To view the answer to each question, just click on the question and the answer will appear below it. Click again on the question to hide the answer. ​If viewing on a smart phone, to scroll through the questions, you must use the space on the right or left side of the questions block.

1. There are 17 bluebird boxes at Windsor Castle Park.  In 2019, there were 28 nest attempts with a total of 131 eggs laid.  How many eggs on average were in each nest attempt? On average, how many nest attempts per box?

Average number of eggs per nest attempt = 131/28 = 4.7
Average number of nest attempts per bluebird box = 26 / 17 = 1.6

2. The Easter Bluebird is the official bird of the states of Missouri and New York in the United States. Do you know the official state bird of our state, Virginia?

The Northern Cardinal, also known as the red bird.

3. Both parents feed and care for the young. During the summer, bluebirds eat grubs, caterpillars, beetles, grasshoppers, crickets, and other insects. What do you think they eat in the fall and winter?

In late fall and winter, they depend on wild fruits, such as crabapples, poison ivy berries, sumac, elderberries, and cedar berries.

4. A bluebird can spot caterpillars and insects in tall grass at the remarkable distance of over 50 yards. The bluebirds sit on an elevated perch while searching for insects.  When one is spotted, they drop to the ground to capture it with their bill. This sit-and-wait technique has a name.  Can you guess what it is?

It is called drop-hunting.

5. Bluebirds have many predators, including snakes, raccoons, ants, squirrels and cats.  What has been added to the bluebird nesting boxes at WCP to reduce predation?

The bluebird boxes are mounted on poles with a baffle made of round metal ducting material that prevents snakes from slithering up the pole and entering the box.  This is called a “stove pipe baffle” and is the preferred baffle of the VBS.  It also protects the nesting box from climbing cats, raccoons and squirrels.  Also, Noel Guards, constructed from 1/2" mesh hardware cloth, have been added to the front of the boxes to deter raccoons, cats and large birds like hawks from preying on the contents of nest boxes.

6. From 1920-1970 there was a major decline in the bluebird population. The bluebird went from being as common as the robin, to being so rare that birders were sure of its inevitable extinction. There were many reasons for the decline.  Can you name some?

Loss of habitat, pesticide use, weather changes, snag (dead tree) removal, and an influx of house cats. Also, the introduction of the House Sparrow and the European Starling into America, both cavity nesters, who are both extremely competitive and aggressive.

7. Bluebirds build their first nest early in April.  How long do you think it takes for them to build the nest? 

Usually bluebirds build their nest in 3-4 days, but it may take as long as 12 days at times.

8. Bluebirds typical lay 5 eggs in each nest attempt, but it may be 2-6 eggs.  Do you think they are laid all at once, or spread out over time?

Bluebirds lay one egg per day after the nest is complete.

9. The female bluebird begins to brood eggs once they have all been laid.  How long do you think it takes before the eggs hatch?

Female bluebirds brood or incubate the eggs for 12-14 days. The babies all hatch on the same day.

10. Both parents feed the baby bluebirds before they fledge.  The male parent feeds the chicks for a period after they fledge.  Can you describe what it means to fledge and how long do bluebirds stay in the nest before fledging?

Bluebird chicks fledge 18 to 21 days after hatching.  To fledge is to develop wing feathers that are large enough for flight. So, literally, the bluebird chicks leave the nest as soon as they are able to fly, and they do not return. The male parent feeds the fledglings for 2 to 3 weeks after they fledge.