Five active nests through most of July

There are nests out there and the bluebirds are doing fine with no interference. I did put some grease on the poles of the active nests. I really don't have much reason to check them every week, but will nevertheless check them in a week. Due to the wren guard experiment. See below.

South side Box 4
The most successful pair are raising four, with four already fledged. The female brooded the young over the cool night. By 8 30 AM she had gone to "work."

Box 10
These are also a successful pair, now with four young getting pinfeathers.

Box 7 also had three young but I cannot find the photo.

Also on the south side were 6 young WRENS, with pointy bills.

NORTH SIDE

The pair in Box 13 ( I took wren sticks out once) built a nest and laid eggs for the THIRD TIME. Two eggs are there. The commitment to the eggs and the box allows one to take some safety measures to take care of wrens interfering. They break and remove eggs.

I put a home made wren guard. Do not attach one until there are eggs. It is supposed to hide the hole of the nest. Wrens and nearly all song birds act mostly by instinct. Certain behavior follows an observation. The wren sees the hole, it must go in! So this (and commercial products) is what people have come up with.

You cover the top so the hole does not show. The bluebirds will fly in from underneath. They do not lose track of the nest. I have to  check it in a week or after heavier rain. it will stand some rain.

The wrens have not destroyed hatched young, in my observations. You can take the cover off at that point.