Bluebird Nest Boxes Available

To greet the early spring arrival of Idaho's State Bird, the Mountain Bluebird, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game is offering a limited number of bluebird nest boxes for $7 each. Each nest box comes with a bluebird information sheet and plans to build your own box. Funds collected from the nest box sale are used to maintain the Lewiston Wildlife Habitat Area located near the Fish and Game office. Fish and Game volunteers constructed the cedar nest boxes. Bluebirds nest throughout Idaho in higher elevation meadows, forested areas and open ridges in mountainous regions. However, many trees with suitable nesting holes have been cut for firewood or taken by aggressive non-native species like the European starling and English house sparrow. Many bluebirds never find nest sites, so man-made nest houses can help fill the natural nest-site shortage. Because bluebirds seldom nest in urban areas, boxes should be placed far from any building or community. In urban areas, nest boxes are likely to attract highly aggressive bluebird competitors such as starlings or house sparrows. Bluebirds are territorial, so boxes should be placed at least 100 yards apart. Protect boxes from prevailing winds and the hot afternoon sun by mounting them on the north or east side of mounting posts or trees. For more information on Idaho's bluebirds or volunteering for Fish and Game, contact the Clearwater Region Office, 3316 16th Street, Lewiston, 83501, 799-5010.