The Indiana Bluebird Society Links page pictures newsletter starling trap registration officers board members 2004 nesting 2003 nesting Mealworm feeder Albino Request Form Picnic 2005 Home Page Email the IBS

Where Have all the Bluebirds Gone

Nesting Habits Starting a Bluebird Trail

Predators and other Problems Other Cavity Nesters

Officers, Board of Directors, and District Coordinators

			
Winter Help 
		

The Indiana Bluebird Society is dedicated to the preservation of bluebirds and other native cavity nesting birds. We will make every effort possible to promote bluebird awareness and increase the population of bluebirds in Indiana.

Officers, board members and district coordinators of the IBS

click on picture for larger view

Pat Hunter, Ted Vesa, Greg Beavers, Ken Murray, (on stairs) Kristy Frampton, Susan Murray, and Chris Salberg

top of page

 Indiana Bluebird Society

P.O.Box134 

Rensselaer IN. 47978-0134

219-866-3081 or ibs@indianabluebirdsociety.org

Where have all the bluebirds Gone

top of page

During the early 1900’s the Eastern Bluebird was still a fairly common sight in the midwest. With the introduction of house sparrows and starlings during the late 1800’s, the Eastern Bluebird population took a drastic turn downward. The sparrows and starlings started taking over the popular nesting sites of the bluebird. Potential nesting sites were also reduced by the removal of dead trees, fence rows and wooden fenceposts. By 1979 the sighting of Eastern Bluebirds was considered very rare in most of the Midwest. The North American Bluebird Society, commonly called NABS was founded in 1978 by the late Dr. Lawrence Zeleny. Dr. Zeleny’s work is carried on by the organization and its members

Bluebirds prefer to nest in wide open spaces with very little underbrush and only a few trees. They need overhead wires or other perches from which to hunt for insects and protect their territory. It is helpful to have some tall trees or bushes within 100 feet for protection, and for the young to fly to when they fledge. Placing boxes too close to heavy brush or a woods oftenencourages wrens. It is recommended that boxes be mounted on smooth poles if possible. This helps to discourage other enemies of the bluebird such as raccoons, cats, weasels and snakes, and mice. Mounting boxes on trees, fenceposts, power or telephone poles may also encourage the same animals to raid the boxes.
Boxes can be put in place in the fall, before the bluebirds go south for the winter. Often they may check out potential nesting sites and return to those boxes in the spring. In Indiana, some bluebirds may stay during the winter and it is recommended that roosting boxes be put up. Open the bluebird boxes, if possible, so that the sparrows cannot claim the boxes. If boxes are put out in the spring, try to have them in place by early March, however boxes placed during later months may very likely still be used. The male checks out potential nesting sites but the female usually makes the final decision. Once a box or cavity is chosen the nest building may start immediately or the bluebirds may wait for a week or more to start the activity. Usually within a few days after the nest is completed the female will start to lay the eggs. She will lay 1 egg each day until the last one is laid. Eggs are usually blue (occasionally white) and number 4 to 6 in the clutch. Then she will start to incubate the eggs. Incubation usually takes 12 to 14 days. When the eggs hatch, the baby birds have no feathers or down and are very susceptible to cold weather. The female will brood them until they are 5 or 6 days old and by the time they are about 8 days old the pinfeathers start to appear. The young are fed small soft insects about every 20 minutes by the parents. As the days go by, they are fed larger insects such as grasshoppers and mealworms. After the nestlings are about 14 days old, they have nearly outgrown the nest. It is very important to discontinue opening the box when they reach this age. Nestlings may get so frightened that they leave the nest before it is time. At approximately 18 days of age they will leave the nest and fly 50 to 100 feet on their first flight. They are now called fledglings. The parents will continue to feed and care for them for a few weeks. The male may take over caring for the first brood while the female builds a second nest and sometimes a third.

