If you enjoy bluebirds, chickadees and other cavity-nesters, it's not too early to begin planning for the upcoming nesting season. On a few recent warm days, I've heard bluebirds singing, and I watched a pair inspect a nest box.
Nothing brings greater satisfaction than providing nest boxes for cavity-nesters.
Feeders may attract more species and far more individual birds, but nest boxes allow us to directly improve nesting success. The insights I've gain by observing birds' private lives just can't be had from books or journal articles. And I've never found a better way to ignite children's interest in nature and conservation. When natural cavities are in short supply, cavity-nesters sometimes move into a new nest box, even if it is hung well into the nesting season. A better approach, however, is to plan ahead and hang boxes in February or early March, so birds have a chance to accept them as part of the natural environment.