Last summer I lost a nest full of bluebird chicks to a predator – maybe a snake, maybe a raccoon. I had attached a bluebird house to a tree, unknowingly giving the predator fairly easy access.
My friend Chis Johnson read of my plight and gave me a baffle made of sheet metal that keeps critters at bay (his two bluebird families successfully hatched about 20 babies last summer.)
Being totally inept at anything involving tools, I was in desperate need of someone to secure the baffle on a pole, get the pole to stick in the ground and then attach a bluebird house on top.
My son, Jimmie, came to my rescue. In a matter of hours, the new bluebird house was “under roof.” The very next morning, my resident pair of bluebirds were peeking inside, measuring for rugs and selecting paint colors. While they haven’t closed on the property (they are still considering two other houses in my backyard), I believe they will be moving into their new house around the first of April.
This is the first “short” bluebird house I have had. My others were on an 8-foot fence, but they worked until I put a wire cover over the garden in front of their house. I don’t think they liked that.
But all those bluebird houses on golf courses and in parks, are shorter. About 5-feet total. I will now be able to check on any babies, see how many there are and have an idea when they might fledge.
I am excited about the new construction in my backyard. I hope my bluebirds are as well.