Thursday, February 23, 2012

What are the advantages of the Peterson’s Bluebird House?

With the approach of spring the Eastern Bluebirds are beginning to search actively for places to nest. If you live in the country, near an open field or around a golf course that has open spaces and trees, you have a very good chance of attracting a nesting pair of bluebirds to your property.

Eastern Bluebirds are cavity nesters and prefer to nest in abandoned woodpecker nests or tree hollows. However with suburban growth, bluebirds natural hunting fields were reduced and old tree snags were eliminated.  

Wild Birds Unlimited - East Lansing, MI has several styles of functional bird houses that help bluebirds find a place to nest. The Peterson bluebird house, designed by Dick Peterson of Brooklyn Center, MN is a relatively new design that is becoming more and more popular.

Special features of the Peterson’s house at Wild Birds Unlimited:
• The steep roof and its overhang prevent predators from reaching into the entrance hole and also keeps out bad weather.
• The heavy cedar construction provides insulation to moderate temperature extremes within the box.
• An opening between the door and roof and holes in the side walls allows ventilation.
• The narrow width of the house is preferred by bluebirds and the small floor size may expedite nest completion.
• A larger oval-shaped opening mimics natural woodpecker opening and is attractive to bluebirds.
• The front panel swings open easily for easy monitoring and cleaning and there are drainage holes in the bottom of the nestbox.
• They are built to NABS (North American Bluebird Society) specifications.
• And made in Michigan from discarded western red cedar pieces that are hand sorted.

The housesare easy to mount on our Wild Birds UnlimitedAPSbirdhouse pole or a fence post approximately five feet above the ground. Just make sure to space them at least 100 to 150 yards apart.

Past research has found the birds prefer the early morning sun coming in the front of the house as it faces east, away from prevailing winds and facing towards a tree or shrub. Trees and shrubs provide a perching area for the bluebirds to hunt bugs and a landing spot for the young bluebirds when they first leave the house.

If you have Tree Swallows in the area mount a second house not more than 10 feet awayfrom the other box to deter bluebird/swallow fights. This "pairing" allows both songbirds to nest close together successfully and team up to scare away predators. 

The Peterson bluebird house is a wonderful example of design and function that meets the needs of birds and bird watchers alike. It provides an excellent home for birds to raise their little babies and is simple to mount and maintain.

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