Blazing the Bluebird Trail by Stephen McCarthy

Bluebirds are one of the most spectacular birds you can attract to your backyard. Given the proper habitat and a willingness on your part to lend a hand when necessary, bluebirds will visit your bird bath, bird house and bird feeders.

Blazing the Bluebird Trail For more nature habitat information Visit these helpful websites: A Plant's Home A Bird's Home A Homesteader's Home

nce you have attracted your first bluebirds to your bird bath, nesting box or feeder, you’ll be hooked. These absolutely gorgeous birds will become a part of your daily life. Plus, they really need your help. Bluebird sightings were “few and far between" a decade ago. Now, thanks to thousands of people across the country who build and install bluebird nesting boxes, bluebirds are making a comeback. This is especially true for the Eastern bluebird where housing and business developments are replacing much of their habitat and natural nesting sites. Developers are destroying the cavities where bluebirds like to nest and raise their young. Dead trees are cut down for firewood and for appearances sake. Wooden fence posts that were hollowed out by woodpeckers are being replaced with steel ones. And, house sparrows and European starlings are taking over the few remaining natural nesting sites. Here’s where you can help Bluebirds readily adapt to man-made nesting cavities (nesting boxes). But, there needs to be a lot of them, if bluebirds are to survive. Putting up a nesting box in your backyard is okay, but what’s really needed are multiple nesting sites. That’s why the bluebird trail concept makes sense.

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Here are some tips from the North American Bluebird Society on building a bluebird trail: s

Select proper bluebird habitat. Open rural country with scattered trees and low or sparse ground cover is best. Suitable habitat also includes a perch such as a fence, wires, or dead branches where bluebirds may perch to search for food. Look for these when you are selecting a location for your nesting boxes. If bluebirds do not like the habitat, they probably will not use your boxes.

Avoid brushy and heavily wooded areas. This is the habitat of the house wren.

Avoid areas where the house sparrow is abundant.

Avoid areas of heavy pesticide use.

Mount nesting boxes four feet or more from the ground, preferably on smooth pipes or posts.

Mount boxes so that the entrance hole faces a tree or shrub. This allows the young bluebirds to fly directly to a branch when they leave the nesting box. This will keep them off the ground, away from predators.

Boxes should be spaced at least 100 yards apart. Bluebirds are territorial and don’t want other birds any closer.

Protect boxes against snakes, raccoons, feral cats and other predators.

Monitor the boxes, if possible, at least once a week during the nesting season.

Always remove house sparrow nests immediately. Remove bluebird nests and those of other birds as soon as the young birds have fledged (left the nest).

Inspect boxes in late winter. Clean and repair, if necessary.

Boxes should be mounted in pairs in areas where tree swallows are abundant. Boxes can be mounted back to back or up to five feet apart. This provides nesting sites for both species and helps to prevent competition between them. Different species of birds usually do not mind nesting close to each other.

Don’t be discouraged if your nesting boxes are not used the first year. If bluebirds have not normally been in the area, it may take them a few seasons to find your new box.

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If the area where you live is not good habitat for bluebirds, go where they are more likely to raise their families – rural areas. Maybe you can form a group of interested individuals to work together on the project. Look for less traveled roads and open areas with sparse or low ground cover with scattered trees. Stay away from areas that are sprayed with pesticides. Be sure and ask permission from the landowner or manager before installing your nesting boxes. Also, place them where you can easily monitor the boxes. Bluebird trails are an extremely effective method of reestablishing the bluebird population. Many youth groups, such as 4-H and Scouts, service clubs and senior citizens groups, are dedicated to bringing back the bluebirds. The work of so many devoted people are producing wonderful results. More and more bluebirds are being seen. And, the population is stabilizing in some locales. But, the task nor the fun, doesn’t stop with installing the nesting boxes. It’s now time to monitor them. Each breeding pair can and oftentimes does have three broods per year. After each family leaves the nest, the box should be cleaned out.

Keeping house sparrows out of the boxes is the most important monitoring task. If they try to move in, be ruthless and immediately toss their nests. If you do this over and over, they will eventually move on. Birds will not nest in boxes where there are wasps. When you see a wasp nest in the box, spray pyrethrum in the hole and cover it immediately. The following day remove the wasp nest. If possible, monitor your nesting boxes weekly. The best way is to go quickly and quietly to the box, open it, and look inside. You may want to tap softly on the box so any adult birds can leave. If the female is on the eggs, come back at a later time. Checking the box will not make the parents desert the nest. Also, touching the nest and leaving your scent on it, will not keep them away either. The only time not to disturb the boxes is when the young are

12 days old or older. If they prematurely leave the nest, they could fall to predators. The only way to tell is that you must follow the progress of the young from the time they hatch. If you accidentally cause the fledglings to leave the box, put them back in and put a hole restrictor (false front with a 1-1/8" opening hole) on the box. This will prevent the young from leaving and the adults can continue to feed them. Then, on the same day, remove the restrictor after it gets dark. Keep a record when you monitor the boxes. Number each box. Then record such things as: date, number of bluebirds seen, empty box, partial nest, complete nest, number of eggs, number of young, age of young, number fledged and make sure to have room for any special comments you want to add. Bluebirds cannot make a comeback without our help. Each of us can make a difference. You will know success when sighting the colorful bluebird is a common sight.

