Bluebirds and Their Boxes

This page is for all the bluebird lovers in the world. I've gathered some of the best pages about nest boxes and Eastern bluebirds as well as many links to videos and photos of these beautiful birds. There is even a link to a nest cam that I know you will enjoy.

Putting up a nest box designed to North American Bluebird Society standards in open fields or along the edges of open woodlands will help to ensure the proliferation of this lovely and useful avian species.

A female Eastern Bluebird usually looks around to check for predators before entering the nest box. The male Eastern Bluebird often sits in a pine tree and sings a song as he watches over his mate who is nesting in the box.

All over North America individuals and groups are helping to save our beautiful bluebirds by simply erecting and monitoring nest boxes built especially for them. In fact some dedicated individuals monitor Bluebird trails that have hundreds of boxes.

Our trail is a small one by some standards, with only 25 bluebird size boxes and 3 which were built for Wood Ducks, but it is a successful trail. We don't have as many bluebird pairs as some, but there are many other cavity nesting birds that use the boxes on our trail. It's not uncommon in late spring and summer to have as many as 4 pairs of golden yellow Prothonotary Warblers raising their young in our boxes. They, too need housing to replace natural cavities which were destroyed by habitat loss.

Monitoring a bird box trail during breeding season is done on a weekly or biweekly basis. We keep records about the success of each pair. If you are interested in creating your own trail then you may want to stop by our Nest Box Trail page.

If you'd like to learn more about building and maintaining a nest box trail, this book will help you.

This video is a delight! It lets you glimpse into the nest box and observe the breeding cycle from egg to fledging. The author also includes much information about bluebird habits and food.

Here are some of the lovely bluebirds that have graced us with their presence through the years. We hope you enjoy the pictures as much as we enjoyed taking them.

The male is the more colorful of the pair. In this shot, he sits atop a wood duck box near the one that he and his mate have claimed.

The male locates prospective nest sites and shows them to the female. This box is located near a large Plum Delight by the pond. He calls and sings to females proclaiming the wonderful house that he has found.

The female makes the final decision. She inspects every inch, inside and out. The male goes in and out as if to coax her to take a look. If she accepts the house, she will begin bringing in nesting material while the male keeps an eye out for predators.

Depending on the weather and how early in spring it is, nest building may take a few days to a couple of weeks. Sometimes the pair just puts "claim straws" in the nest to put dibs on the house. Often the female will complete the nest, but delay laying until there are many insects in which to feed the young.

When egg laying begins, the female lays one egg each day usually from four to six days. She waits until the next to last egg is laid to begin incubating them. The chicks hatch after 12-14 days. The young fledge when they are 14-18 days old. The parents continue to feed the fledglings for several weeks.

For more information about bluebirds and birdhouses visit the North American Bluebird Society.

Much information about bluebird trails and houses is available on HubPages. Here are some of my favorite pages.