Two years ago I put in a Bluebird nesting box and was rewarded when a pair moved in within a month of it being up. I read about requirements on placement and put it in a fairly open spot, faced it SE, and positioned it about 20-30 ft from an oak to give fledgelings a reachable goal.

Now it is two years on and I have shrubs and trees in my yard that are starting to mature and the Bluebird box, while still clear for the moment, is becoming surrounded. For example, there is an American Beautyberry, Callicarpa americana, growing up the back side of the pole suporting the box. The top growth of the Beautyberry is about the same height as the box, and this is after cutting the bush back to 6" stems in Feb. Will there be a point when nearby shrubs and small trees are just too close for the nesting pair to use the box? Or will the pair, the same pair that moved in two years ago, accept that their home is becoming a part of the landscape?