Birdfeeders

Once you are lucky enough to have a mated pair of Bluebirds choose your bluebird house, the female builds the nest in 4 to 5 days with very little help from the male. The female incubates the eggs with the male occasionally spending the night with her. The female lays 4 or 5 light blue eggs that hatch in 13-15 days. The male catches insects to feed the nestlings a high protein diet for their rapidly developing bones and muscles. The young will fledge in 15-20 days, but for about 2 weeks after fledging, the parents continue to feed the young while they learn to fend for themselves. This is always fun to watch. Often Bluebirds will re-nest and raise a second brood. These family units often stick together until the following spring. The key to attracting Bluebirds to nest is having plenty of nesting locations along with food and water. Many people have 3-4 bluebird houses in different locations on their property. Bluebirds prefer open areas mixed with trees. Since they naturally use tree cavities, a tree trunk is an ideal mounting place for the house. However, they also love wooden fence posts, so mounting a bluebird house on a pole 4-8 feet high in an open area can  also be quite successful. It is also a good idea to have the hole facing south or east for sun exposure if possible. If another species like a Tree Swallow insists on using the bluebird house, put another bluebird house up right next to the first one. Tree Swallows will not let another swallow nest nearby, but they will let Bluebirds occupy the neighboring house.