Hello svDousman. Great to see you have an eastern bluebird pair. The second hole is not a big deal. To prevent predation of the nest the best thing you can do is put the box on a slick metal emt pole with a stovepipe baffle. There are actually two hole boxes you can buy because they help better protect against house sparrow attacks giving a bluebird inside under attack an escape hole. There are other ways to protect against them too like a sparrow spooker. Does the box open? The nest should be checked a few times a week to make sure all is ok. Yes the birds will return each year to the same box if they were successful previously. I would like to invite you to share your story and join the blue bird nut cafe forum. It is similar to this website but much more active and if you post your question there, you will get more help and answers. Hope to see you there. http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/ -Tyler

pife, Painting nestboxes is not necessary, but if you want to preserve the wood, you only need to paint the outside. To keep them cool, use a light color. Painting the exterior of the box white or light tan (before nesting season begins) can help reduce interior temperatures. Here is a great site for reference about nestboxes, safe setup, and monitoring. You can also do a site search there for more info about paint and nestboxes. BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/index.html

Meant to tell you that I love Fairhope- such a charming little town. I would think that if the female isn't going in to lay anymore eggs or to incubate them, that they're not going to move forward at that location for right now. Are you sure she's not going in there? It could be that the Chickadees are hesitant to move forward wondering if the bluebirds are going to come back. If you know that the bluebirds aren't entering the box, my sense would be to remove the eggs & nest. If you don't have any continued activity or new activity, I would definitely get the box out of the tree & on that pole you purchased. I guess you could wait until your pole & baffle arrive- & if no changes, remove material & put the box on the pole with baffle at least 15 feet from tree, but close to it since it's a location they seem to like. I would put any houses that you have on a pole. You could actually move the baffle around according to where you have activity. The golf course side could be another desired location, since it sounds like it may be more open, which is what bluebirds seem to like. How awesome would that be if you had Chickadees in one location & bluebirds in another! As far as the snake repellant, maybe it is ok if it's herbal (& powder at that). I thought that what I sprayed last year should be harmless, but 2 of the fledgelings couldn't yet fly, so they were hopping around in my courtyard for 2-3 days until they died. They were so adorable! I actually took the last one to a rehabber when I realized that it seemed stressed & wasn't accepting food from the parents. As soon as we pulled up to the location, the baby died. It took me about a month to get over losing them. One died in the box, too. Again, wondered if was due to the spray that I used. My neighbor saw the one that flew out into my front yard a few days after it fledged & it seemed fine. Just not going to chance using that spray again during nesting season. You're right though- it's so hard to know exactly what to do because all we want to do is help them, not harm them. If you get a chance, would love to hear what happens. Again, great experts on bluebird nut.com. Nicole

Hi Catherine- No, it is not too late to have your house up for bluebirds. I have that plastic wall up on one side for viewing, but I can open the other side for cleaning it out. You could get bluebirds for a 2nd or 3rd brooding according to where you are. My bluebirds just completed their 2nd nest today- 1st brood fledged ~ 2 1/2 weeks ago. You could also get Chickadees if they have had failed nestings so far, which happens a lot. If you do get bluebirds to nest, put up a wren guard after that 1st egg has been laid. You can actually make one out of cardboard from a cereal box. If you don't know what that is, there should be plenty of info online for you to follow. Very easy to do! I don't have wrens, but do have house sparrows, so I put up a sparrow spooker after 1st egg has been laid. If you don't get anything this season, be patient for next season. According to where you are, would get your box up by February because they start shopping around that time. I keep mine up all year in case they need to roost in winter, but check from time to time so you don't get mice, etc. Good luck! Nicole