WOOLWINE HOUSE BLUEBIRD TRAIL

The joys of monitoring and watching the birds close up is the biggest reward! Many other rewards follow as one learns about taking care of manmade nestboxes and the birds that use them. It's about being a good landlord.

Not only bluebirds use manmade nestboxes--we humans who take care of the nestboxes get to see other species use them! This Floyd County monitor took a photo of her first experience watching the wonderful Tree Swallow nest in one of her boxes.

FLOYD AND PATRICK COUNTIES:  LEARN TO MONITOR AND MANAGE A NESTBOX! I am available to train you….leave message an Email message at WoolwineHouse@gmail.com (or in a comment section on this website) if interested.   I specifically cover Patrick and Floyd Counties, VA, for the Virginia Bluebird Society as County Coordinator.I am seeking monitored boxes for stats to include to the VBS.   These stats go to the North American Bluebird Society, as well.  Please let me include your nestboxes. Learn how rewarding bluebirding can be, even ONE nestbox.   Include your box (or sponsor one through the VBS!) in my trail stats for Virginia!  It’s fun and very rewarding.  I love to train!Proper nestbox selection and installation with predator guards increase success for your bluebirds.   If you install a nestbox and then not monitor and maintain that box, you are enticing the birds to nest there and setting them up for possible failure.   Bluebirds live in open or semi-open habitats with short vegetation and scattered trees.  Parks, suburbs, golf courses, schools, farms, and forest clearings can all provide ideal conditions for bluebirds.Even if you just want one nestbox in your back yard to enjoy watching from your house, please feel free to contact me for assistance.  Proper mounting will make your bluebirds come faster and help them stay safer and come back year after year!  One box, or a trail of 5 boxes….you’re helping the bluebirds!

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So, can I suggest you start here with the NABS website for info:

“Getting Started with Bluebirds”

This is my first ever “monitored” nestbox (photo below).   It existed when I moved to my new home.  It was situated in the back yard, very old and weathered.  That first spring, I was delighted to see a bluebird couple feeding babies in it.   Unfortunately, this bluebird couple tried twice to raise a family here–it failed due to many problems to the nestbox.  After much troubleshooting after both broods died, I removed the box and started my research about what a successful nestbox for use by bluebirds should be.   I learned quickly it’s not just bluebirds–there are other native species needing an already “excavated” cavity–a manmade nestbox is ideal.  I  learned quickly, however, that just putting up a nestbox and leaving it unattended will not work successfully in the long term.  Perhaps it might have a few successful youngsters fledge, but if that box is not maintained, many things can go wrong quickly.  This includes using predator guards.  This box had no guards on it.   It’s a sweet picture, however, and I enjoyed watching this couple early that year.   This is how bluebirding actually started for me in 2006.

I took this picture from afar with an early Canon digital camera. As you can see, this is very sweet of this couple. You'll note how this box was installed. It appears to have been at this location for many, many years. The box was quite weathered and in need of attention and repairs. There were other problems associated with this box. I had to learn the hard way--the box looked very functional; but what did I know back then? Not much. Unfortunately, this box did not protect nesting bluebirds that year, much to my disappointment. After two losses in 2006 that I actually witnessed deaths as a "spectator" of the birds, and after attempting to make it successful, my attempts were good ones but there still were failures. I realized I had to take it down and start figuring out how to make a nestbox work right so nesting birds can safely use it to raise a family. This is how it all started for me. I look at this picture today with warmth. Something was born in my heart upon discovering bluebirds in this box. The rest of the story for me continued after that. Today, I monitor 19 nestboxes and am expanding my bluebird trail in the local community. I monitor and maintain all boxes with some help from an expert workshop neighbor. I hope to bring my trail up to 30 nestboxes locally. (April 2012)

http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/gettingstarted.htm

Click here to see this YouTube video of bluebird nestlings gaping: