Another year of nesting is behind us. The babies have fledged, and we are making sure all of the boxes are clean and in good repair for next year.
Our team of volunteers worked hard at visiting the sites, monitoring for issues, and collecting data.
Climate Info for the 2025 Nesting Season
We had close to average rainfall during our spring and summer months. July was an exception, and since we still had plenty of nestlings, we were concerned about losses. The temperatures were slightly warmer in the spring and leveled out until July as well.
Climate graph provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and www.weather.gov.
Climate graph provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and www.weather.gov.
Many of the birds did well this year. One of our boxes had three Eastern Bluebird broods fledge this season. Usually, we only get one or two, so we were happy for the successful late-season babies to leave the nest.
Bluebird Behavior
Of course, the parents were very protective of the young. Not a day passed that the pair of bluebirds didn’t swoop down at us. We were even able to get some footage of them in the process.
Pest Maintenance
We also had to deal with more wasps this season. We prevent wasps from building nests in our boxes by applying Ivory soap in bar form to the wooden surfaces. This prevents the nests from adhering to the wood. Unfortunately, they found a spot not covered thoroughly enough and took over a box.
Thankfully, one of our volunteers keeps bees and had the appropriate gear to deal with the pests. After she donned the jacket and hood, she was able to scrape out the wasp nest and dispose of it without any stings.
Active volunteer, Cheryl Cantlon removing wasp nest in bluebird nesting box. ©2025 A. T. Baron
So, how did our feathered friends do this year? Well, let me show you the stats from both counties.
Nesting Data
Inside The Numbers
These numbers are for all species of birds that used our boxes. We aim for Eastern Bluebird (Sialia sialis). Still, we also get Tree Swallows (Tachycineta bicolor), House Wrens (Troglodytes aedon), Black-capped Chickadees (Poecile atricapillus), and the invasive House Sparrows (Passer domesticus). These birds are cavity nesters, and our boxes provide convenient substitutes for natural cavities.
Of the numbers shown above, Bluebirds attempted 32 nests this season. A nest attempt is any nest with at least one egg present, but we also include nests constructed while monitoring the boxes, even if no eggs were laid, as actively used nests.
The bluebird nests produced 113 eggs, 77 nestlings, and 69 fledglings. Twenty-two of the attempts produced at least one fully-fledged young. That’s a 68.75% success rate.
For the other species of birds, we aided in the fledging of 16 Tree Swallows and 5 House Wrens. We also successfully prevented any House Sparrows from using our boxes by diligently implementing our active deterrent measures.
The Len Anderson Memorial Bluebird Trail has aided in the fledging of 501 Eastern Bluebirds since its inception in 2013. You can find the full collection of stats here.
You Can Help
Do you love birds—especially bluebirds—and sharing their stories? Do you have a nest box or bird feeder in your yard? Are you excited to learn something new from nature? If you’re nodding yes, you’re practically a Bluebird Ambassador already! So, why not make it official with the New York State Bluebird Society?
NYSBS is an excellent organization with knowledgeable bird lovers. Most importantly, we need bluebird lovers like you to help with bluebird conservation and share information with others. Use our Contact page to find out more, or go to NYSBS.org.