If you erect bluebird boxes, more than likely you have wondered if bluebirds return to nest in the same nest box they used the year before.
As it turns out, banding studies demonstrate anywhere from 26-44% of the bluebirds that nested in box last year will return to nest there this year.
One factor that determines if bluebirds use the same box from year to year is whether their nesting efforts the previous year were successful. As you might imagine, they are more likely to use the same box if they successfully raised young in that box the previous breeding season.
If the Bluebirds don’t return, should you move the box, and how far away?
recommended cleaning of the box annually? What type of cleaning?
Brooks,
I would not be overly concerned that a bluebird has not used the box this year. However, if they have not used it at all for a year or more go ahead and move it. Sometime even the most subtle move can make a different.
As for cleaning, I am in the camp of those folks that clean their boxes once a year. I do this in the winter. However, if a bird has not nested in a box yet this year, go ahead a clean it out now.
Terry
Is it ok to clear away vines that have grown around and in of on old nesting box? Should the box be cleaned out?
Mike,
I definitely would remove any vines or vegetation close to a box. Before the birds start nesting, I would also remove an old nest
Does it matter what color the nesting box
Donna:
I don’t know of any study that indicates a strong preference for one particular color. However, is generally accepted that light-colored boxes absorb less heat than those that are dark. This can be a plus particularly in the South especially with later nesting attempts that take place in hotter weather.
Terry