Starting a Bluebird Trail

A bluebird trail consists of several nest boxes, each mounted securely on smooth pipe and placed along a convenient trail. Do NOT use wood preservatives or green-treated lumber when making the nest boxes. They can be painted or stained on the outside but left unfinished on the inside. Boxes should be spaced at least 100 yards apart, or placed in pairs 20 to 25 feet apart to attract tree swallows. Placing the boxes at a height of 5-6 feet allows for easy checking or monitoring. It is advisable to face the entrance holes away from the hot afternoon sun and from prevailing winds.
You don’t have to be a huge landowner to have a large trail. Most people will gladly grant their permission so that you can put up and take care of boxes on their property. Always remember to be courteous and considerate when you are on their property.
Nest boxes should be monitored or checked at least once a week and more often if you wish, but not more than once a day. When you check the box, make it as quickly as possible and always take time to keep good records, like how many eggs, how many hatched and how many fledged. Check carefully for parasites and remember to NOT open the box after the nestlings are 14 days old. Once the young have fledged be sure to clean out the box and check again for the presence of parasites.

Remove all house sparrow nests as soon as possible to discourage them from nesting in the bluebird boxes. Raccoons, cats and snakes are natural predators. Mounting poles can be greased with axle grease or waxed with car wax to discourage them from attempting to climb up to the boxes. Predator guards can be used in the form of baffles or raccoon guards that are installed around the box holes. Bluebirds may avoid using boxes with wire coon guards but if they are installed after the first egg is laid and then removed after the young fledge they seem to work just fine.
Lice or mites are usually not a problem in the boxes, however ants are sometimes bothersome. A couple of drops of ant poison can be placed in a bottle cap and slid under the nest. Saturating a couple of Q-tips or a pipe cleaner and stapling it to the bottom of the box works as well. Always use ant poison as a last resort.
Blowfly larvae can be a very serious problem on your trail. These pests crawl up through the nest at night and attach themselves to the nestlings and suck their blood. They can eventually kill or weaken the nestlings if not eradicated. The nest can be lifted up very gently to see if there is blowfly larvae (black cigar-shaped pupae or gray maggots) present. You can shake the nest carefully so that most of the larvae fall out. If there is a large infestation you can make a fresh nest out of dry grass and carefully replace the old nest.
It is not recommended that nest boxes be placed in areas where lawns, fields or cemeteries are treated with pesticides. Many songbirds such as robins and bluebirds have been found dead within a few hours after spraying. Nest boxes should NOT be placed within a mile of where spraying occurs.

There are other birds, both good and bad that will build nests in bluebird boxes. House sparrows and starlings are often very persistent in their attempts to build nests. The nests should be removed daily if necessary to discourage them. House sparrows and starlings are the only birds NOT protected by law and the only bird nests that can legally be removed from boxes.The nests of house sparrows are easily identified. They are made of grass, weeds, cigarette butts, dryer lint and any other trash they can quickly find. Their eggs are cream colored with brown specks.Wrens prefer a perch in front of the hole so you will want to refrain from adding that feature to your boxes. Wrens use small sticks and usually fill the box to the top with them. Wren eggs are pale pink with reddish brown specks.
If you find a nest of soft moss, fur and feathers it very likely may be the nest of a chickadee. The eggs are white with tiny brown specks. The chickadees are another desirable bird and will not cause the bluebirds any problems. Tree swallows will use bluebird boxes and if boxes are paired closely together the bluebirds and tree swallows will co-exist without problems. Tree swallows are very beneficial insect-eating birds. Their nests are generally made of fine grass with a few white feathers lining the inside. Tree swallow eggs are pure white.
Nuthatches and titmice may also use the nest boxes on occasion. Nuthatches build their nest of small pieces of bark lined with grass, feathers or hair. The eggs are white speckled with red and brown. They don’t usually compete with bluebirds for nest boxes unless the box has been placed near a wooded area. Titmice nests contain leaves, mosses and strips of bark lined with hair. A female titmouse that is incubating can rarely be dislodged from her nest. The eggs are white and speckled brown to reddish brown.

Help for insect-eating birds that winter in the north can be provided by planting berry producing shrubs and trees on your lot. Black or Red Raspberry, Smooth Serviceberry, Red Mulberry, American Holly, Red Osier Dogwood, Mountain Ash, Highbush Cranberry, Pin or Black Cherry, American Elderberry, Buckthorn, Hackberry, Nannyberry, Firethorn, Cotoneaster, Wild Grape and Hawthorn are but a few of the possible choices. Wintering birds will use these trees and shrubs for protection as well as feasting on the berries.
It is also of great importance to many birds to have water during the winter. This calls for a heated birdbath in a somewhat protected area. If possible, offer your feathered friends a variety of suet, seed and nuts through the winter. If the weather is unusually severe consider offering roosting boxes for warmth and protection.