MICHAEL.SOPER@OFFICE.WANG.COM (Michael Soper) (03/29/91)
Charles Foley writes: >I grew up in Billerica, MA and until I moved to North Carolina (1981) >I never saw a bluebird! My father used to tell me that when he was >young he used to see bluebirds a lot but that they gradually disappeared. >Are bluebirds making a comeback in New England? Natural habitat for bluebirds gradually declined in this century, until about 1975. Dead trees and open fields were best for nesting and feeding. Supposedly, smokehouses were significant killers, attracting them to warm smokestacks where they could get trapped. Awareness helped revive the species in the NE, and bird houses were made by enthusiasts. Lawrence Zeleney (sp?) has a good book out on bluebirds. Don't recall details now, but I can find out. >not sure if they have abandoned the box or if they may have been >building a nest for longer than we knew. Is it possible that the >female is already sitting on some eggs? This is the first pair of It's possible, but they do frequently abandon one nest in favor of another (where they have the luxury of choosing). Doesn't your box open? You *can* look inside without fear of scaring them off. I have three boxes in my yard. Once, I gently lifted a fledgling out to show my daughters, but you should know how. I found out that it is a myth that birds abandon young after contact with humans. Birds can't smell! >By the way, in case the bluebirds are nesting in our box I have a >question. I know that you are supposed to clean out the box at >box immediately after the chicks leave. Supposedly a pair of >bluebirds will raise more than one brood per season. What is the >best time to clean out the house? The box should be cleaned that week, if possible. That will encourage a second brood. Watch for parasites in the nesting material; small white specs about half the size a grain of rice. Zeleney's book has info about desinfecting. Tom Fisher writes: >We live in north-west Indiana and have several bluebird boxes up. >They get extremely aggressive when the young ones leave the box. >I got "dive-bombed" real good one evening last summer. I didn't Perhaps this is the western bluebird? Eastern species are not this aggressive. Note above my contact with the fledgling. The adult perched nervously in a nearby tree. Often, the female will stay in the box when I gently open the top to peek in. Michael Soper michael.soper@office.wang.com Wang Laboratories Lowell, MA
foley@helix.nih.gov (Charles K. Foley) (03/29/91)
In article <b30tkn.mr0@wang.com> Michael.Soper@office.wang.com writes:
Stuff about Bluebirds deleted...
Michael - Thanks for the information about the bluebirds!
Unfortunately, it appears that the pair that was building the nest in our
house has moved on. :-( From your information I guess I will clean out
their partial nest and hope that they might come back later in the season.
By the way, can anyone give me the optimum dimensions for a bluebird
house? The one I built may be a little small:
5 1/2" x 4 1/2" floor,
Box height is 9" at back, sloping to
~7.5" in front.
The center of the 1.25" diameter hole is
5.5" from the floor.
(Above are all inside dimensions)
This is sort of a natural size house if you build it out of nominal
1x6 lumber. I could make the base approximately 5.5" square by using
some 1x8 boards (cut down) for the front and back of the box.
Also, I have heard people talk about the optimum placement of bluebird
houses but I haven't seen any real data. Rumors are:
Box should face South
Box should be approx 6 feet off the ground
It should be located at or near the transition from woods to open
land
Is there any hard evidence for the best placement of houses out there?
By the way - Can Michael Soper or anyone else give me more information
about the book on bluebirds Michael mentioned?
Thanks,
--
Charles Foley (foley@iris03.niehs.nih.gov)
National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences
National Institutes of Health
Research Triangle Park, NC 27705rmura@world.std.com (Ron Mura) (04/02/91)
In article <1137@nih-csl.nih.gov> foley@helix.nih.gov (Charles K. Foley) writes: > By the way, can anyone give me the optimum dimensions for a bluebird > house? The one I built may be a little small: > > 5 1/2" x 4 1/2" floor, > > Box height is 9" at back, sloping to > ~7.5" in front. > > The center of the 1.25" diameter hole is > 5.5" from the floor. Typical dimensions have a 1.5" hole. Some people say 1 3/8" allows bluebirds to use the box but not starlings, so they use that size. The 1 3/8" hole works for Eastern Bluebirds and one other species (I can't remember if it is Western or Mountain). The third species is slightly larger and cannot get in the 1 3/8" hole. Yesterday two bluebirds checked out the boxes in our backyard (in Natick, Mass.) for about 20 minutes before moving on. That was a first-time-ever for our yard, although it is fairly common to see a pair at the nearby Broadmoor Wildlife Sanctuary. -- - Ron Mura, Boston, Mass. rmura@world.std.com
MICHAEL.SOPER@OFFICE.WANG.COM (Michael Soper) (04/04/91)
Charles Foley (foley@iris03.niehs.nih.gov) writes: >By the way, can anyone give me the optimum dimensions for a bluebird >house? The one I built may be a little small: I don't think so. The general recommendation is a 4"x4" bottom. This would seem a bit crowded, but remember, the mother's brood patch is only so big! I personally recommend 5"x5" as a compromise. Spacious enough for larger broods (which is becoming more frequent) and still small enough for warmth. Zeleny's book has a whole chapter on this. >Box should be approx 6 feet off the ground >It should be located at or near the transition from woods to open land Mine are just high enough to discourage non-flying predators while still allowing me a comfortable view inside from the top; about 4 or 5 feet. You're right on with location. That allows for easy worm and bug hunting and gives fledglings a target perch when they are ready for the maiden flight. I once saw a fledgling leave the nest for the first time. It took several nights (4 or 5 if I recall) of watching it poke its head out the hole. Then one night a poke turned into a lunge, wings beating like a hummingbird, it flew to my roof, perhaps an abandoned attempt at a nearby branch. Quite exciting. Shortly after that, the whole family could be seen on the powerline to our house. The book: The Bluebird (How You Can Help Its Fight For Survival) by Lawrence Zeleny Indiana University Press, 1976 Bloomington (A volume in the Audubon Naturalist Library) Michael Soper Michael.Soper@office.wang.com Wang Labs Lowell, MA