Nest Box Trails for Bluebirds and Others
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Building Nest Box Trails for Cavity Nesting Birds
Nesting Bluebirds Poll
The Bluebird of Happiness
Adults have a white belly. Adult males are bright blue on top and have a reddish brown throat and breast. Adult females have lighter blue wings and tail, a lighter cinnamon throat and breast and a gray crown and back. Eastern Bluebirds are found east of the Rockies, southern Canada to the Gulf States and southeastern Arizona to Nicaragua.
The bright blue breeding plumage of the male and its cheerful song makes this species a favorite of birders. The male's call includes sometimes soft warbles of jeew or chir-wi or the melodious song chiti WEEW wewidoo (Sibley, 2000).
Listen to the Song of the Eastern Bluebird from the National Park Service
Bluebirds feed primarily on insects. According to Martin, Zim and Nelson in American Wildlife & Plants - A Guide to Wildlife Food Habits the choice animal food items that they eat includes: Beetles, particularly ground beetles, May beetles and weevils, grasshoppers and crickets and caterpillars. Various other insects and spiders, centipedes, sowbugs and snails are also eatern. And that is where they get the nickname of "the farmer's friend". They will also feed on fleshy fruits and small berries like Black Cherry, Huckleberries (Blueberries), Holly, Flowering Dogwood, Virginia-creeper, Hackberry, Sumac, Elderberry and Service Berry.
Bluebirds nest in natural cavities in trees and fence posts. They will also eagerly use man made nest boxes.
What is a Bluebird Trail
Starting your own Bluebird Trail is not that difficult, but more is involved than just putting up the nest box(es). You must be willing to monitor and maintain the trail. Good bluebird monitors check each box at least once a week during nesting season and they keep records detailing the kind of birds, when the nest was built, the number of eggs laid and the number of young hatched and fledged. The bird houses must also be cleaned out at the end of the breeding season. Most monitors clean the nest out right after the young fledge because the birds seem to prefer nesting in clean houses and many times a pair will use the same nest box for a second nesting if the old nest is removed. Winter maintenance is also necessary so that the boxes are kept in good condition.
Our Bluebird Trail
Birds in Our Habitat Slideshow
Not all of the birds in the slide show nest in cavities, but most do and the shots of the Cardinals feeding the babies were just to cute to remove.
Bluebirds on Zazzle
Visit Our Naturally Native Creations Gallery for More Designs.
Nest Boxes for Birds YouTube vids
Nesting Boxes for Birds
How to provide places to raise young for different types of birds
Runtime: 3:12
784 views
2 Comments:
Getting Started
* Do Not Put Nest Boxes on Trees or Utility Poles. This is a recipe for disaster because trees are the first place predators look. Mounting on trees also makes boxes difficult to monitor. If you regularly monitor nest boxes, potential problems (like bees and wasps or predators) can normally be nipped in the bud before they get out of hand and kill young.
* Predator Baffles Save Lives. Many predators such as racoons, snakes, cats, starlings and crows can be foiled by good predator baffles and some modifications (like a large overhanging roof) to the nest boxes. Simple designs that are easy to construct can be found at the North American Bluebird Society Website.
* Nest box Design is Extremely Important. The roof should extend out to protect the birds from reaching predators and to shade from the summer sun. Hole size (1 1/2" diameter for Bluebird), nest box depth and sturdy construction are also important and in the hot, humid south good ventilation is crucial. Bluebird and smaller bird nest box plans can be found at the North American Bluebird Society.
A standard, North American Bluebird Society approved nest box will be used by Bluebirds and, depending on the part of the country that you live in, many other species of birds, including Carolina and Black Capped Chickadees, Tufted Titmice, Carolina Wren, Prothonotary Warblers, Brown-headed Nuthatches, Tree Swallows and Great Crested Flycatchers, etc. The size of the entrance hole will determine type of bird (or animal) will use the house. Bluebirds prefer a hole with a 1 1/2 inch diameter and many of the other birds I listed will use houses with this size hole, too. Plans for boxes for larger birds can be found in pdf file format from North Prairie Wildlife Research Center.
