Monitoring - It's important

President’s Message from Sandy Seibert

Whenever two or more bluebirders get together, the talk can naturally turn to which style of bluebird box is the best to use. It seems that each has its own advantages by human standards and the bluebirds will nest in nearly any of them. How do you decide which bluebird box is the best? The answer is simple. The best bluebird box is the monitored one. Unmonitored nest boxes can do more harm to bluebirds than good. Bluebird boxes must be monitored at least weekly.

Life is not easy for a bluebird. They have many competitors for their nestingsites. If nesting boxes are not opened during the winter, mice can use them for shelter. In early spring, boxes should be checked for mice nests and thoroughly cleaned and repaired.

During rainy times, ants will head for higher ground and a bluebird nesting box makes a wonderful shelter for them. A band of grease around the pole will stop ants from reaching the box. Once inside, ants can be sprayed with a pyrethrin-based product to eliminate them. Wasps love to build their mud nests from the ceilings of nesting boxes. Wasps should be removed and Vaseline or a bar of soap should be rubbed on the ceiling to make it slippery so that mud will not adhere to it.

Nesting boxes intended for bluebirds can also be used by other cavity nesting birds. Some of these should be left alone, some should be discouraged and others should be thrown out without a second thought. The most common birds that will use bluebird boxes are chickadees, tree swallows, house wrens and house sparrows. I always feel very privileged to have chickadees use one of my bluebird boxes. They nest early in the season and, if they are successful, will only have one nesting. They are not a problem for bluebirds. If there is open water, tree swallows can take over a bluebird trail. If tree swallows are in the area, boxes should be paired 10 to 20 feet apart and pairs should be no closer than 150 to 200 yards apart. By placing two boxes in close proximity to each other, you give both species a nesting site. Trees swallows will protect the nesting site from other tree swallows but usually will allow a pair of bluebirds to nest close by.

Wrens are small birds with big attitudes. Almost all birds will not allow a pair of their own species to nest close to them but will allow other species to nest close by. Not wrens. They don’t want any other bird nesting close to them. They will poke holes in eggs, kill nestlings and even kill an incubating or brooding mother. Wrens like to nest close to bushes, trees, tangles or thickets. It is essential that bluebird boxes be placed at least 200 feet away from wren habitat. If you have a box that wrens are building nests in, the best thing to do is move the box.

Bluebird boxes that are placed too close to buildings or in areas with livestock are susceptible to house sparrows. Boxes placed in such areas that are not monitored definitely have an adverse affect on bluebirds. Bluebirds are vulnerable to house sparrow attacks, often killing the adult bluebird in the box and destroying eggs or nestlings. If house sparrows try to nest in your bluebird boxes a trapping program should be started. House sparrows are non-native birds and can be eliminated.

Predation is a natural part of nature. Natural tree cavities used by bluebirds are usually secluded and parent birds can slip in and out of them inconspicuously. When we put up artificial nesting sites for bluebirds, we are placing them out in the open where they are highly visible to predators. Once a snake or raccoon discovers eggs or baby birds in a box, they are motivated to check out other boxes and your trail will become a predator highway. Bluebird boxes should always be placed on metal posts rather than wooden posts. Metal poles can be greased or a raccoon or snake baffle can be installed to prevent these critters from climbing. Cats can also pose a problem, not only for bluebirds but for all birds. Cats should be kept indoors for their own safely as well as the safety of all wildlife.

We can come to the rescue when other problems arise during the nesting season. Wet nests can be deadly to nestlings. Make sure your boxes are always in good repair so that there are no leaky roofs or clogged drain holes. If a nest does become wet, fashion a new nest using dry grasses, slip out the old nest, insert the new one and carefully move the nestlings into the new nest.

As soon as the birds leave the nesting box, the nesting material should be removed and the box cleaned. The box is then available for another nesting attempt. If the old nest is not removed, a new nest could be built over the top which would raise the height of the nestlings putting them closer to the hole. They are then at risk of falling from the box before they are strong enough to fly.

Besides all of these reasons to monitor a bluebird trail on a regular basis, it also makes us feel good. It’s a wonderful feeling to know that we are part of a very successful conservation effort. Bluebirds were very close to extinction in the not too distant past. Because of the dedication of bluebird monitors, it is becoming more common to see bluebirds as we drive through the countryside.

As members of BAN, all of us should also take on the responsibility of informing our family, friends and neighbors, who do not monitor their boxes why it is so important.