Our dedicated group of volunteers monitored the boxes weekly, collecting data to enter into NestWatch.org to keep track of success rate and patterns over the years.
Charismatic and colorful cavity nesters, Eastern Bluebirds are a favorite of bird experts and novices alike. Males are a bright blue on their back, head and wings, with an orange throat and breast, and females are slightly less vibrant, with more patches of white on the face and breast. Keep an eye out for the juvenile bluebirds in the spring; their blue feathers are spotted with gray at the ends and often are fluffier in appearance with downy feathers.
Bluebirds will often stay together as a family group through the year around our property, as they are non-migrants. We are happy to have so many bluebirds call Deer Pond Farm home!
They often nest in open, human-modified habitats like overgrown farm fields, grassy openings, and hay fields. Because they nest in tree cavities, bluebirds will readily nest in human-made nest boxes adjacent to these open areas.
Bluebirds are insectivores in the spring and summer, and granivores and frugivores in the winter, eating berries and visiting bird feeders for seeds. Their ideal habitat requirements are primarily open fields, sparsely populated with trees. Deer Pond Farm’s main campus and meadow habitats are maintained to support our breeding population of eastern bluebirds, and other cavity nesting birds.
We have a dedicated group of volunteers who monitor our bluebird boxes carefully and cautiously, giving the bluebirds plenty of space to feel safe enough to nest. We follow NestWatch nest monitoring protocols and report all findings to NestWatch at the end of the breeding season.
26 Bluebirds fledged from 10 nests.
35 Bluebirds fledged from 17 nests.
52 Eastern Bluebirds fledged. One nest box was destroyed by Black Bears. The installation of much stronger recycled PVC boxes was installed in replacement of the lost traditional cedar boxes.
30 bluebirds fledge. Seven nest boxes were destroyed by Black Bears
Bluebird cedar nest boxes were installed in CT.
