Swallows settling in and claiming many boxes

Where Do Bluebirds Nest?

We have set up some 30 boxes with the intent of providing bluebirds a nest box. They will  not nest in them all, as they are a bit fussy. So if a pair settles into a box, another bluebird pair will want to be about 100 yards away. If the boxes are not suitable, they will nest in any hole, but not in buildings usually. A woodpecker hole is fine, up to 50 feet in a tree. The bluebirds have to compete for those holes. Starlings like to use them as well, but starlings will not nest in a box that is only 4-6 feet from the ground.

I think there are some four pairs at this time using boxes or looking for nest boxes in the South end, where there are 14 boxes. I found a well made grass nest in the middle about a week ago. It still had no eggs, and it may be because there were some bullodozers doing land maintenance there sometime the past week. The box is indicated by the arrow. Click the picture for a bigger view.

The nest inside is fine. I inspected it and put it back. There are plenty of empty boxes but I am not sure if others are much better as far as the construction disturbance goes. There are sticks and markers all along the Ben V trail.

Bluebirds nest in trails people have set up. Some have a small property and may have just 2-3 boxes. By moving them aroung year to year, they can have success in all three boxes. In Lancaster county, 459 nest boxes were used and monitored in 2013. I think I found the line for our boxes. It looks like there were 7 nests that season, which includes the same birds nesting more than once in the same house. One champion ”bluebirder” monitored 230 boxes and had success in at least a fourth of the boxes. Over 500 birds fledged from the 230 boxes in that year. The list includes other nearby states that somehow are recorded in our NE records.

Not So Fussy Swallows

The tree swallows around have started to build nests. They have not laid eggs yet, but do sit on the box and go inside. This probably means that any remaining bluebirds will not look at those boxes claimed by the swallows. The boxes are in pairs, so the swallows prefer to pick one box of a pair at this time. Of 17 boxes on the North side, at least seven are now claimed by swallows.

On the South side, one pair of swallows is guarding two boxes with a nice bush in between to land on. Another pair of swallows has claimed a nest box next to one that has bluebird eggs and nest.