Bird House Cam - How to Install a Bluebird Box

Natural Lands Trust has Bluebird boxes like this one on many of its preserves, more than 200 boxes in total. Erecting and maintaining nest boxes is one of the best things that you can do to help this species. There are many boxes on the market that are replicas of castles or mansions; though cute, they may not be attractive to bluebirds. We’ve found that a simple wooden box works best. It’s important that the entrance hole on the box be 1½" in diameter. If it’s smaller than 1½" the Bluebirds can’t fit; if it’s bigger, Starlings take over the box. The inside of the box should be at least 4" x 4" x 8". We’ve actually been making boxes a little deeper than that, closer to 12" deep, to make it harder for predators to reach the nest. It’s important to rough up the interior of the box so that young chicks can climb out. You can use a chisel to gouge a “ladder” in the wood. This is especially important if Tree Swallows also use your boxes. When placing your box, look for a site with short ground cover and scattered perch sites. Then comes the fun part: watching Bluebirds nest in your box! Bluebirds don’t mind minor intrusions, so if your box has a side opening, you can open it periodically to check on the nest. Monitoring lets you know how many eggs hatched and how many young actually left the box. When the young leave, you can remove the nest so that another pair can move in and start nesting. It is exciting to check on the progress in each box. Because Bluebirds don’t mind the company of humans and prefer a landscape that isn’t too full of trees or brushy areas, many suburban neighborhoods might be good habitats. For Bluebirds to survive in these areas, however, there must be nesting areas available to them. It is also possible that the chemicals many homeowners use on their lawns could be as harmful to Bluebirds at DDT was, so they may do better in areas without chemically-treated lawns. DOWNLOAD a Guide to Bluebird Boxes (PDF)

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