Eastern Bluebird Nesting Box

  Children can build this nest box with adult help. It’s easy! Be sure to read all of the instructions before you begin building!

  An Eastern Bluebird nest box can be built from one piece of lumber, 1” x 6” x 6’. Use rough-cut lumber: western cedar, poplar, rough sided pine. Eastern Bluebirds can hang onto the rougher wood better than the smooth wood. Do not paint the nesting box.

- Measure and mark the wood as shown above. Cut with a saw. Drill the air holes and entry hole. The entry hole should be 1.5” across. If it's too big, larger birds can take over the nest box.

- Use GALVANIZED nails. They will not rust.

- Nail together one side, the front, the floor, the roof, and the back. Follow the sketches for position.

- The second side (swing side) uses only 3 nails! The 2 Pivot Nails at the top allows this piece of wood to swing open for checking and cleaning. The third nail holds this side closed.

- Fit the second side into the nest box. (see the sketch) About 1 inch below the roof, draw a straight line from the front to the back - across the swing side. Even with your line, hammer one nail through the front and one nail through the back into the swing side. You should be able to swing the second side open from the bottom. (see the sketch) About one inch from the bottom, partially hammer one nail from the front into the swing side. Leave enough of the nail out to grab it and pull it out. This locks the swing side in place. To check and clean the inside of the box, pull the nail out and swing the side open. (OPTIONAL: Use a wood screw instead of a nail to lock the swing side shut. It may be easier to remove than a nail.)

The best place to put your Eastern Bluebird nest box is on a free-standing pole or wooden post, 4’ to 6’ off the ground.

Place in or at the edge of open areas - meadows, pastures, open yards. DO NOT PLACE UNDER TREES! Place entry hole   facing eastward to northward. This protects from too much wind and too much sun.

Place away from areas with house sparrows. They will take over the nest box.

Place nesting boxes at least 100 yards apart.

Place in late March. Check every 10 days until late August, removing old nests as soon as hatchlings leave the nest. This allows a new nest to be built.

Warm weather diet includes grasshoppers, crickets and other insects common to grassy areas. Winter weather diet includes berries from holly, dogwood, cedar and hackberry. Eastern Bluebirds are not seed eaters.
 

All you have is a hammer? Eastern Bluebird nesting boxes, pre-cut, pre-drilled and ready to build, are available from PAWTOGRAPHSª. $20 includes the cut wood, hardware and instructions. Shipping and handling included.

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