Lane
By KADY LANE, guest columnist
“Their leisurely and buoyant flight pattern offers a slow-motion view of cerulean blue feathers, making it seem as though the male ‘carries the sky on his back,’” Henry David Thoreau once wrote.
One question that I get asked over and over each year is how to attract Eastern Bluebirds.
Each spring, one of the first birds I notice trying to find nesting space is the Eastern Bluebird.
These birds are members of the thrush family and as such are related to robins. Bluebirds feed on berries and large numbers of insects, making them helpful near orchards and gardens. Bluebirds are known cavity nesters and like open spaces. In fact, bluebirds are so popular that most states have their own Bluebird Societies.
The best houses for bluebirds provide birds with a safe and secure nesting site, according to the North American Bluebird Society. Make sure not to use treated lumber when building a house; three-quarter to 1 inch wood or exterior plywood is the best material.
An entrance hole of 1.5 inches will help prevent European Starlings from taking over the box. There is no need to paint the box, but if you choose to do so, do not paint or stain the inside. You will want to avoid perches, as these can increase predation of House Sparrows, which have been known to enter the boxes and kill the young hatchlings.
Eastern Bluebirds like their privacy, so make sure to place nestboxes about 125 yards away from other nestboxes. Nestboxes should be mounted on smooth metal poles at least 4 feet from the ground to reduce predation.
The entrance of the box should not face the prevailing wind or the sun. Facing into the wind can cause rain to enter the box, and facing the sun will create a temperature that is too high inside of the box. If you notice a paper-wasp nest in the box or a mouse nest, it will need to be removed. Make sure you do not breathe the dust from the mouse nest, and protect yourself from the wasps.
Brown County has its own Bluebird Society. The group can be found on Facebook at Brown County Bluebird Club. Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District also has print resources available to borrow if you would like to learn more.
Kady Lane has worked as an educator for many years, teaching science in grades seven to 12 as well as adult education for Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis. Her master’s degree is in environmental studies and her undergraduate is in human services and psychology. Lane is currently the Brown County Soil and Water Conservation District educator and can be contacted at [email protected].
