I'm building some bluebird houses to put out this spring. Just wondering if anybody else does it and if they have any tips. I'm making the holes 1 1/2" and will face them east. I think I read where they like to have a bush or tree 40' in front of the house for the fledlings to land in when they leave the nest. Anybody?
I think we have Easterns here, but I swear I saw a longer sleeker bluebird clear down in SE Nebraska last weekend.

I have 5 that I built and maintain. Make the clean out door to open easily, wood swells, Keep them in the Open, a feeder pole or single tree out front is ok, but they love open areas.

Mine are at 10' high on a small thick conduit pole. On the bottom inside I have a cut/bent raisecd hardware cloth shelf up 3/4" off bottom.

Bluebirds fight English Sparrows and I help them out.

They will feed on mealworms in a tray feeder.

My most used Box by Bluebirds year after year.


Dont add a perch.

make SURE you have a safe backstop, but...YES!

Our Sportsman club every year builds 75 wood duck houses and 75 bluebird houses. The bluebird houses have a slotted opening. We pass them out to various scout organizations in the area and anyone else who wants them free of charge.

I have 3 around my place. Everything 330 said is exactly how I maintain my bluebird houses. I haven't had a problem with sparrows, more so with tree swallows. I was told the slotted entry discourages tree swallows better than a round hole. Don't know if that's true or not. As 330 said, definitely want to place the house in an open area.

Ive just seen the slotted opening houses. They look like something I will try.

Also, clean out the BB houses in Feb. March at the latest.

The open area is to keep the House wrens away from the BB houses. 10 yards a wren will travel any further drops the problem.

Most sites are selected in the fall by migrating young of the year BB's. So always best to have clean sites for them in September for them to look at. That is why multiple boxes a colony will set up because there is usually 6-10 pairs in those flocks.

You have both Mountain BB and Easterns BB in your area and pay attention because there could by Westerns BB.

For 10 years ran 50-75 boxes on a long term study of the ecto-parasites on the nesting birds using the houses.

People should just leave the swallows because more than likely they are just migrants....besides they are more flying insect eaters than BB's are

I'm confused about the slotted openings..?? I've seen oval and round.

The tree swallows I had weren't migrants as they stuck around all summer. They are really feisty little buggers! I keep a couple houses with round holes for them now too. I agree, they are a very beneficial insect-eating bird.

I have two wren houses in some high bush cranberry trees. You are right, wrens seem to like being tucked away a little. Pound for pound, they are tough little buggers too!

Oval is a better choice for a description. Slotted was a poor choice of words on my part. I'm sure they are one and the same.

Oh I see now. How high do you make those openings?

We have a school whose shop class cuts out all the pieces for us. We have to put them together. I would guess about 2 1/2 inches in length.

If I were to make some blue bird houses could I put them on the T post that hold up barbwire fence or would that not be predator proof enough?

I banded BB for years. I made it so the nesting box could be cleaned. I also put a added piece of wood over the hole to keep the starling from sticking there heads in a taking the baby's out. I just put an extra piece of wood over where the hole was a drilled through both with a 1-1/2 hole saw. I would remove the next when the young were a week old and sprinkle rose dust to kill the blow fly larvae. At one time I had 100 box going. I stopped because I was spend every weekend checking boxes all summer.

Then put the nest back in after the rose dust?

The deer mice will still climb up Tpost is what I have found. Remember when cleaning of the possibility of Hanti-virus especially the mouse nest.
If you have a collection of thistle seeds you have mice's home sweet home.(warm)

never did make any barriers to stop them, so I can help you there.

The main predator were the house wrens with burying the incubating BB and tree swallows with twigs.

I hate starlings, but rarely ever see any where I live. However, we have a place on the lake where they are thick. We have a martin house and the starlings were constantly harassing the martins until I bought a Starling-proof martin house. I found out from a martin expert that there can be a problem with mites in martin houses. He said to clean out the house each year and spray the interior with Sevin.

In my Audubon book, it's one of the only birds they say it's difficult to find anything beneficial about starlings.

Yes, just dust the bottom with rose dust or seven and slide the next back in.

If I found wrens, swallows or sparrow starting a nest out the went. Wrens were all sticks the size of the lead in a pencil, a tree swallow will always have a white feather inside the box, a sparrow is made with everything in the nest..

