A singing male Eastern Bluebird is among the many pairs of bluebirds that benefit from bird houses and nest boxes provided by birders across the continent (photos by Paul Konrad).

The 3 species of bluebirds are among the most popular cavity nesting birds. Found only in North America, these small beautiful songbirds that sing crisp sweet songs have clearly been the most attractive cavity nesting birds among birders who add nest boxes to their property. Bluebirds have captured the attention of some birders to the point that local clubs, and state and national societies have been formed especially to benefit bluebirds, and provide the best information about how to benefit cavity nesting birds as a whole, primarily by providing artificial nesting cavities in the form of nest boxes and bird houses.

The ultimate interest among birders who provide bird houses (also known as nest boxes) is for the birds that nest in their bird houses to be successful in their nesting attempts each year. Bluebirds have probably benefited more from the actions of interested and concerned birders than any other group of birds – Eastern Bluebirds, Western Bluebirds, and Mountain Bluebirds. In fact, with a scarcity of natural cavities and woodpecker-excavated cavities, nest boxes provided by birders have made a huge contribution to the conservation and expansion of bluebird populations. These nest boxes have also benefited other cavity nesting birds, especially Tree Swallows.

People who get started with a successful bluebird nest box experience tend to want to expand the number of nest boxes they install and manage. Actually, some birders may start with a smaller bird house made for wrens or chickadees, and before long, they try to attract bluebirds – and they might even graduate to adding a much bigger Wood Duck nest box. Yes, it can have a somewhat addicting effect, but in a good way, with individuals installing, monitoring, and caring for a variety of nest boxes annually.

How productive are some of the many nest boxes being monitored by 70 Ohio Bluebird Society members? We found out that a recent OBS annual fledgling count, including Eastern Bluebirds and a variety of other cavity nesting birds – produced a minimum of the following numbers of fledglings per species:

- 5,803 Eastern Bluebirds

- 5,698 Tree Swallows

- 1,973 House Wrens

- 74 Carolina Wrens

- 75 Black-capped Chickadees

- 99 Carolina Chickadees

- 65 Prothonotary Warblers

- 7 Great Crested Flycatchers

- 33 Wood Ducks

- 118 American Kestrels

- 2,149 Purple Martins

The above information came from the Ohio Bluebird Society’s website at Home - Ohio Bluebird Society

Today, there are Bluebird Societies in at least 16 states that benefit bluebirds and other cavity nesting species. Although the list may not be complete, you can check for a Bluebird Society near you at the Bluebird Restoration Association of Wisconsin’s website at Bluebird Resources | Info Links (braw.org) There are national and North American organizations too, including the North American Bluebird Society at North American Bluebird Society (nabluebirdsociety.org) and Sialis (the genus name for bluebirds) at Resources & Links - Sialis.org: Info on Bluebirds & Other Small Cavity Nesters Both of these groups provide a wealth of information for anyone interested in bluebirds, bird houses, nest boxes, and cavity nesting birds.

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