bluebirds fight over one only to be kicked out by tree swallows. The tree swallows were successful, but I came out one morning to find the nest pulled through the hole I assume by house sparrows. Hatchling was dead inside, no one ever showed up after that. House wrens tried to use the other box for a bit.

We'll see this spring. I'll be placing both boxes fairly close to one another, hoping swallows take one and bluebirds the other.

[rober]

Over the past 3 years I have purchased 30 from Howard Nursey and have about 6 at home and the rest on my land in Potter County. All of the ones at home get used every year, about half the boxes in Potter were used last year.

[bawanajim]

Bears are my biggest problem, tearing the boxes down , smashing them and eating the fleglings, and I don't believe you can have to many boxes.

[bigredneck]

Local WCO is our speaker this year at our club banquet, he is doing the bluebird program and bringing kits for our youth. From what he was telling me, location is very important for them to be successful.

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Mar 6, 2013 11:14:26 GMT -5 bigredneck said:

Local WCO is our speaker this year at our club banquet, he is doing the bluebird program and bringing kits for our youth. From what he was telling me, location is very important for them to be successful.

Neat bigredneck!! Thats the kinda stuff kids should be involved in!!

Years ago I bought several kits from the PGC at a show where they had a booth. Time/weather pretty much took care of them. I think they were constructed of white pine. Served their purpose though for several years.

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Mar 5, 2013 20:00:06 GMT -5 tomcat said:

Good deal Loggy, I hope you attract some bluebirds! It sure is nice to see them raise their young and watch the fledglings take the first flight. I have a box behind the house which is used every year for two broods. Just saw four bluebirds checking it out the other day.

The biggest problem I have is English sparrows. Every spring they try to take over the bluebird box, I shoot the male and the female disappears. I realize shooting sparrows may not be an option where you live but at least remove the nests every time they build one.

If you put up a second box, don't put them too close together. Think they should be 100 yards apart minimum because those pretty, docile little blue birds are territorial and will fight each to protect their house.

Good luck and enjoy

Thanks Tom. That's what I read on putting the boxes too close together. I also read cl3 's post on this issue which i heard of that before.

[Deleted]

Blue birds have been here checking boxes a couple of times already.

Bears are the problem here also and, to a lesser extent, raccoons and snakes.
I make mine mostly, from scraps, in the shoe box design with sides that open. I've also made a ton of them in the "Petersen" style.....that supposedly discourages climbers and snakes.
Haven't had any problem with snakes or coons in them or --- blue birds!
Blue birds just don't seem to like them as much.

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I've also learned that the hole shouldn't face the prevailing wind direction, which generally means don't face it north-northwest here in PA. Also, there should be a shrub or tree within sight of the hole, not too far, for the young. They like to bounce back and forth (mom and dad too). Got this right from a PGC biologist.

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Here's a couple of pics from last May when I first put the boxes up (I think with a few days of putting them up actually)... too bad they got bullied out:

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Beautiful pics there cl3!!


Bowbum nice lookin boxes...mebbie space dem boxes out a lil? ;D

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Don't think they like my "row homes" Loggy?

[Bill]

I have a few up but they only ever use the one in the garden. They've raised as many as three broods a summer, usually one or two though. The biggest thing you want to do is keep the English Sparrows out of the boxes.

[Dutch]

Great pics guys, even the "row homes" LOL

[Deleted]

Very nice eye!! Their coloration is magnificant!!

I now have 2 bluebird boxes out along with a purple martin house at other end of my property. Didnt get any purple martins yet.

[Deleted]

I suppose if we were to pick our favorite birds the wife and I would pick blue birds. One year they took over what was supposed to be a wren box on our porch post and fledged 3 youngsters. (the entry was chewed out - enlarged, by squirrels or raccoons)
One of the young acclimated to us and was around for quite a while after the others had left. For a couple years after, there was a single blue bird here for most of winter. He hung out on our porch and fed at the feeder and dined on seeds with other birds. Our imagination allowed us to wonder if it was the youngster ...

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Mar 8, 2013 7:21:01 GMT -5 @loggy said:

Very nice eye!! Their coloration is magnificant!!

I now have 2 bluebird boxes out along with a purple martin house at other end of my property. Didnt get any purple martins yet.

Sweet. I guess you need to have a tall ladder to go along with that one too. What is that, an old telephone pole?

I built an owl box last year... had a wood extension ladder that was probably as old as me... it broke while I was climbing to hang the owl box. Let's just say the owl box isn't as high as I would like... and new ladders are expensive!

[Deleted]

nice pics, bowbum.

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cl3...it a pressure treated 4"x4" by 12'

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A bluebird showed-up today snacking on some suet plus I later saw it enter the bluebird box in the below pic(rear right)!! Will try to get more pics!! Whut a beautiful bird!!

[GlennD]

I have several boxes around my property. You build it they will come!!

I also have the Tree Swallows and the Blue Birds competing for boxes.. They say you should keep the Blue Bird boxes about 150 yards apart because the Blue Birds are territorial. I think it was RSB that gave me the tip once to put two boxes back to back. You can then get Tree Swallows in one box and Blue Birds in the other.

I have one set of boxes back to back. It works!