An eastern bluebird perched atop an old nesting box in rural Pennsylvania. Photo: The Bridgeville Athletic Association is selling hand-made birdhouses at ballpark concession stands throughout the spring and summer.
The proceeds benefit the Athletic Association, while the birdhouses benefit species like the eastern bluebird, which rebounded from a state-wide population decline thanks to Pennsylvanians mounting nesting boxes like these in their backyards and public spaces.
“The best time to erect a bluebird box is right now,” says Joe Kosack, of the Pennsylvania Game Commission. “The earlier a nest box is placed afield or in a yard, the better its chances are of attracting bluebirds.”
A box is best placed on a post—not a tree trunk—four to six feet off the ground in direct sunlight, Kosack says. Preferred locations are open backyards, meadows, near fencerows or agricultural fields, and around cemeteries or athletic fields. Boxes placed too close to houses and other buildings, waterways and wetlands, or forested and brushy areas will attract nesting competitors and predators.
The BAA birdhouses are $15 each.
Gets yours at the concession stand during local baseball, softball, or T-ball games.