Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!asuvax!ncar!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!usc!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!hsdndev!cmcl2!adm!lhc!nih-csl!helix.nih.gov!foley From: foley@helix.nih.gov (Charles K. Foley) Newsgroups: rec.birds Subject: Re: Bluebirds in New England Keywords: bluebird, migration, nesting, birdhouse Message-ID: <1103@nih-csl.nih.gov> Date: 20 Mar 91 14:38:20 GMT References: Sender: news@nih-csl.nih.gov Organization: National Institutes of Health, Bethesda Lines: 46 In article Michael.Soper@office.wang.com writes: >I have lived in Tyngsboro, MA for about 7 years now. We have the good >fortune of being near a lifelong bluebird enthusiast, Lil Files, former >president of the Bluebird Society. 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? > >Each year, several pairs check out our nesting boxes which I have placed >around the property. We usually get two broods a year, but many more in >neighboring locations. They are a joy to watch and hear. > >Are there any bluebird enthusiasts out there who would like to add to >this thread? I'm interested in your observations: feeders, houses, >habitat, etc. //michael.soper@office.wang.com// My wife and I made bird boxes for gifts at Christmas. Since we just purchased a new house we decided to put some houses in our yard as well. We have seen, for about the last month or so, a male bluebird in some small trees in our front yard and on our mailbox post. We figured he was staking out his territory so we put up a house in the front yard. Sure enough, he has attracted a female and they have been inspecting our box. On Sunday, both the male and female were going in and out of the box - sometimes carrying nest material. However, since Sunday we haven't seen them (of course we're gone for most of the day). I'm 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 bluebirds that I have ever observed so I'm not sure how long they would be nest building or if they would likely abandon the nest etc. 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 the end of the season. I have also read that you should clean the 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? -- Charles Foley (foley@iris03.niehs.nih.gov) National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences National Institutes of Health Research Triangle Park, NC 27705