Building a Bluebird nest box can be a family affair and monitoring the box will be a learning experience for one and all. The first step to becoming a scientist is to learn to be a good observer and to record those observations accurately. We need more ornithologists and other scientists.
Life Cycle of the Eastern Bluebird
The female incubates the eggs for 11-19 days. When the young hatch they are helpless. Their eyes are closed and they have no feathers.
The babies grow fast and before you know it little quills are forming on the wings. In the first picture below, the babies are about a week old. In the second one, they are about 2 weeks old.
For the next 17 to 19 days, both parents feed the young a variety of progressively larger insects. The young fledge (leave the nest) within 17-20 days.
The babies peer out into the great big world out there. It takes awhile before the first one finally jumps.
By 12:51 p.m. they are all out and just in time because a storm is coming. It rained all afternoon and into the night.
The male Eastern Bluebird will often keep feeding the fledglings while the female begins a second nest.
Cameras to Monitor the Nest Box
Small video (spy-type) cameras are also available that can be mounted either inside or outside the nest box. These must be connected to a vcr, dvd recorder or a computer. The Sialis.org page has detailed info about these cameras.
The Moultrie game cameras will take video during the day and photographs day or night. Some are infrared and some use a flash for night time photos.
Bluebird Box Videos
Native Birds and Animals That Will Inhabit a Bluebird Trail
Cavity Nesting Birds of North America
Click on the links to go to other lenses about some of the cavity nesting birds and other animals that use nest boxes on a bluebird trail.
- Eastern Bluebird - See description above
- Mountain Bluebird - 7.25" long, male is solid blue, female is gray with pale blue wing and tail feathers. Breed in the Western part of North America.
- Western Bluebird - 7" long, look very similar to Eastern Bluebird, except male has red extending to its back. Breed in the Western U.S. and just into Canada.
- Purple Martin - 8" long, male is uniformly bluish-black, female is bluish gray above and dingy gray-brown below. Breed mostly in Eastern North America, with some pockets in the west.
- Tree Swallow - 5.75" long, male has a blue-green back and white breast, female is gray-brown above and white below. Nests all over North America, except the lower southern states.
- Barn Swallow - 6.75" long, male and female have dark blue-black uppersides, male has more white underside, where female's is orange. Nests all over North America except extreme northern Canada.
- Violet-green Swallow - 5.25" long, males have multi-colored uppersides with emerald green backs, females are a drab greenish gray upper with white underside. Nests in the western United States.
- Black-capped Chickadee - 5.25" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident in Northern North America.
- Carolina Chickadee - 4.75" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident in the Southeastern United States.
- Tufted Titmouse - 6.5" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident of the Eastern United States.
- Carolina Wren - 5.5" long, male and female are identical. Permanent resident of the Eastern United States.
- House Wren - 4.75" long, male and female are identical. Nests in most of North America except the lower southern states.
- Prothonotary Warbler - 5.5" long, male is golden yellow with blue-gray wings, female is similar, but more dull. Nests in the Eastern United States and Southern Canada.
- Great Crested Flycatcher - 8.75" long, male and female are identical. Nests in the Eastern United States and southeastern Canada.
- Ash-throated Flycatcher - 8.5" long, male and female are identical. Nests in the Western United States.
- Northern Flicker - 12.5" long, male and female are almost identical except male has a moustache. Nest all over North America.
- Red-bellied Woodpecker - 9.25" long, male and female alike, except female has no red on top of head. Use nest boxes infrequently, mostly as winter roosts.
- Brown-headed Nuthatch - 4.5" long, male and female nearly identical. A southern bird that will nest in boxes and often has a third family member that helps.
- Red-breasted Nuthatch - 4.5" long, male and female almost identical. It nests in the northern forests and winters in the milder regions of the central and eastern U.S.
- White-breasted Nuthatch - 5.75" long, male and female alike. It is a permanent resident in most of the U.S. except the south.
- Wood Duck - 18.5" long, male is very colorful with green, rusty red and gold. Female is brown with white around the eye. They readily nest in large houses placed near water.
- Bufflehead Duck - 13.5" long, male and female similar. Breeds in Canada.
- Goldeneye Duck - 18.5" long, female is more brown. Breeds in Canada.
