Eastern Bluebirds at Our Nest Box

Above: Eastern Bluebird by Mike & Chris (CC BY-SA 2.0)

We looked out the window yesterday morning and saw a gorgeous male Eastern Bluebird investigating the box we put up last fall for Black-capped Chickadees. He spent some time peering in and trying to squeeze into a box with a nest hole sized for the much smaller chickadees. Once he realized he didn’t fit he flew off to a nearby branch. Then the female gave it a try. Not surprisingly, the nest hole was still too small. She stayed a few minutes looking wistfully – it seemed – at the box while we kicked ourselves for not having the right sized box for them. We immediately ordered a bluebird box and pole, hoping they, or another pair of bluebirds, would give us a second chance. Since cavities in trees can be hard to come by as people remove dead trees from their yards, nest boxes are important to this species. Finding a suitable home in the Mount Washington Valley is just as hard for bluebirds as it is for people!

If you are interested in putting up a nest box, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology NestWatch website helps you figure out what species you could attract to your particular yard, and provides tips on placement of the box and other logistics. They provide free nest box plans. Boxes for many common species are also available in shops or online.

Yesterday was quite the birdy day – we also had a flock of 8 gorgeous Evening Grosbeaks land on our new birches. These heavyset finches are so colorful they look like tropical birds, and they delighted us by sticking around for 15 minutes or so feeding on our seed, foraging on the buds of Red Maples and loudly calling to each other with sweet, burry chirps. This is the first time these northern finches stayed around for more than a quick glance.

Above: Evening Grosbeak by Andy Reago & Chrissy McClarren (CC BY-SA 2.0)