Go up from the T post with a 3/4" galvanized rod. Attach the rod with bolts or 3 hose clamps. Then up high where the birdhou see is use half circle conduit bracketa to 2 of them.

I like my houses up about 8' and on a rigid contuit so nothing can get a hold / grip.

Did you have problems with animals getting into your boxes? I had a snake get in one once that was it. Mine were about 6 ft. off the ground so I could take the young out to band. Nice to see them anytime. Always like seeing a Blue Bird sky.

can you expand on that?

I place two BB boxes and one wren box at each location to ease competitive nesting(works 90% of the time, especially if a BB takes one) also BB will most often second nest in other box if cleaned before the renest. I have a bear currently that has taken my houses down as fast I can replace them( up to 2" fence pole, bent like noodles). Even connected one pole to electric fence and no deterrent. Have let a couple bear hunter try to remove it but no luck yet. The more you can predator/pest proof house the more they will nest year after year in same house, IME. Oval hole layout is two 1 3/8 holes 5/8" above/below apart. Easiest to use hole saw bit, start first hole but don't go thru, cut second hole, then go back and finish first. Chisel or rasp sides of hole flat/parallel. Deburr outside and inside edge of hole. Outside screen guard really do help deter reach-in predators(secure them well as coons will really work them if they can get to box. I have had few problems just 1/4 screen floor of nest box to allow pest larvae to fall thru. Good ventilation is important. BB's will nest in boxes that are far more open that most realize. Some of my older split sided boxes are the most used. No leak roof is most important. Extra thick roofs and at least S.walls aid survival. I double space(air can flow between inner and outer wall) the back and west wall of my Peterson design boxes and extra ventilate and face hole NE and have my best use/survival of 50ys of BB boxing.

I put up several boxes on my property while the builder was still building my house .That is more than 30 years ago .Before I moved into my house the end of April that year the bluebirds where building a nest .I have had at least one successful nesting every year since .Some years I had as many as 12 young fledge and leave the nest .Drill some holes in the bottom of the box so if it rains hard the nest does not get water soaked .And if you have cats nearby do something so they can not get up to the nest .One year one of my boxes that is not a high as it should be had a cat that would jump up and hold on to the front of the box .It used 1 leg to hold on and the other one to reach In to grab a young bird .You will get a lot of satisfaction doing it Good luck and have fun

l run a bunch of boxes. Don't make them out of wood unless you want sparrows. I make mine out of pvc pipe. You will normally only get tree swallows and blue birds in them. You will get wrens if you are setup too close to timber. Look up gilbertson box. That is the only kind I will use through trial and error over the last 25 years.
Set them in open grazed pasture or mowed area. No trees needed. We have both eastern and western. Western are mostly west of hwy 281.

Donnersurvivor,

Heres the poles that have stood the Minnesota weather for 15 years allowing No Pests to climb , xcept bugs.

***set screw at the top through the pole holds the BB box facing a certain direction.

The last picture shows the blue mealworm feeder.
This BB box although old, is one that has Successfully hatched 2 batches of Bluebird fledglings each of 15 summers here. Also its right out my back window.

ttt

I built 25 this year.

Eastern Bluebird box recommended height from ground 3-6 feet
Size of hole in box, 1 1/2" diameter (round), or 2 1/4" high x 1 3/8" wide (oval)
I place our boxes on 3/4" smooth conduit and place box about 5'-6' from ground.

Mice, shrews and snakes can climb conduit with ease(I've watched them). Boxes mounted on it can be pest proofed more readily with the funnel top of a 2 ltr plastic bottle cut off and slid on conduit. Put a screw thru twist top area to hold in place. Vaseline conduit under the cone and fill gap around it at guard opening and you will deter most ants as well(lasts most of summer under guard).

I built this one last night, thought I'dtry the "anti sparrow slot" we'll see ? Won't put it up until next season.