- Hooded Merganser - 18" long, male is striking black and white and rust, female is shades of brown. Nests in Southern Canada and Northeastern U.S.
- American Kestrel - 9" long, male has gray wings and is more colorful. Nests in most of North America except extreme southern LA and TX.
- Screech Owl - Both Eastern and Western are 8.5" long, male and female and Eastern and Western are almost identical with the Eastern being a little more brown. Ranges overlap some. They are permanet residents in almost the entire contiguous U.S.
- Northern Saw-whet Owl - 8" long, male and female similar. Breeds in Canada and extreme northern U.S.
- Barn Owl - 16" long, male and female identical. Permanent resident in much
Western Bluebird Poster by naturalphotos
Violet-green Swallow Poster by naturalphotos
Wood Duck Postcard by naturalphotos
Kestrel Postcard by naturalphotos
Lenses About Other Cavity Nesting Birds
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Red-bellied Woodpecker Family
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The only good thing that Hurricane Katrina did for Southeastern Louisiana was to leave plenty of broken trees in which the woodpeckers and other cavity nesting birds could raise their young. The Red-bellied Woodpeckers have been very prolific this ye...
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Prothonotary Warblers are Golden
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A small golden yellow bird with blue gray wings darts across the creek. its clear, high, metallic rising "tsweet tsweet tsweet tsweet tsweet" song rings out through the forest. It lands and picks a clump of green moss, then flies to the hole in a ne...
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Carolina Wren's Nest
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The little brown Carolina Wren pair with their perky tails and loud voice builds a nest somewhere around our house each year. This year we photographed their nest in the hanging basket on the porch. This lens contains information about Carolina Wren...
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Carolina Chickadees
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Carolina Chickadees are great little cavity nesting birds and nest in early spring. They are permanent residents in the Eastern United States and coexist well with humans since they love sunflower seeds and suet. Chickadees are very under rated and e...
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Brown-headed Nuthatch of the Southeastern U. S.
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Brown-headed Nuthatches are indigenous to the Pine forests of the Southeastern United States where they are permanent residents. They are one of nature's acrobats and we never tire of their antics. Their primary food is Pine nuts, so their food suppl...
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Brown-headed Nuthatch of the Southeastern U. S.
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Brown-headed Nuthatches are indigenous to the Pine forests of the Southeastern United States where they are permanent residents. They are one of nature's acrobats and we never tire of their antics. Their primary food is Pine nuts, so their food suppl...
Other Animals
Recommended Bluebird Trail Books
Plant List for Birds and Other Wildlife
This lens is getting a little long, so I decided to move the plant list that's here to a lens of it's own. I've added more plants that attract birds and animals and also more photographs and descriptions.-
Planting for Birds and Wildlife
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Welcoming birds and animals into our yard has been a most enjoyable experience. The beauty and motion that they add to the landscape makes the garden that we have created seem all the more beautiful. We have provided a planting list with photographs...
Supplemental Food
2 cups (1 block) of LARD (animal fat)
1 cup CRUNCHY Peanut butter (cheap kind)
1 cup of Oat meal
1 cup of unbleached flour
1 cup of corn meal or wheat germ
Melt the lard a little in a big glass bowl (30 sec. in the microwave) and mix all of the ingredients together. It gets messy so let the kids get involved, they'll love it! Line a rectangular pan with a sheet of wax paper and press the mixture in. Pop it in the freezer for an hour or so, then cut it into blocks. We find that smaller ones (4" x 2") work best because the birds eat it before it can mildew in the hot, humid weather. Store the blocks in a ziploc bag in the freezer and refill your suet feeder as needed.
Mealworm Facts
Bluebirds like to eat mealworms especially when they are nesting. Mealworms are the larval form of an imported beetle called the mealworm beetle, Tenebrio molitor, a species of darkling beetle. The darkling beetle goes through four life-stages: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. Larvae typically measure about 2.5cm or more, where as adults are generally between 1.25 and 1.8cm in length.
Mealworms are used as a food source for reptile and avian pets. They are also put out for wild birds in bird feeders, particularly during the nesting season when birds are raising their young. They can be purchased at most pet stores and are also available via mail order and the internet. Mealworms are usually sold in a container with bran or oatmeal for food. Mealworm feeders are available on-line or you can make your own. Mealworms are easy to raise and many lessons can be learned during the process.
