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I’ve NEVER had hasp and my pair seemed to be happily building their nest. I went out of town a few days and found a trashy nest with 4 hosp eggs in it. I quickly dispatched the whole nest but is there any chance the blues will come back? I didn’t have my sparrow spooked up yet because there were no eggs when I left town. I am beyond devastated.
Lisa, I find that having more than one box is very helpful if at all possible. My pair of blues have been here all winter (plus some of their juveniles) and at least a month ago they claimed one of their favorite boxes. I have had quite a few HOSP also, and they tried to get this box “saved” but my papa blues would not have it and the HOSP then proceeded to build a nest in my 3 other boxes. This keeps him busy and the blues are guarding their box very hard. I believe this one male HOSP did the building in all 3 boxes, just waiting for a female to like one. But today I saw a female on this one box so I will be keeping watchful eye out as to when to set my VanErt trap tomorrow. Earlier when the HOSP tried to claimed the blues’ box, I was able to capture one (after the female showed around) and hope to be able to do the same now. Short and long of it is I believe more than box is definitely helpful if you have the room and with 300 foot, you would.
Lisa, I caught my 2nd male HOSP this morning – saw him with a female going in & out of one box which he had built so went out and set the VanErt & within 15 minutes HE WAS HISTORY! Hope you have luck with this theory – it may take a while, maybe not even this year, but it will work! It took me a while to realize not to get in too big a hurry to set the trap – need to have the female around & then he works really hard on the nest. Once in a while I will catch a female (which I don’t like to do), but 3 out of 4 times will be that evil male.
Carol, they CAME BACK! Busily building a nest today. I am SO tempted to put up my sparrow spooked before the first egg.
Lisa, I don’t believe you should put up the spooker prior to the first egg – the parents may reject it and move elsewhere. Unless you are sure they are your same pair and were used to a spooker last year. Still . . . . . very chancy. Sure good news that they came back though.
OK, will let you know if it works out. At least I have my spooker all renovated and ready to deploy…
I am a a total idiot. So last night I opened the box to see if the blues were building and startled a pair of brown headed nuthatches. Not HOSP at all. I feel terrible.
Don’t feel terrible. The nuthatches will leave as soon as their young have fledged and then you can prepare for your blues again. They will find you.
David
Stafford, VADavid, the blues were so nosy going in to the nuthatches house all day today! It was so funny! The blues stand on the roof when they are chased out.
I have a new appreciation for the nuthatches. They are scrappy little things but not at all violent appearing. Plus, the blues found their mealworm feeder today and were happy to find it full.
The reason I feel awful is that I mistook the first nuthatch nest with eggs as a HOSP nest. I took it out. #lawbreakingsongbirdkiller
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