MYTH: You can put up a nestbox and forget about
it.
REALITY: Bluebird boxes should be monitored at
least weekly to check on progress and control House Sparrows,
blow flies, paper wasps, and to remove unhatched eggs eggs, etc. Boxes
need to be cleaned out after nesting (see next myth). At least annually,
you should also replace any split, rotten, or broken pieces on boxes
that could let rain in and chill nestlings.
MYTH: Bluebirds will remove old nests from a nestbox.
REALITY: Bluebirds will not typically clean out old nests by themselves. They may build a nest on top
of another nest, but this may promote disease and parasite infestation,
and may increase the likelihood that a predator will be able to
reach in and nab eggs/nestlings that are closer to the
entrance hole. The detritus can also attract fire ants. You should
remove nests as soon as the young fledge (birds in the North begin
another clutch an average of 17 days later, in the South 26 days),
or if nesting fails (since they may try again in 1-7 days), to
encourage another brood. Put nests in the trash to avoid attracting
predators. If mice nest in the boxes over the winter, clean the
box out before bluebird nesting season starts.
MYTH: If you open the bluebird
box, or touch the nest or babies, the parents will abandon the
nest.
REALITY: Don't worry that monitoring will make the parents
desert the nest. Bluebirds
are very tolerant of human presence. Touching the nest or
birds will not make the birds leave--your mother just told you
that to keep you from harassing them.
MYTH:
House Sparrows won't bother bluebirds or their nests.
REALITY: House Sparrows are probably the number one
enemy of bluebird. Unlike starlings, they are capable of entering
the 1.5" round
hole of a nestbox. You might think they're cute (some bluebirders
refer to them as "rats with wings"),
but they will attack and kill adult bluebirds (sometimes trapping
them in the nestbox), and destroy eggs and nestlings. House Sparrows are non-native invasive pests not protected by
U.S. federal law. House Sparrow nests, eggs, young, and adults may be legally
removed or destroyed. It is better to have no box at all than to
allow House Sparrows to reproduce in one.
MYTH:
If you don't have problems with predators on the trail the first
year, you never will.
REALITY: It may take time for raccoons, cats,
and other predators to discover nesting areas. Unless you don't
mind finding broken eggs, abandoned/dead babies, or a pile of blue
feathers, install guards to keep predators from raiding
nests (e.g., a 2 ft. long, 8" diameter
capped stovepipe or PVC pipe sleeve on the pole, mounted loosely
just under the box).
MYTH:
If you don't get bluebirds in your nestbox/trail the first year,
you never will.
REALITY: It may take
several years for bluebirds to find your nestboxes and choose to
use them. Don't get
discouraged if bluebirds don't nest in
your boxes the first year. In the meantime,
your nestbox can provide a home for other delightful, cavity-nesting
native birds, such as Tree Swallows, chickadees, and tufted titmice.
MYTH: It's too late in the year to install a nestbox
because bluebirds have already started laying eggs.
REALITY: It's never too late to install a nestbox.
In some areas, bluebirds will raise two to three broods. If a nesting attempt
fails, they may move to another box. Bluebirds and other birds like
downy woodpeckers may also roost in nestboxes during the winter.
MYTH: Bluebirds
prefer to nest in boxes mounted at eye-level.
REALITY:
Eye-level is convenient placement for human monitors. Bluebirds
will nest in, and may even prefer, boxes that are 8-20 feet off
the ground. However, it is perfectly fine to mount a box at eye
level (as long as you use a predator guard) - it won't deter bluebirds,
and will facilitate routine monitoring.
MYTH:
You should collect earthworms and put them in a feeder for bluebirds.
REALITY: Bluebirds love mealworms,
but should not be fed earthworms. The baby birds' undeveloped
stomachs apparently can't handle earthworms because of the dirt
castings in the worms' gut. Eating earthworms (sometimes used as
a source of food by bluebird parents during bad weather, when little
else is available) can cause severe diarrhea, which can result
in dehydration and starvation. Also, bluebirds rarely, if ever
eat, bird seed - ~68% of their diet is made up of insects: grasshoppers,
crickets, beetles, spiders, and caterpillars. They also like fruit from plants like flowering dogwood, holly, mulberry, wild
grape, Virginia creeper, pokeweed, and viburnum.
MYTH: Plexiglas
roofs/holes in the roof/extra light in boxes will keep House Sparrows out of boxes.
REALITY: Unfortunately,
this is not so. A change may deter House Sparrows temporarily,
but they will nest in these boxes, and in gourds suspended on wires,
evergreens, barn rafters, etc. An
open-topped box (Bauldry) is no longer recommended due to concerns
about wet nests and hypothermia. A box with a Plexiglas on top can fry contents.
MYTH: Bluebirds were on the
brink of extinction, but now they are back and don't need your
help anymore.
REALITY: Bluebird populations declined by an estimated 90% from
1920-1970, threatened by competition from introduced species
(House Sparrows and starlings), loss of
open space and nesting cavities (bluebirds can't excavate their
own holes), increased pesticide use, and climatic events. While
Eastern Bluebird populations are now increasing (probably due to conservation
efforts), Western Bluebird populations are not. And none of the
issues that caused the decline has really gone away. Without
assistance from people like you, bluebirds will continue to have
difficulty surviving and thriving.
MYTH: Bluebirds behave
the same way, all the time, everywhere.
REALITY: Eastern,
Mountain, and Western Bluebirds in different areas behave differently
and show different preferences. Even the same birds may behave differently
as they age; as seasons, climate, and conditions change; and from
one year to the next. Some people who aren't following any of the "rules" still
successfully fledge amazing numbers of bluebirds year after year.
Avoid "never" and "always" and do whatever works in your area!
Special thanks to the members of
the Bluebird_L for
their help in compiling this list.
Note: An August 2004 version of this article was printed in the NABS Bluebird Journal Fall 2004, Vol.26, No.4
If you experience problems with the website/find
broken links/have suggestions/corrections, please contact me!
The purpose of this site is to share information with anyone interested
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Feel free to link to it (preferred as I update content regularly), or use text from it for personal or educational
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If you experience problems with the website/find
broken links/have suggestions/corrections, please contact me!
The purpose of this site is to share information with anyone interested
in bluebird conservation.
Feel free to link to it (preferred as I update content regularly), or use text from it for personal or educational
purposes, with a link back to http://www.sialis.org or
a citation for the author. No permission is granted for commercial use. Appearance of automatically generated Google or other ads on this site does not constitute endorsement of any of those services or products!
