Eastern Bluebird
Sialia sialis
Faced with nesting competition and attacks from house sparrows, and widespread habitat loss from development, the eastern bluebird's population was devastated. By 1970, the bird's numbers were down by 92% across the country.
Nestbox Stewardship Project
Connecticut is known for its beautiful natural locations and abundant wildlife. Visitors are awed by the jaw-dropping Connecticut scenery. Not visible to visitors is the fact that the number of birds nesting in Connecticut's forests and fields has been shrinking. Songbirds that depend on young forests have seen their habitat lost to development, as timber is harvested by clear-cutting, as agricultural fields are expanded and a surge in other threats.
The Nestbox Stewardship Project is designed to help mitigate this habitat loss and ensure these beautiful birds will be filling the air with their distinctive colors and songs as they brighten our region for years to come.
About the Nestbox Stewardship Project
The Friends of the Forest Nestbox Stewardship Project aims to continuously expand the songbird habitat in Connecticut by building, installing, maintaining, and monitoring nest boxes. These nestboxes are used by native cavity-nesting birds, such as Tree Swallows, Titmice, Chickadees, Carolina and House Wrens, and Nuthatches. The information we gather about individual nestboxes helps us to learn how to better place and maintain this critical habitat element for native cavity-nesting birds.
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Partner With Us
We are particularly interested in developing partnerships with schools, parks, cemeteries, golf courses, farmers with pastures—places that are good sites for nest box trails.
If you or your business or organization would like to get involved, please contact us, we would love to work with you. We also need volunteers to assist in building, installing, maintaining, and monitoring the boxes.
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Why Install Nest Boxes?
As our precious habitat shrinks or becomes isolated, so too does the diversity of species in those areas. By installing nest boxes in areas that have fewer trees, or in open, grassy habitats, we increase the chance of keeping a healthy natural balance of native birds and the other species that interact with them, which in turn supports a diverse natural habitat.
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Support This Program
In order to work toward fulfilling our mission, we are continuously raising funds for our nest box program. Your donation provides boxes, poles, predator guards, and accessories in order to expand the available nesting opportunities for Bluebirds and other native cavity-nesting birds.
Our Bluebird Nestbox Stewardship Project
How it Works
A primary component of restoring the Eastern Bluebird population is ensuring that there are enough safe nesting sites. We are replacing missing natural cavities–which have disappeared as large, old trees have been removed or have fallen–with nestboxes specifically designed for bluebirds. Throughout North America, bluebird populations have recovered with nestbox stewardship programs initiated and managed by dedicated volunteers and land managers.
Give a Bluebird a Home
Do You Have a Habitat Like This?
If so, we may be interested in placing nest boxes on your property. We provide and mount the nestboxes, and work with landowners to track the use and success of nestboxes over time, building our knowledge about Eastern Bluebird habitat use and population growth.
Become a Host
Our nestbox hosts monitor the boxes on their property for bird activity during bluebird season (February through September), 1–2 times per month (more often if bluebirds are found), and report back to us. Training and support are provided. If you prefer not to monitor the nestboxes, there is an option to have volunteer stewards do the monitoring.
What You Do
Record observations and notify us if you see bluebirds
Notify us immediately if you see House Sparrows using the nestboxes
Clean out nest boxes at the end of the season
Communicate with us about findings
What House Sparrows Do to Bluebirds
Of all the problems faced by bluebird landlords, house sparrows are easily the worst. It is critical that nestboxes be monitored regularly throughout the breeding season to ensure that they are not being used by exotic House Sparrows. Non-native and invasive, English House Sparrows compete aggressively against native birds for nesting cavities. They will harass, attack, and kill adult native birds when competing for nest sites, and destroy their eggs and young. House Sparrows MUST be controlled in the habitat your nest boxes are placed in to ensure the nesting success of bluebirds.
The presence of the dome, in a nest box, is a tell-tale sign that it is the aggressor’s nest. The nest material is rather “trashy”, made up of all kinds of material including various feathers. The eggs are dark brown and white speckled. You can find more info here.
Types of Bluebird Nestboxes
A primary component of restoring the Eastern Bluebird population is ensuring that there are enough safe nesting sites. We are replacing missing natural cavities–which have disappeared as large, old trees have been removed or have fallen–with nestboxes specifically designed for bluebirds. Throughout North America, bluebird populations have recovered with nestbox stewardship programs initiated and managed by dedicated volunteers and land managers.
Gilwood Nesting Box
This highly successful design from Steve Gilbertson of Minnesota has been shown to be loved by Bluebirds, but not preferred by House Sparrows due to the shallow depth and U-design top entrance hole. Nesting bluebirds enter through a 2¼-inch, U-shaped hole directly beneath the flat roof.
Gilwood Slot Box
This is one of the very simplest bluebird nestbox designs you can build. This design features a narrow 1½-inch slot that runs across the entire front of the box. The open entrance and shallow design make it less attractive to House Sparrows. The slot entrance allows Bluebirds to easily escape from the box if a sparrow enters it while the bluebird is inside.
Xbox
This is a great, simple nesting box design. The Xbox is designed to be mounted onto a half-inch conduit/rebar pole, called the “Gilbertson system.” It features a 1 9/16" hole, slightly larger than the traditional 1 1/2" hole size. It is designed to be mounted using 1/2" electrical conduit and rebar.
