Ellen, welcome – it is great that you have bluebirds so soon after moving. Like Tammy says, it is very common for the blues to build a nest, or even just begin one, and then quit for a time. It is all about their “internal instinct” about when it is the right time for nesting. I don’t believe the baffle you are talking about would deter snakes, but I will let Tammy comment on that, as I don’t know too much about them. P.S. My blues actually have built 2 or even 3 complete nests in different boxes the past few years before choosing one. I know it is the same pair as I have watched them go from one to the other!