Holes are only for perfectionist. Get it up now. There is still a wave of bluebirds that seem to come around the 1st May at my latitude.
Nice rough sawn lumber something they need to climb out each time
Put an anti drip line on the underside of the top. It is a shallow saw mark 1/8 " deep at an angle, 1/4 to 1/2" across the front, water curls inside; comes to the line and falls off the 1/4" side and does not go inside the box.

try building some Gilbertson boxes. Promise you will love them. You won't have to worry about sparrows cause the cavity is too small for their liking. You stab a 3 ft piece of rebar in the ground and put electrical conduit over the rebar and it holds up your houses. You can check your boxes by simply squeezing the pvc removing the box then squeeze again and replace the box. They are slick, sparrow free, easy to check and the easiest to clean. Way cheaper to build as well. I won't use nabs boxes any more. I kept track for many years and the gilbertsons always out produced all my other boxes.it might be different up in your country, but our most respected bluebird organization ( blue birds across Ne.) highly recommends the gilbertson boxes.

try building some Gilbertson boxes. Promise you will love them. You won't have to worry about sparrows cause the cavity is too small for their liking. You stab a 3 ft piece of rebar in the ground and put electrical conduit over the rebar and it holds up your houses. You can check your boxes by simply squeezing the pvc removing the box then squeeze again and replace the box. They are slick, sparrow free, easy to check and the easiest to clean. Way cheaper to build as well. I won't use nabs boxes any more. I kept track for many years and the gilbertsons always out produced all my other boxes.it might be different up in your country, but our most respected bluebird organization ( blue birds across Ne.) highly recommends the gilbertson boxes.[/quote]

"The disadvantage of Gilbertson's box-opening system is the same as that of top-opening wooden boxes - because you have to reach in from the top, you can't get at the bottom of the nest when there are eggs or nestlings in it. So you can't monitor for blowflies or easily change a wet or soiled nest" credit: NY's Bluebird Society.

You will never have a wet nest in the gilbertson boxes because it doesn't have a huge slot opening to let in the rain, and the entry is close to the top of the overhang of the roof. Do yourself a favor and at least try one and you won't go back. Like I said I have tried all the boxes and have kept records for over 25 years. The gibertson always out performs all others in my area. The post was done by a Nebraskan, so I was stating what the head of our bluebird society recommends to use.

It does not surprise me but it is great to see so many trappers are involved in helping out a bird that was declining in population . Once again the real nature of trappers on display .Because so many people have made nesting boxes blue birds are thriiving

I have built and maintain about 50 for Mtn. BB. I also face them east and away from brush to try to keep house wrens out. If tree swallows around, they will out compete the BB, so I will put some boxes back to back and both get to nest. My holes I use a 11/2"drill bit, then open it just a bit more. Don't open them too much since starlings will then take them over. They will peck a BB to death and nest on top of them! Vermin!!! I also have trouble with wasps. Boxes with sticks mean that a house wren isn't using the box, has a nest nearby. He's just cutting down on the competition from other wrens.

Gary, there is a group here in Nebraska called Bluebirds Across Nebraska ( BAN). I went to a couple meetings over the years. Good group. I made boxes off and on for the last 25 years or so. Always made wood boxes from thick boards. Use a 1.5" entrance hole. Made sure the boxes had plenty ventilation under the roof . Seems like BBs like fairly open country. Also seems they like a fence strand or something to land on next to their nest box.... but not always. Sparrows and wrens can be a pain close to trees or a farmstead. Tree swallows can be a pain to.... but they are a good bird.... unlike sparrows. Put up plenty boxes if you are having trouble with other birds encroaching on the BBs .I mount my wood boxes on studded Tee posts about 5 to 6 ft high. This year I started making boxes from 4" PVC pipe. But not the thin stuff most use. I used sch 40 thickness. Mount those with a piece of 1/2" electrical conduit slid over a 1/2" rebar post. 5 ft high. These boxes work great too. Don't get down if you have boxes that never get a bluebird, or have to fight the sparrows or wrens. Move some boxes around after a year or so. Always clean them out each year... maybe a couple times each year. This is a well worth while project if you love the outdoors. It's always a joy to catch a streak of blue around your boxes as you take a drive in the country.

They have done some interesting studies with the uptake of pesticides with these birds, particularly the necnictinoids.
10 years down the road I wonder what the elevated levels will be, as it accumulates in the waterways and these birds feed on the aquatic insects that emerge.
We all know what it is doing to the bee population.

Does everyone put screen or something for the BB to climb up inside? Do they have trouble getting out of the PVC pipe? I want to do this right!

Hard to see, but the New Slotted BB Box is up and being used.


Male is on the post, by the mealworms, female is on the New box's top. They take turns going in and out. So far the English Sparrows have only dive bombed the house, they haven't landed on it.

That was Quick!