Bluebird Monitoring

• Bluebirds begin building their nests (here it's usually pine straw) around end of March.

• Visit (Monitor) your box every week during the brood. Note the progress of activity, counting eggs, then hatchlings, and fledglings and the dates of each.  A box not monitored may do more harm to bluebirds than good. 

• Keep records.  Knowing when the eggs were laid will help you determine if they are infertile, or when they should hatch and when the young would be expected to leave the nest. 

• One egg is laid each day until the entire clutch (usually 4 to 6 eggs) is complete.  Incubation then begins lasting usually 12-14 days.  After hatching, chicks will remain in the nest for about 17-21 days.  

• Monitoring chicks progress after about 12-13 days should be done at a distance.  Otherwise chicks might jump or fly out prematurely from the box if you open the side door.

• After the complete fledge or unproductive infertile eggs unhatched remove the nest (putting in a bag and disposing off-site), cleaning the box completely and spreading diatomaceous powder.

• You may have 2 or 3 broods in a season.  

• Please REPORT the results of each brood on the South Carolina Bluebird Society form which you have received.  The form should be sent, scanned, taken, mailed or whatever means to our President Joan Miller at emiller305@comcast.net or 860-436-7849.

• It is extremely important to gather this data on how many nestlings hatch and how many of those successfully fledge.  The South Carolina Bluebird Society (SCBS) tracks the status of local Eastern Bluebird populations over time. For example, the SCBS notes that they “aided in the fledging of over 20,000 bluebirds, with nearly 6,000 birds [in one year] alone.” 

• In short: by reporting your fledgling results you’re not just fulfilling a form — you’re contributing to scientific monitoring, helping refine conservation strategies, building a statewide picture of bluebird health, and supporting the mission of the SCBS. If you skip reporting, you still help that nest box locally, but the broader value (comparative data, larger analyses, pattern detection) is lost.