Building Bluebird Houses

November 17, 2024 Post a Comment

Building bluebird houses

Helpful Tips. Position the nest box so that the entrance hole is facing east and towards open habitat. To decrease competition from Tree Swallows, you can pair nest boxes about 15–20' apart, with pairs of houses about 300' from each other.

What is the best design for a bluebird house?

They found that, when given a choice, eastern bluebirds consistently chose to nest in boxes with oval holes measuring 2 inches tall and 1 3/8 inches wide. (Oval holes can easily be fashioned by drilling two overlapping holes using a 1 3/8-inch drill bit.)

How far away do you put bluebird houses?

Boxes can be installed in pairs about 18 to 20 feet apart or one by itself. These pairs or boxes should then be about 100 yards apart. Bluebirds are territorial so two different couples will not use boxes placed too close together.

What direction do you hang a bluebird house?

What direction should a birdhouse face? A birdhouse and its entrance hole should face away from prevailing winds. In the United States, it's very common for a birdhouse to face east, which is often faced away from the prevailing wind and the strong afternoon sun.

What month do bluebirds build nests?

Bluebirds begin scouting out nest boxes as early as late February, or even earlier in the south. If conditions are favorable, they sometimes continue nesting into August or even September.

What is the best color for a bluebird house?

Gray, dull green, tan, or brown, are colors that make bird houses or bird feeders less visible to predators because they blend in best with natural surroundings. Avoid metallic or fluorescent colors as they tend to be so bright, they offer no cover from predators.

Should bluebird houses have a perch?

No Perches - bluebird boxes do NOT need perches on the exterior of the box. Since bluebirds are cavity nesting birds, their feet are adapted to clinging to wood. Also, the presence of a perch may attract house sparrows which seem to prefer them.

Should bluebird houses be vented?

Birdhouses should have ventilation and drainage holes to prevent overheating or drowning of baby birds.

How high should a bluebird house be hung?

Height: Bluebirds nest within a wide range of heights, from two to 50 feet. Mounting at eye level provides easy checking; however, if cats or other predators are problems, hang nest boxes at least six to eight feet from the ground.

How do you winterize a bluebird house?

Start winter-proofing your birdhouse by sealing the ventilation and drainage holes to keep warm air trapped inside. You can seal holes with rags, hay, foam weatherstripping, duct tape (on the outside), or any material that will prevent wind from entering.

Should a bluebird house be in the shade?

Bluebirds prefer open grassy areas, fields and no shade. It's best to have a place where high grass and weeds do not grow beneath the nest box. Boxes should be posted five to six feet off the ground, although boxes placed a little higher usually suffice.

Can you put 2 bluebird houses together?

Perhaps the simplest way to reduce such competition is to provide multiple nest boxes. Indeed, fans of Eastern Bluebirds in the upper Midwest long ago began to provide paired nest boxes to ensure that bluebirds were able to coexist with the more aggressive Tree Swallows.

What do you put inside a birdhouse?

Many cavity-nesting birds will add their own nest material, but the woodpeckers, waterfowl and owls prefer nest boxes with 2-3 inches of dry sawdust or woodchips in the bottom. Place the box carefully. Put your birdhouse up on a sturdy pole, post, tree, or under a house eave.

Should bluebird houses face south?

Which Direction should my Bluebird Box Face? Place your bluebird nesting box so that the entrance faces away from the hot sun and away from the prevailing wind. I usually place them facing East, since our strongest winds come from the West and South.

Do bluebird houses need to face south?

nest. The house should face south or southeast. Selecting a suitable location for the bluebird house is of house. They should be set out by February 15.

Do bluebirds nest in the same box every year?

Females often build nests in each available hole, but typically only use one of these. Bluebirds may use the same nest for multiple broods.

Do bluebirds come back to the same house every year?

Adult Bluebirds tend to return to the same breeding territory year after year, but only a small percentage (three to five percent) of young birds return to where they hatched. Bluebirds love mealworms and can be drawn in with a small dish filled with mealworms.

Should you clean out a bluebird house each year?

Nest boxes should be cleaned out each year. You will greatly increase the chance of bluebirds (and other desirable species) nesting in your box if it is cleaned annually; this is why our box design comes with a pivoting door.

Can a squirrel get into a bluebird house?

Raccoons and Red Squirrels They are intelligent and are good climbers; they can reach into a nest box hole and remove its contents. Red squirrels can enlarge the hole of the bluebird house and even take up residence if able to get inside.

How do you keep squirrels away from bluebird houses?

Squirrel-Proof Your Birdhouse Add a metal ring around the entrance. A squirrel will not be able to chew through the metal, and this will discourage them or even make it incapable for them to stay in your birdhouse. Extend the birdhouse roof four or five extra inches.