Dear Birdsquatch:

This sounds crazy, but I swear there were two daddy bluebirds in my nest box this summer. I saw only one female, but two males regularly brought food to the nestlings. Do you think Mrs. Bluebird had two husbands? Did she lay eggs from both males?

—Elza B., Mill Valley, California

This is a topic of some debate among nest box researchers. Messy, dropping-covered old nests should definitely be removed for health reasons. Some researchers believe that a bit of nesting material inside a box enhances its attractiveness to prospecting pairs of birds. Others claim that nest building is an important part of the courtship and breeding process and so we should allow our tenants to build their own nests.

Dear Birdsquatch:

My girlfriend and I have been saving our cats' fur from their brush so we can put it out for birds who are building nests. What's the best way to attract birds to our balcony so that they can find and use it? What's the best receptacle for the fur?

—David F.,
Minneapolis, Minnesota

Dear Birdsquatch: I want to put up some wood duck boxes in my large, wooded backyard. However the nearest body of water (a wooded pond in a county park) is more than a half-mile away from my property. Am I being foolish? Do I need to ask permission to put the boxes on the park property where the pond is?

—Dawn, Who is Desirous of Ducks
Lawton, Oklahoma

Hey Furball:

I want to give the birds some natural nesting material this spring. Can I put out the long gray hairs that were just cut from my head? I decided it was time to lose the mullet. I’m looking for enlightenment here. You’re so hairy I figured you’d know.

—Dandy Dan
Hattiesburg, Mississippi