Texas Master Naturalist Brazos Valley Chapter: Being A Bluebird Landlord

Last week we all received an email from Jim about setting up Bluebird nest boxes. If you don’t have boxes set up, let me tell you, it’s a wonderful being a Bluebird landlord. I’m sure those of you with boxes will agree!

Male Bluebird

This time of year bluebirds are starting to look the perfect place to raise a family. It might seem early but humans usually spend some time looking for just the right neighborhood when we move, right? Do I think that dog in the neighbor’s yard will bark all night? Is the grocery store close? Can this house fit all of my stuff? Bluebirds have similar questions when looking for a good place to spend the summer and raise a family (ok, maybe not about the dog). Male Bluebirds are looking to set up a territory with shelter, food and water nearby. Actually, they look for several shelters in their territory and the female picks the one she likes best. We can do our part in helping the male birds out by putting up nest boxes and giving the females more options to chose from!

Bluebird nest box

What will you find?

It’s always a “fun” experience to walk up to a nest box and not know what you’ll find inside… a nest?... eggs?.... a Bluebird momma trying to fly out?... spiders?

Rick checking a nest box

Rick and I haven’t been Bluebird landlords for very long but it’s a great experience. Starting out as landlords we set up boxes and waited…. and waited…. that year we ended up having several spiders (one being a black widow), a scorpion, and cinnamon wasps. Plenty of opportunities to get the @#$% scared out of you opening those nest box doors! When you put up a nest box, you can’t be guaranteed that the birds will actually use it. The next year we changed the nest box locations and voila! We had birds!

Nest box with a Bluebird nest started

Be wary of House Sparrows and other predators!

Probably the most heart-wrenching experience a Bluebird landlord can go through is a predator attack. One of our first incidents was with a nest box that had 6 eggs. One week they were just gone. We don’t know what happened but most likely it was a snake. Another time we approached a box expecting to see hatchlings but inside we found a House Sparrow had driven the female Bluebird out and had actually built its nest on top of Bluebird eggs and a hatchling. The hatchling was still alive. We removed the House Sparrow nest and left hoping the momma bird would return. She did but the baby Bluebird did not survive.

When Things Go Just Right….

Nest with eggs

We’ve had several successful clutches. I say “we”… “we” didn’t do anything except set up the nest box and monitor it. “We” didn’t have to do any feedings or protecting the nest box during an attack but providing a nesting site is the first step to helping the species out. On our weekly monitoring trips we could observe some pretty remarkable changes!

Newly hatched to a day or two old

About a week old

I’m not going to lie… there is some satisfaction and pride when “you” raise a successful clutch!

The benefits of being a Bluebird landlord is that by just setting up a nest box and monitoring it, you can greatly help out a species in need. From the Bluebird Wikipedia page:

“By the 1970s, bluebird numbers had declined by estimates ranging to 70% due to unsuccessful competition with house sparrows and starlings, both introduced species, for nesting cavities, coupled with a decline in habitat. However, in late 2005 Cornell University's Laboratory of Ornithology reported bluebird sightings across the southern U.S. as part of its yearly Backyard Bird Count, a strong indication of the bluebird's return to the region. This upsurge can largely be attributed to a movement of volunteers establishing and maintaining bluebird trails.”

It’s also just a great experience! I think it’s a wonderful way to learn more about the species and get a glimpse into the lives of such beautiful birds!

….. and you can earn volunteer hours for TMN, too!

Want to Help Bluebirds?

Set up nest boxes! There are plenty of resources online and within TMN to help you get started. But Bluebirds are looking for nest sites so if you’re really interested, it’s best to start soon!

Here’s to a happy and successful 2015 Bluebird season!