Male bluebird still visiting box after female is gone
Amie Keddy
Hi -- what do I do if the male bluebird is visiting the box, but the female was scared off and two of the four eggs were taken? I don't want to discourage him, and I don't know if I should remove the nest so there can be another brood...is he trying to attract another mate? The female has been missing for a week.
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I recommend cleaning out the box. It's normal for the male to keep coming back to the house after the nest has been abandoned by the female. The female (or any other female) will not reuse the nest. They will often start over once the nest is cleaned out (although not always right away).
Even during the winter, bluebirds will use an empty bluebird house for shelter. So after the summer season, I always make sure my bluebird boxes are cleaned out. Typically, they will not use a box if there is still an old nest in it
I have attached one of my favorite winter bluebird pictures to this post.
I also just added a video of a bluebird waiting out a snowstorm in my backyard on my web page: BluebirdsPlus