On a bright sunny Thursday afternoon in late February of this year I met my neighbor Bruce Dralle at the Lookout Mountain town park off North Bragg. We had three bluebird nestboxes to place in this beautiful natural area. What I did not anticipate was that we were being observed by many bluebirds. It was time to get these houses out and ready for habitation.
Our team of monitors, including Bruce, John Simmons and myself, will visit eight houses on Lookout Mountain weekly during nesting season - March through August. Our trail is one of 24 throughout Hamilton and surrounding counties and is supported by the Chattanooga Bluebird Society. Our eight birdhouses are on public access property near the pickleball courts at the Commons and the park off North Bragg and Sunset.
While we set out the new nestboxes, Bruce pointed out numerous pairs of bluebirds around us. I believe that he was alerted to them by their sounds and overhead flights. I, on the other hand, observed nothing until he pointed them out.
I have had bluebird houses in my yard for many years but did not appreciate that bluebirds have up to three clutches of chicks throughout the season. As we monitor the nestboxes over the coming months, our task will be to determine if we have active nests and the type of bird in our houses. We might see tree swallows, house wrens, chickadees, or house sparrows. House sparrows are non-native birds that can kill adult bluebirds, so we try to discourage them by removing all nesting material as soon as their nest-building in our boxes begins. Even if we do not see the birds in the nestboxes, we may determine by the nest material or the eggs what type of bird is the occupant. If we have birds other than bluebirds, we leave the nest alone since federal law provides them protections. It should be noted that bluebirds are very tolerant of humans, and our presence will not cause them to abandon the houses.
If we find a bluebird nest in a box, we record the date and number of eggs (one a day), which may be from four to six eggs. The incubation period is from 12 to 14 days. After hatching, the birds will remain in the next 17 to 21 days until the young are fully feathered. Our task is to determine if all the eggs hatch and they are healthy.
Unfortunately, there are predators that target either the eggs or young chicks, so our nestboxes are designed to discourage access by visitors that target them. Each nestbox is mounted on a 5-foot metal pole: electrical conduit and a metal six-inch stovepipe with a lid to keep climbing creatures from the nest.
Our weekly monitoring visits to the nest boxes are done on calm, mild, and dry days. We will take a quick peek inside using a door on the side of the house. Our monitoring efforts are invaluable to efforts to increase bluebirds in our area as well as to determine if the nestbox should be relocated.
After a successful fledging of the young birds, we remove the old nest from the box. Renesting in a box will be encouraged by removing the old nest. Females will build a new nest for their next brood.
The Chattanooga Bluebird Society is a chapter of the Tennessee Bluebird Society and an all-volunteer 501©3 non-profit organization. Founded in 2021, the group builds bluebird houses to place in parks, schools and sells to the public. Teams monitor activity of the houses and report the data to the Tennessee Bluebird Society as well as the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.
by John Pine
Our team of monitors, including Bruce, John Simmons and myself, will visit eight houses on Lookout Mountain weekly during nesting season - March through August. Our trail is one of 24 throughout Hamilton and surrounding counties and is supported by the Chattanooga Bluebird Society. Our eight birdhouses are on public access property near the pickleball courts at the Commons and the park off North Bragg and Sunset.
While we set out the new nestboxes, Bruce pointed out numerous pairs of bluebirds around us. I believe that he was alerted to them by their sounds and overhead flights. I, on the other hand, observed nothing until he pointed them out.
I have had bluebird houses in my yard for many years but did not appreciate that bluebirds have up to three clutches of chicks throughout the season. As we monitor the nestboxes over the coming months, our task will be to determine if we have active nests and the type of bird in our houses. We might see tree swallows, house wrens, chickadees, or house sparrows. House sparrows are non-native birds that can kill adult bluebirds, so we try to discourage them by removing all nesting material as soon as their nest-building in our boxes begins. Even if we do not see the birds in the nestboxes, we may determine by the nest material or the eggs what type of bird is the occupant. If we have birds other than bluebirds, we leave the nest alone since federal law provides them protections. It should be noted that bluebirds are very tolerant of humans, and our presence will not cause them to abandon the houses.
If we find a bluebird nest in a box, we record the date and number of eggs (one a day), which may be from four to six eggs. The incubation period is from 12 to 14 days. After hatching, the birds will remain in the next 17 to 21 days until the young are fully feathered. Our task is to determine if all the eggs hatch and they are healthy.
Unfortunately, there are predators that target either the eggs or young chicks, so our nestboxes are designed to discourage access by visitors that target them. Each nestbox is mounted on a 5-foot metal pole: electrical conduit and a metal six-inch stovepipe with a lid to keep climbing creatures from the nest.
Our weekly monitoring visits to the nest boxes are done on calm, mild, and dry days. We will take a quick peek inside using a door on the side of the house. Our monitoring efforts are invaluable to efforts to increase bluebirds in our area as well as to determine if the nestbox should be relocated.
After a successful fledging of the young birds, we remove the old nest from the box. Renesting in a box will be encouraged by removing the old nest. Females will build a new nest for their next brood.
The Chattanooga Bluebird Society is a chapter of the Tennessee Bluebird Society and an all-volunteer 501©3 non-profit organization. Founded in 2021, the group builds bluebird houses to place in parks, schools and sells to the public. Teams monitor activity of the houses and report the data to the Tennessee Bluebird Society as well as the Cornell University Lab of Ornithology.
by John Pine
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