If you send me your address, I should be able to send you some seeds of Aster laevis 'Bluebird'. This may not seed exactly true-to-name, but you should get some plants that are very similar to the parent. This plant is still flowering in my garden so the seeds won't be ripe for a while yet.

I second all Jane's thoughts. If you can be prepared, bluebirding is an extremely rewarding experience. Many of us(correction: MOST of us) have had to deal with house sparrows. I can't tell you how many people I've known who, in the first year hosting bluebirds they have success, and for some reason, the house sparrows become a bigger problem in the second year, and people are taken by surprise (or shock) when the house sparrows kill the male in the box, or the female as she incubates eggs, or they smash unattended eggs, or toss the eggs out. In my first experience, a male house sparrow killed 6 newborn hatchlings by pecking them on the head. So if you decide to proceed, just be prepared. Bet's web site, www.sialis.org is a wonderful resource, and we will be here if you need us. Another option is to add hole reducers and host chickadees, if they are in your area. The proper hole reducer will prevent house sparrows from entering. You might want to read up on that at the website linked below. P.S. The little round wooden thing that many bluebird nestboxes come with (some people call them "predator guards") which extends the entrance does not protect anything from predators. BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/

Yes, Lornas, even though you trap the raccoons, other animals are also of concern including snakes. It would be a good idea to move the box now and it can be done if you're careful. All of my nestboxes are mounted on 3/4" electrical conduit with stovepipe baffles to protect from climbing predators. The pole should be located at least 10' away from fences, trees, etc., to prevent animals from jumping to the nestbox. I would remove the nest, carefully, from the nestbox and place it in a shoebox. Cover it with a lid and set it aside until the move is complete. Then remove the nestbox from the fence and mount it to the newly located pole (I have Home Depot or Lowe's cut the conduit at a 7' length and then I pound at least 12" of the pole into the ground). Once the nestbox is mounted, carefully replace the nest and then watch the box from a distance to be certain the parents accept the change. Many of us have learned the hard way that mounting nestboxes to fences and trees may work for a time but eventually the predators catch on. Once a box has been raided, the predator knows where to find an easy meal. It's bad enough to lose eggs or hatchlings to a predator, but a box mounted on fences and trees also puts the breeding pair of birds at risk. Take care and let us know if we can be of further help. Kathy

Linda, If you look at these picture you can see how I put eye screws in the top of the box. Then I tied a couple 3/4 inch washers on the end of the fish line for weight, that's so the line doesn't blow around and get tangled up. You don't want it hanging too close to the opening or there is a risk of the blues getting tangled in it. Then put it through the other eye screws and tie washers on the other end. If you look closely at the second photo you can see where I filed a very narrow notch in the roof so the string hangs in the same place all the time. Just pull it down tight in the notch being carefull not to break it. Also in the first picture you see the silver mylar ribbons hanging on the box. That is the curly gift wrapping ribbon type stuff that you put on Christmas or birthday gifts. It's waterproof and it blows around in the wind. For some reason I can't explain, the sparrows won't go near it. I learned that trick from another Bluebird web site. A woman researcher in CA. discovered that the sparrows don't like it. As far as the screen inside, I left mine in so the nest is off the bottom of the box so it stays dry. There are vents that let the air circulate and that also helps it stay cooler since the box is out in the open sun. I also left the pegs in because the blues will roost on them during cold weather. They didn't seem to be in the way when the adults were going completely inside the box to feed the little ones or to remove the fecal sacs. In the pictures it looks like the box is close to the fence, but it's about eight feet away from it mounted on a pole with a baffle and grease on the pole below the baffle. After the babies fledged I cleaned the box out the next day and the nesting material was free of any bugs and completely dry. Leaving the box just the way I bought it seemed to work just fine so I won't change it. "If it ain't broke, don't fix it" is my motto. I hope this helps you, I had a successful nesting and now the parents are bringing the young ones to my feeder for the mealworms I put out every day. My success is a combination of luck, research and all the help from members of this forum. I hope I get lucky and have another nesting but it's getting late in the season and the nights are already getting pretty cool here in the mountains of eastern WV.