Attracting Bluebirds Video
Bluebirds
How to attract bluebirds to your backyard to eat and to raise their families using mealworms
Runtime: 4:17
2655 views
8 Comments:
What's Happening in Our Habitat?
Fetching RSS feed... please stand byBooks and teacher guides about a Mealworm's Life Cycle.
Books & guides about Bluebirds (& other birds), a nest box and suet feeder
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A man's interest in a single bluebird is worth more than a complete but dry list of the fauna and flora of a town.
Letter, November 22, 1858, from Henry D. Thoreau to Daniel Ricketson, in The Writings of Henry David Thoreau, 1906
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Various Bluebird Related Products
Eastern Bluebird Tote Bag
A striking male Eastern Bluebird decorates apparel, mugs, cards, bags, magnets, posters and other fun stuff that would make a great gift for any bird lover.
Price: 14.99
Eastern Bluebird Greeting Cards (Pk of 10)
A striking male Eastern Bluebird decorates apparel, mugs, cards, bags, magnets, posters and other fun stuff that would make a great gift for any bird lover.
Price: 16.99
Eastern Bluebird Organic Cotton Tee
A striking male Eastern Bluebird decorates apparel, mugs, cards, bags, magnets, posters and other fun stuff that would make a great gift for any bird lover.
Price: 21.99
Eastern Bluebird Mousepad
A striking male Eastern Bluebird decorates apparel, mugs, cards, bags, magnets, posters and other fun stuff that would make a great gift for any bird lover.
Price: 12.99
Eastern Bluebird 3" Lapel Sticker (48 pk)
A striking male Eastern Bluebird decorates apparel, mugs, cards, bags, magnets, posters and other fun stuff that would make a great gift for any bird lover.
Price: 30.49
Stokes Songbird Essentials Bluebird Video
Stokes Bluebird Basics Video
Amazon Price: $10.18 (as of 07/04/2009)
Interact With Other Bluebird Trail Monitors
- Branded Bluebird
- Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society
- Sticky Bluebird / FAQs
- BLUEBIRD CONFERENCES - PMS, NA Round Table Conferences
- The Bluebird Conferences provide information for bluebird managers and their endeavor to promote bluebird conservation
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Bluebird flying high,
Tell me what you sing.
If you could talk to me,
What news would you bring
Of voices in the sky?
The Moody Blues, In Search of the Lost Chord, lyrics from Voices in the Sky, Justin Hayward, 1968
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Bluebirds to Bid On
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The Children's Corner
Links to Printable Bird Color Sheets
Bird Coloring Page, Bird Coloring Picture for Kid Gardeners,Garden Activity Kid
Bird Coloring Page collection, Bird Coloring Sheet more...1 point
Bird Themed Coloring Pages
Bird coloring book pages you can print and color.1 point
Birds Coloring Pages for Toddlers, Preschool and Kindergarten
Birds coloring pages suitable for toddlers, presch more...1 point
Bird Coloring Pages
Bird Coloring Pages. Bird Coloring Pages from my p more...1 point
Bird Coloring Page
A large selection with a variety of different bird more...1 point
Preschool Coloring Book : Bird Coloring Pages
Easy to color for the pre-school children1 point
Coloring book pages - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center - National Zoo| FONZ
Color online or print coloring book pages and lear more...1 point
THORNTON BURGESS BOOKS
Gather Your Little Bluebirds for Story Hour
After lunch recess, we like to gather on the rug under Grandfather Tree and loose ourselves in the Green Meadow with all the Merry Little Breezes, Peter Rabbit, Reddy Fox, Winsome Bluebird and Welcome Robin.
