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17 nest boxes installed in my community at four bluebird trails, two at home, seven at a large soccer field complex, two a cemetery, two at an old landfill and three at an industrial park field and one at a neighbor’s home.
7 confirmed pairs nesting. Two more looking possible with nest materials just beginning to show.
29 Bluebird eggs so far. Four white eggs in one nest box.
10 Tree Swallow eggs in two nest boxes.
And the little stinker (wren) that kicked out our Chickadees in April has seven eggs by my pond.
I’m finding that monitoring 20 boxes is a workout. But so far not a bad problem to have. No predator evidence yet.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I added a piece of Reflectix reflective insulating material to the roof and I think it will work well. It keeps the roof shaded and reflects the sun away from the nest box. I was worried that installing might bother the blues but they returned right away and don’t seem to be concerned with the difference.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Is 90+ degrees harmful? I may be able to put some shade over the boxes in the sun but I’m hesitant to disturb the momma to be. Water access should help, but I don’t know when to be concerned.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Thinking back 15 days I was all poop-lipped about not having any success with blues. This is today on my home garden fence and another Wren box by my pond. Luckily the Wren is now leaving the blues alone. I see why with seven eggs in their box.
Keeping a couple water baths nearby. We are having some very warm weather the last week. 91 today!
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Good to hear Dana. Congrats on being a good bird landlord!
Still waiting for my pairs to hatch. I’m thinking in the next week or two. Some just started laying.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Look to the positives. You are doing good work providing nesting for them.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Yup, five nesting pairs confirmed. Another pair checking out a box and another box with likely bluebird nest starting but no visuals on birds yet.
So out of twenty new nest boxes installed this spring we have five confirmed and possibly seven pairs. Seven would be 35 percent bluebird occupancy and another 10 percent with nesting Tree Swallow pairs nesting. That’s a big boost to my hope for at least one pair this season.
So, sorry for my excitement overflowing this forum. I’m guessing many of the members live where blues have been mating for months and maybe they’ve moved on to other exciting things. We’re just getting started here with first arrival on May 16.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I’m beginning to wonder how the real pros in the bluebird trail world keep up. I’ve put up 20 nest boxes in four areas and with only five pairs taking up residency I’m BUSY!
Just keeping up with wasp nest starts on vacant boxes is time consuming. I hope at least they become discouraged and find other spots but I expect I’ll be dealing with them until nesting season is over.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
So far lucky. And today a male and female are checking out a vacant box on a different trail of mine. So five pairs, maybe…
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Thanks for the tips Judy.
I’m a new member of BRAW.org and they have log sheets that I looked at while I was impatiently waiting for the blues to arrive. I didn’t want to carry around pencil and paper so I created a simple spreadsheet I can edit in the field. And as far as sparrow spookers I am keeping my eyes open and have not seen any house sparrows near my boxes. I have the mylar and other materials and may add them soon. I live in a very rural town in the middle of the woods. The closest place I’ve seen house sparrows is ten miles away in a Home Depot store. Walking through the store there is a constant chirping. If only they could trap them it would eliminate quite a sizable population.
Four pairs of blues today and the possibility for more has got me pumped. Not bad for someone that had never paid attention to bluebirds until this spring.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
We’re up to four nest boxes with bluebirds preparing nests. So happy.
First occupied box has four eggs. I’ll check the other three tomorrow to see if they are making progress.
And two more boxes with Tree Swallows. One has two eggs.
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
And a special Memorial Day weekend treat… a second pair of Blues in another nest box at a remote location. That’s two boxes out of 19 with Blues! Woohoo! And to think a few weeks ago I was still wondering if we would get any bluebirds in my area.
I have two nest boxes in that spot which is about a mile from the other occupied box. They are over 100 yards apart on an old landfill that is no longer in use. It seemed to me a perfect spot but what do I know? Yesterday I visited the landfill location and witnessed a pair coming and going from one box that a few days before had Wrens visiting regularly. I came home yesterday and decided to provide two alternative boxes for the Wrens so I was up late slapping together two from scrap lumber. This morning I loaded up my trail monitoring backpack and the two new boxes and headed to the location. To my surprise a pair of blues were going back and forth to the box. I decided to keep my distance and just observe for a few minutes. Then proceeded to a scraggly old aspen tree between the BB boxes that I thought would make a good spot for a Wren box. As I am mounting the box I hear a commotion and look over to the second BB box and a male BB is having a physical confrontation with one of the Tree Swallows I saw a few days ago making claim to that box. I wonder if that is the male from the first box. I can’t tell. It would be great to have two Bluebird pairs in that area. Though I don’t mind a Tree Swallow pair nesting there. Any flying insect hunter is OK in my book.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
David, thanks for the suggestion. I’ll take all suggestions, picky or otherwise since I am new to these Bluebird trail efforts. I do hope that our snake population is limited vs southern states. I’ve researched on two web sites that don’t seem to stress the need for baffles. Actually, I don’t see any reference to using them in WI and MI. Those being BRAW.org and michiganbluebirds.org.
I’ve been very busy putting up nest boxes and thought I would start to put up those types of deterrents after I finish that work. As of right now The nineteen boxes have just one pair of bluebirds, a couple pairs of Tree Swallows and possibly a pair of Eastern Kingbirds. I’ll work on those first as the boxes get used.
I did have a happy surprise today. After many years absence a pair of Great Crested Flycatchers has taken up residence in a box in our yard. I love their screeching call!
Tim
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
And a mealworm feeder I am trialing near the “occupied” nest box.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
