… They’re not just for feeders!

That’s mom. bluebird feeding nestlings as dad looks on from his favorite perch – sorry about the poor photo quality. The houses appear closer than they really are, and there are two schools of thought on this: Pairing houses 10-15 feet apart will sometimes eliminate competition for the nest box, while the other is that bluebird houses should be at least 100 feet apart as they’re very territorial birds.

But this setup has seemed to work well in our yard over the years, as titmice or chickadees claim the wooden box, while bluebirds always go to the Gilbertson first. That’s actually a heat shield wrapped around the house, as temperatures were sweltering during the blue’s last brood. One of those car windshield heat deflectors… easy to cut and works perfectly!

Not only for feeders, a squirrel baffle offers protection for eggs and nestlings. Raccoons and squirrels are less likely to mess with babies inside a house if they’re baffled. Curiously puzzled and blocked! In all sizes and shapes, for poles, posts, or hanging, squirrel baffles work when used correctly. This entails sizing up any “horizontal launch point” which is just making sure the furry acrobats can’t jump sideways from anything that would allow access to the house or feeder. Remember the crafty critters’ sideways jumping capability is about ten feet!