Nestbox (Old boxes vs New Boxes)

In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: 

• Nestbox Comparison Studies from New York
• That Remarkable Peterson Entrance by Wayne H. Davis
• Those Oval Holes
• The great entrance-hole debate by Myrna Pearman
• Starlings and oval-holed nest boxes by Kevin Berner
• NestBox software (shareware) demo
• Bluebird Nestbox Drawings
• Nestbox Mounting Methods
• Nestbox, Sparrow Trap, Coon Guard Drawings
• Roost Boxes
• Other Nestboxes
• Nestbox Preferences
• Descriptive Nesting Histories Of Possible Bluebird Box Occupants
• ROOFS —  Everything  MORE THAN You Wanted to Know by Steve Eno
• Winterizing Your Bluebird Boxes Permanently by Svante Humbla
• Results of Additional Research Regarding the Bauldry/Open Topped Box Design by Diane Barbin.
• Pairing houses: How do you do the math? by Linda Janilla

To: bluebird-l"at"cornell.edu (BLUEBIRD-L)
Date: Sat, 9 Feb 2002 17:18:31 -0500
Subject: Re: Replacing Bluebird houses
From: Maynard R Sumner m-r-sumner"at"juno.com

I have a bluebird box the Black-capped Chickadees use each year. It was up when I took over this loc.  The box is cracked on two sides. I know the rain is getting into it, but the Chickadees use it each year. I put up a new box and the chickadee would not use it. I put the old box back up and the chickadees made a nest.

Maynard Sumner
Flint, MI
43.075046 N -08.607782 W
Elev. 630 Zone 5

NABS MBS GAS OBS OBC NAHC NAFC TBT

Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.
Galatians 6:7

On Sat, 09 Feb 2002 10:06:04 +0000 beabud"at"snet.net writes:
In connecticut-- Have an old weathered house and was thinking of
replacing
it with a woodlink Eastern bluebird house with predator guard..Birds
have
used the old house every year with no problem, but its dried out and
cracking..Will they go back to a new house or will that deter
them...Also
1/1/2 inch i'm assuming here in the east is okay instead of larger
hole??
Beatrice

Date: Sat, 09 Feb 2002 15:11:34 -0800
From: Linda Violett lviolett"at"earthlink.net
To: "Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu" (BLUEBIRD-L) Bluebird-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Replacing Bluebird houses

Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif.

A similar occurrence happened on my mountain trail. A neighbor had an old dilapidated box nailed to the trunk of a tree. But the box was used every year by mountain chickadees. We've been getting more bears around the area plucking off seed feeders so I asked permission to add a hanging box in the limbs above the old box. The chickadees chose their old box. However, the hanging box was left in place and the chickadees chose it over their old box the second year.

My recommendation would be to offer the choice of a well-constructed box for more than just one year--give the chickadees a chance to trust it.

Maynard R Sumner wrote:

The box is cracked on two sides.

...

Date: Sun, 10 Feb 2002 16:02:17 -0600
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu (BLUEBIRD-L)
From: Kate Oschwald bbnestbox"at"1starnet.com
Subject: Re: Replacing Bluebird houses

At 10:06 AM 2/9/02 +0000, beabud"at"snet.net wrote:
In connecticut-- Have an old weathered house and was thinking of

...

Some birds do not like change. But a lot of the time it is the nest SITE that the birds have chosen (water, food, etc.), not the particular nestBOX. I would go ahead and replace the nestbox, and use a 1-1/2 inch hole.

You can keep the old nestbox handy in case the new one does not appeal for some reason.

Kate Oschwald
Paris, TX
100 mi NE of Dallas
33.6853N 95.6293W

Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 08:26:45 -0500
To: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
From: Don & Sonja Coble coble"at"frognet.net
Subject: Nestbox Replacement -Timing?

Hi All!

Last year was our first year to have bluebirds. We had three nests last season (in one box) and fledged 12 young. While our nesting box was ok, we realized that we probably needed to upgrade. (For one thing there were no drainage holes, nor were we happy with the front-opening box.) Anyway, yesterday we got a brand-new, much better box. To my dismay, this morning it looks as if our pair has claimed the old house! I don't believe that nest building has proceeded very far. At this point should we go ahead and replace the box - and move the nest over? Or should we wait until after the first set of nestlings have gone and replace the box mid-season? Or should we just wait an entire year?

Thanks for your help.

Sonja
Athens, OH

From: hubertrap"at"webtv.net (Joe Huber)
Date: Sun, 16 Mar 2003 12:25:34 -0500 (EST)
To: coble"at"frognet.net, BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu
Subject: Re: Nestbox Replacement -Timing?

Hi Sonja,You can replace the nest box any time, but why try moving a started nest with it. I( suggest letting the birds finish this nesting then switch it. Mid season doesn't matter,a box is a box. Joe Huber Venice Fl. ...

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