Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

• Why is the bluebird the New York State Bird ? Read about it here.
• My nestlings died, what happened ? Hard to know exactly without being there, please see our emergency info
• What can I do about wrens ? Move your boxes further away from trees, and/or put up boxes just for the wrens
• What can I do about house sparrows ? Please see our emergency info
• Why is the bluebird pecking at my window/mirror ? Bluebirds are territorial and see their reflection as a rival
• Are the bluebirds I see in the fall, the same ones that nested in my boxes over the summer? Probably as bluebirds tend to stay in the general vicinity of where they raised their broods, but banding is the only way to know for sure.
• How can I work safely around the nest boxes when the boxes are occupied by European Paper wasps? How can I prevent wasps in the nest boxes? Does PAM really work? Does soap work? (Gordon's Horse Stable Spray...this is a joke!) We do NOT recommend using chemicals inside nestboxes. Check weekly, especially on cool mornings to get the drop on wasps.
• What is the best method recommended by NYSBS for blowfly larvae control? When should nests be changed? Check every 3 to 4 days after hatching, completely replace the nest if there are a lot of larvae under the nest.
• Why am I finding unhatched eggs in the nestbox or dead birds when it's not unusually cold or wet? Hard to say *exactly*, but its not unusual for some mortality among nestlings or infertile eggs.
• Do birds clean out dead babies or unhatched eggs? They may remove unhatched eggs (or they’ll get trampled). At best they may build a nest over dead babies. You’re best off pulling the nest out once nesting has completed.