"BONEUNIT" wrote in message
...
About the bluebird houses.... I have three and the birds finally have
nested
in one. I was told by my dad a long time ago to clean them out, but do
you
think that is correct? I saw someone mention that they like to cuddle up
in
the houses during the winter, so maybe they need their nests? I also have
flying squirrels but have never seen them in the boxes.

Yes, you should definitely clean them out. Old nesting material can harbor
parasites and once the babies have fledged, the nests are pretty nasty.
Bluebird chicks don't wear diapers, so you can imagine. It's nice for the
birds to start fresh for each brood. Last Spring I had two sets of bluebird
eggs hatch in my bluebird house. I cleaned out the older nest as soon as
the babies were gone and the adult couple were at it again in a couple of
weeks (or maybe it was a different couple - hard to tell). In the winter as
many as 15 bluebirds can congregate in a bluebird house for warmth - but
only for a day or two. The nesting material would just be in the way with
that many birds in there.