Wondering whether now is a good time to set up a bluebird nest box or when they start house hunting?
Any time of year is a good time to put up a bluebird nest box, however most bluebirds start looking for nesting sites in mid February to mid March, and nesting can begin right after that. Your Location whether bluebirds are familiar with your yard can also impact when they start looking.
If it is well past this time or a little too early, don’t worry. You can still put up a bluebird nest box. You may not get action right away, but during the winter time, it can serve as a great roost shelter for bluebirds and downy woodpeckers.
Can I still put a bluebird nest box up in the summer?
Summer can still be a good time to install a bluebird nest box on your property because bluebirds sometimes have bad experiences in a previous nest, or get evicted by other birds. This can lead them to investigate other options including your own nest box.
In fact, this happens all the time. If you do put a nest box up, no matter the season, you will need to be ready to regularly monitor your nest box, and protect it from predators and invasive species.
There is a point during the summer when installing a nest box might be too late to get nesting bluebirds. This is when you hit the end of summer, and when the end of summer is depends a lot on where in the United States you are.
While there have been some outliers, new nesting activity tends to stop completely by the middle of August (sometimes earlier). But there have been reports of a few people discovering new nests as late as September.
Don’t let this discourage you from still setting up a nest box because as we transition into fall and winter, that nest box can be a great shelter for other native birds.