Highlights...

How Long Does It Take.

Size:

7 inches

Build nest: 1 to 6 days

Color:

Eastern – brilliant blue above, white belly, red breast Mountain – brilliant blue above, light blue below Western – brilliant blue above with rust on its back, white belly, blue throat; Females – similar but duller in color

Lay eggs: 5 to 7 days

s s

Habitat: s Open fields bordering woodlands, golf courses, open parks, new developments with few trees, farms, cemeteries, orchards Food:

Caterpillars, grasshoppers, beetles, holly, sumac, pokeweed, and poison ivy berries

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Incubate: Eastern – 12 to 14 days Mountain – 13 to 15 days Western – 14 days Brood: 6 days Fledge: Eastern – 16 to 21 days Mountain – 19 to 23 days Western – 19 to 22 days

What Type of Bluebird Nesting Box is Best. Your choices are many. They include the Peterson box, the front opening box, the side opening box and the PVC box. There are boxes made of cedar, pine and plywood.

Eastern Bluebird Nest

No matter which type you build, follow these guidelines: (1) No perch should be attached to the front of the box, for this may encourage house sparrows, which are undesirable competitors. (2) Entrance holes should be 1-1/2" in diameter for Eastern bluebirds and 1-9/16" for Mountain and Western bluebirds. If the hole is oval, it should be 1-3/8" wide and 2-1/4" long.

Tree Swallow Nest

(3) Floor dimensions should be approximately 4" x 4" for Eastern bluebirds and 5" x 5" for Mountain and Western bluebirds. (4) Height from top of floor to bottom of entrance hole should be about 5" to 7".

Carolina Chickadee Nest

(5) Opening the box should be easy for monitoring and cleaning. Side- or front-opening boxes are easiest to clean, but top-opening boxes are easiest to monitor. (6) Ventilation, by means of small holes drilled at the top of the sides or back, or gaps left between the roof and sides or front, should be provided. (7) Drainage holes, such as holes drilled in the floor or space between the floor and the sides, should be present. (8) Attaching the box to a tree or post should be easy. Be sure this has been provided for.

House Wren Nest

(9) At least 3/4" thick wood should be used as the building material to provide adequate insulation from the sun. (10) The roof should overhang the entrance hole by at least 1" to 2" to keep out rain and shade the entrance.

– Donald and Lillian Stokes The Bluebird Book

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House Sparrow Nest

Bluebirds Sialia siaois (Eastern) Sialia mexicana (Western) Sialia currucoides (Mountain) It is estimated that between the late 1920’s and the 1970’s, bluebird populations decreased 90%. Efforts to save the bluebird by providing artificial nest boxes to replace natural nesting sites have been immensely successful. The bluebird belongs in the thrush family, as do robins and wood thrushes. Unique to North America, there are three species of bluebirds – the Eastern, Mountain, and Western. All are approximately seven inches long. At least one of the species – Eastern bluebird, Mountain bluebird and Western bluebird – live in every state except Hawaii. The Eastern bluebird is the most common. Its range extends from the eastern seaboard west to the Rocky Mountains. While adult males are azure blue with a white belly and red breast, juveniles have speckled breasts, like young robins. The Mountain bluebird spots the same intense blue feathers above, but its breast and belly are a light blue. As their name implies, Mountain bluebirds are found at elevations above 5,000 feet as

far up as 10,000 to 12,000 feet – just below the timberline. Their range stretches from the Pacific coast east through and somewhat past the Rockies and from the Mexican border north to Alaska. The Western bluebird is the least abundant of the three species. Its markings are very similar to its eastern cousin. It, too, has a red breast but a blue throat and rusty back. It’s found west of the Rockies and from the Canadian border south to the Mexican border. Bluebird populations declined because of habitat destruction, loss of nesting sites and the introduction of the European starling and the English house sparrow. Like all birds, bluebirds need water for bathing and drinking. A bird bath situated in the open to allow the birds to watch for enemies is ideal. Bluebirds eat insects and fruit. Don’t use lawn chemicals if you want bluebirds. In the spring and summer, insects are their primary food. And insects are the only thing the young eat until they are almost ready to leave the nest. There are special feeders on the market designed for bluebirds that hold insects, such as mealworms, where the bluebird flies inside to feed. Bluebirds love berries which are critical to their survival in the winter when insects are unavailable.

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Elderberry, dogwood, blueberry, mulberry, cherry, viburum, Russian olive and Autumn olive provide food in the summer and autumn months. Bittersweet, holly, pyracantha, sumac, mountain ash, red cedar, and hawthorn are good sources for food in the winter. Given the relative tameness of bluebirds, their melodic song and breathtaking beauty, bluebirds have earned the love and loyalty so many people lavish on them.

This article was written by Thomas D. Patrick, President and Founder of the WindStar Wildlife Institute, a national, non-profit, conservation organization whose mission is to help individuals and families establish or improve the wildlife habitat on their properties. For more information or for the name of a Master Wildlife Habitat Naturalist in your area, please contact: WindStar Wildlife Institute E-mail: wildlife@windstar.org http://www.windstar.org