Quote:
Originally Posted by Topspinmo
I’ve already started refurbishing and updating my bluebird (BB) housing for next year. I had one box that was hard to do nest checks so I made swing out side panel to see in 6 foot installed level.
If you have the means and have spot preferably facing east, fairly open and in afternoon shade and want to contribute to BB habit hear some plans and ideas to make own houses.
My total fledged this year was 49 with 5 active boxes. All boxes fledged 3 broods average 3 to 5 per nesting cycle making it to happy days.
I also had house finches in my fake hanging flower basket which fledged 2 broods, fledged 7, and black capped chickadees that fledged 4. BB house in my back yard fledged 4 tuffed titmouses. I had BB nesting after titmouses that laid eggs, but invader dreaded male house sparrow broke and pitched eggs out and BBs abandoned the nest.
I’d you get or have BBs nests need to clean box out after each brood has fledged. If not they just build nest over the dirty insect infested nest which not good for nest brood. I don’t put them on trees due all insect critters crawling up down tree especially ants.
I also remove all boxes after nest season over, clean and repair for next season, here in Florida that’s early February to end August with up to 3 nesting cycles in season.
I’ve had BBs nesting boxes for over 40 years in several states along with other species nesting on my properties over years.
The reason boxes are black and white cause I hang them on appropriate color matches fencing. In my back yard I painted them match my villa wall color.
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Nice, but to make the bluebird house even better I would add a predator guard over/around the entry hole. I made several houses and have had them invaded by the likes of snakes, raccoons, squirrels, cats, opossums and birds of prey like hawks and owls, that find a way to enlarge the entry hole and invade the houses. Also putting some monofilament fishing line around to entry hole, to mimic a spider web, will help keep sparrows from invading the house. The poor bluebirds just want to be left alone, but have many predators after them, as well as sparrows that want to invade their home and kick them out. That being said, all the houses I built were put out up north, hopefully they have a less stressful predator life in the Villages?