A Bluebird Trail is five or more Bluebird nesting boxes mounted on fence posts or pipes.
The boxes are spaced from 100 to 200 yards apart on farms, parks, cemeteries, golf courses,
or other areas with low or sparse vegetation.
A “Bluebirder” hits the trail every week or two to check the progress of the tenants.
THIS TRAIL IS PLACED AT SUGARCREEK METRO PARK
ON CONFERENCE ROAD (12 bOXES) IN THE PRAIRIE LAND.
A CAROLINA CHICKADEE MOSS NEST AT SACKETT-WRIGHT PARK BELLBROOK SUGARCREEK PARK DISTRICT BELLBROOK, OHIO 45305
DO ONLY BLUEBIRDS USE THE BOXES?
No. Other beneficial birds such as the house wren, tree swallow, Carolina & black-capped chickadees, white breasted nuthatch, & the tufted titmouse may take up residence on the trail. Boxes spaced 30 yards apart near ponds, lakes, or rivers will attract mosquito-eating tree swallows. Fiercely competitive wrens may evict prior tenants by puncturing their eggs & building a stick nest on top of their furnishings. Brush-loving wrens can be discouraged by placing the nest box at least 30 yards from the nearest brush, shrub, or other dense vegetation.
IT MUST BE RECOGNIZED THAT COMPETITION IS COMMON IN NATURE.
Legally & ethically, the insect-harvesting wrens must be permitted to nest. Evicted tenants will set up housekeeping elsewhere along the Bluebird trail. House sparrows will destroy Bluebird eggs & young. A Bluebird trail that avoids buildings usually avoids sparrows, too. However, if you are having trouble with house sparrows, you can legally remove them.
A TREE SWALLOW NEST COVERED WITH WHITE FEATHERS
A CHICKADEE MOSS NEST WITH 7 EGGS IN IT AT SACKET-WRIGHT PARK BELLBROOK, OHIO 45305
FIELD MICE ALSO MAY TAKE UP RESIDENCE ON THE TRAIL
DO BLUEBIRDS HAVE ENEMIES?
Yes. Racoons, cats, opossums, gray foxes, & some are climbing predators that love a snack of Bluebird eggs or young.
A pipe mounting will stop the fox. Chassis grease may stop other climbers & predators such as deer mice & black ants.
When grease is not acceptable, 24″ sections of 7″ stove pipe or 4-6″ PVC pipe capped with lids or hardware cloth hung below boxes acts as baffles. Baffles 30″ long will stop the longest rat snakes as well as furry climbers.
DO BLUEBIRDS NEED OUR HELP?
Yes. Silver-hair farmers can recall the song & flight of plentiful Bluebirds in their youth. In bygone days, rural Ohio was a well stocked snack bar for woodpeckers which drilled holes into decaying trees & fence post in their quest for insects. Bluebirds quickly occupied the apartments that woodpeckers whittled out two to twelve feet above the ground, & their populations flourished.
Today, wooden fence post rows have all but disappeared & orchards trees are pruned. The apartments that are usually occupied by the persistent & dominating European immigrants, the starling & house sparrow. Bluebird boxes are a much-needed housing project.
MOTHER BLUEBIRD INCUBATES THE FIVE BABIES FOR ABOUT TWO WEEKS
WHAT IS THE NESTING SCHEDULE FOR THE STATE OF OHIO?
Mid-February, Bluebirds return to breeding areas
March 15- April 15, Nest building, egg laying, incubation
April 15-May 15, First hatching
Jne1-July 15, Second hatching
August 1-15, Third hatching
*Dates are approximate due to variable weather conditions each year
ADVICE FOR NEW & INEXPERIENCED BLUEBIRDERS
