Interesting! Here in central Wi I like to have my blue bird boxes cleaned and ready to go by no later than the end of the first week in March. With the warm temps this winter so far I have had mine ready a week ago , glad I did after seeing your post.Walking around the pond this morning I spotted a pair of bluebirds apartment shopping.
I’ve got a dozen boxes out and I cleaned them out good in January, two need repairs. I guess I will have to get on that this afternoon. First I’ve ever noticed them in February, they are usually mid March.
Look at those beautiful chem trails from the big gubermint weather machine....Walking around the pond this morning I spotted a pair of bluebirds apartment shopping.
I’ve got a dozen boxes out and I cleaned them out good in January, two need repairs. I guess I will have to get on that this afternoon. First I’ve ever noticed them in February, they are usually mid March.
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Do you have a number of bluebird nest boxes scattered around your area - just to provide nesting sites for them? If so - great job!!! They eat a lot of insects ........ good to have them around, beside their looks and songs.I have the dozen or so boxes here at the house cleaned out and ready to go. We've had a couple of males singing for the last week. Typically we don’t have a singers around here until the 2/3 week of March.
This weekend I plan on running my road line which has another 2 dozen boxes for clean out and repair. There’s a couple that need new doors and 1 roof repair.
Great point! Blue birds seem to get all the attention and I love them also but tree swallows are native species and should be given the chance to share the habitat along with blue birds.Few years ago I would have tree swallows follow me around while clipping clover eating the insects I kicked up. So I did some research and built some boxes for the tree swallows and now I enjoy them as much as the blue birds.
I started my habit journey on a double lot in town. At the time I couldn’t live in the country so I brought the country to town through small ponds, pollinator gardens along with bird bat boxes. When we moved to our current home in the woods I just carpet bombed my yard with boxes and as I expanded the open areas I just kept adding boxes.Do you have a number of bluebird nest boxes scattered around your area - just to provide nesting sites for them? If so - great job!!! They eat a lot of insects ........ good to have them around, beside their looks and songs.
Few years ago I would have tree swallows follow me around while clipping clover eating the insects I kicked up. So I did some research and built some boxes for the tree swallows and now I enjoy them as much as the blue birds.
Yes!
I have love for the tree swallows too..they seem more friendly than the bluebirds or less skittish and let us get pretty close. I would say at our places it's about 50/50 mix - bluebird/swallow in the boxes.
I put the boxes up in the pasture around fifty yards apart facing east. Here we only have them in spring and summer then they leave.