FAQsThere's a bluebird nest in my mailbox or newspaper tube

There’s a bluebird nest in my mailbox or newspaper tube


QUICK TIPS: If bluebirds start building a nest in your mailbox or newspaper tube, set up a proper nestbox for them nearby.

Bluebird nest in a pipe. Photo by Keith Kridler of TX


Question: Bluebirds are building a nest in my mailbox or newspaper tube? It’s very inconvenient. What should I do?

Answer: Your bluebirds are probably desperate for a place to raise their young. You can help them!

  • Put up a proper nestbox (designed for bluebirdes) for them with a baffle to protect the contents from predators.
  • Place it as near as possible to the mailbox, with the hole facing east or south.
  • Carefully move the nest into the box (preferably with the bluebirds watching you.) They should go into the box and proceed from there.
  • Then cover your mailbox/newspaper tube with a door or screen or hardware cloth to prevent it from being used for nesting in the future.

NOTE: It is ILLEGAL to destroy the nest of a native bird, or to interfere with babies or adults. You ARE allowed to remove the nests of House Sparrows and Starlings, which are not native, and are not protected by federal law.

MORE INFORMATION:



Bird species either have to change and adapt in an ecological “blink of the eye” to humans and or disease, predators, competitors or change in habitat or they will “wink” out forever.
– Keith Kridler, Bluebird_L, 2010

Categories

Latest Articles