No but I'm going to be testing two of them this spring.... it has a hole similar to a Gilwood style, but a flared body (smaller at base) and is roomier inside. Let us know what you get in it please! Bet from CT

We have been blessed to have bluebirds nest in our bluebird house for several seasons now. When I noticed the male and female tending to the box this spring, I took a photo of the nest which showed 5 perfect bluebird eggs (4/29). Two - three days later we noticed that the pair was no longer tending to the nest. The male began to charge at his image in our windows all day every day. The female could be seen at the suet feeder from time to time but not at the bluebird house. A closer check of the house revealed a clump of pinestraw protruding from the entry and so I checked the nest. It appeared that the eggs had been stolen (by raccoons?) and only a small piece of shell was left. The birds were no longer tending to the nest and so I cleaned it out and the pole was greased with cayenne pepper to deter raccoons. Another few days went by and I noticed that the pair was tending to the box again. I waited a few more days and took a photo on 5/10 of the new nest which showed 4 white eggs in it. Ever since then the female bluebird has been diligent in tending the nest, but the male rarely goes to it. I checked the box again today 6/7 and the eggs have not yet hatched. It seems that the hatching is overdue. Are these indeed bluebird eggs? I will avoid removing anything from the nest but I'm just curious about might be going on here. Any advice? The photo from 5/10 is attached.

According to where you are, they could start nesting as early as March. They may already be shopping around. After the nest is built & 1st egg is laid (usually blue- if white with dark speckles, that's a HOSP egg), I put up a sparrow spooker & haven't had a problem with HOSP invasion yet (& they are EVERYWHERE). If the HOSP keep trying to set up shop, you'll need to set up a Van Ert trap inside the house. You can find these items online. If HOSP really become a problem, many people use ground traps & use a decoy & millet seed to attract others. There's a great site that explains it all (can't think of name right now, but should find it through Google.) Sounds like you have a good chance to get bluebirds to nest this year. Lastly, they may be looking for a place to roost at night if it's really cold where you are right now. Good luck!

Congrats on eggs! Would definitely put up a sparrow spooker now. It's the best known way to keep HOSP from invading. You can make one because it takes about a week to order through mail. The fishing line can stay on all season, but the spooker only needs to stay up from 1st egg to fledge. Sialis site is the best resource. Has helped me many times! Like vamanos mentioned above, the only sure way to avoid HOSP invasion is to trap them. You can get a van Ert trap put into the box the HOSP are interested in & trap them one by one. The DRTS is an even more serious way to trap. Again, Sialis outlines all of this. Biggest piece of advise: don't let HOSP nest with you or you'll never get rid of them. As you probably know, they are not native & have caused many problems with our native birds (i.e.- EABL, CACH, etc). By law you are able to trap them/dispose of them & remove their nests, eggs, & young. I know it sounds harsh, but it's a personal choice. Best f luck! Nicole