These are easy reader chapter books that teach about nature while imparting the wisdom of friendship, honesty etc. Learn about Winsome Bluebird and Welcome Robin. They are friends and cousins who signal to the other little creatures of the meadow that spring is here. These are the some characters that are found in "The Adventures of Little Joe Otter"
Blacky the Crow (Dover Children's Thrift Classics) by Thornton W. Burgess
Children will love this wonderful tale of a crow w more...3 points
Adventures of Poor Mrs. Quack (Dover Children's Thrift Classics) by Thornton W. Burgess
Poor Mrs. Quack the Duck has suffered terrible mis more...3 points
The Adventures of Mr. Mocker by Thornton, W. Burgess
"If you please, Mistah Buzzard, you can tell more...3 points
Educational Games and Toys to Learn More About Bluebirds
The Great North American Bird Watching Trivia Board Game
Birders everywhere, its time to drop your binocula more...2 points
Birds of Prey Standard Poker Playing Card Deck featuring Owl, Hawk, Eagle, and many more
This exquisite pack of playing cards shows 54 diff more...2 points
Window Bird Feeder
Children can watch and learn about our feathered f more...2 points
MCNAUGHTON SODA BOTTLE HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER
MCNAUGHTON SODA BOTTLE HUMMINGBIRD FEEDER Recycle more...2 points
Breezy Singer Eastern Bluebird
This bird will enlighten, amuse, educate and fasci more...2 points
What do you do to help Bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds?
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
I asked my kids to get me a couple more bluebird nest boxes for Christmas. I love watching the Bluebirds.
Great lens
Lizzy
Posted October 26, 2008
Pantherart wrote...
Love this lens and any lens that talks about animals feed the birds all the time keep up the good work 5 stars
Posted September 11, 2008
Frankster wrote...
Wonderful lens. Great content and presentation. Thanks for supporting National Wildlife Federationss Alaska Natural Resource Center
Posted August 21, 2008
ElizabethJeanAllen wrote...
I love the bluebirds. They are one of my favorites. The key to getting them to take up residence in my boxes is to keep the starlings out.
Great lens
5* and lensroll to The Eastern Bluebird
Lizzy
Posted August 15, 2008
LaraineRose wrote...
We used to have a lot of bluebirds come to the Okanagan Valley. I have noticed some nest boxes on farmer's fence posts. Will says that he will build me some this summer. I am hoping that we will be able to help this beautiful little bird survive. Thank you for building this lens. 5 stars, favorite, fan and lensrolled to my Staycation and LaraineRose lenses.
Posted May 20, 2008
Bluebird Blog Posts from Google
- Live Bluebird Nestbox Camera Debuts on Pennsylvania Game ...
- The bluebird camera is the agency's first foray into the world of live nest cam feeds. It provides a color video feed plus audio from the bluebird nestbox ...
- Attract bluebirds with attractive housing
- Until July 4, bluebird lovers can get a free bluebird nesting box when they join the society and pay the $15-a-year membership dues. ...
- Berry professor tags 1000th bluebird on campus
- ?There was no place for the birds to nest, so that's why the population has declined so much,? Carleton explained. ?By putting up nest boxes, the population ...
- Bluebird pair puts on colorful expansion
- I'm fortunate enough to have an occupied Audubon Eastern Bluebird nesting box. Since last year when the bluebird couple set up housekeeping in the box, ...
Bluebird Sites Links Voting (Plexo)
All About Birds: Eastern Bluebird
Comprehensive information on North American birds more...0 points
North American Bluebird Society
The North American Bluebird Society is a non-profi more...0 points
Louisiana Bayou Bluebird Society
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Little Tchefuncte Habitat Nest Box Trail
Our habitat's nest box trail statistics, photograp more...0 points
Sialis Home - Helping Bluebirds and Other Small Cavity Nesters Survive and Thrive
General information on how to attract nesting blue more...0 points
Bluebirds on enature.com
enature.com is an extensive on-line field guide by more...0 points
Bluebirds: Classroom Meadow Theme
Summer nears and the bluebirds start nesting along more...0 points
Eastern Bluebird Photos - Smithsonian Migratory Bird Center - National Zoo| FONZ
Gallery of eastern bluebird pictures submitted by more...0 points
Bluebirds Video -- National Geographic
One man's dedication—and a very simple solut more...0 points
Bluebird Videos at Bluebirds Forever
Find bluebird books and video information at Blueb more...0 points
How to Build a Bluebird Trail is on Isle of Squid
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by naturegirl7
My husband and I have always loved nature and the outdoors. We currently maintain a 9 acre private wildlife preserve and are Master Gardeners and offi... (more) 
