Bluebird Population Recovery (Dual Nestboxes)

 
Photos by John C., 2002 in Potomac, MD.

ABOVE: Two 4" PVC pipe Bluebird nest boxes on a single post. A piece of pressure-treated 2x4 was used to help hold the boxes together and onto the post. Four, 1/4" galvanized bolts secure them to the 2x4 and the post. 1/2" PVC boards were used for the floors & ceilings. There are ventilation holes on the floors and on the tops of the walls. An 8' long, 1-5/8" width galvanized fence post was used for the post. The bottom was flattened with a sledge hammer and it was then pounded into the ground with a home-made fence post pounder. The flattened post bottom helps keep the post from twisting in the winds. One box faces east and slighly south, and the other faces west and slightly south.

Hopefully this design will stop aviary eviction or killing of the bluebirds from competing cavity nesters. A predator guard will be placed sometime in the near future. The boxes are opened by removing 3 partly loose screws on their sides just under their roof overhangs. These are in the Potomac area of Montgomery County, MD.

ABOVE, RIGHT: Existing Bluebird box placed temporarily on a weed spray sign. It was about to fall over and since I didn't bring a spare post...I used the nearest one I could find.