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Seventeen boxes out on two trails that I monitor. I might put up another half dozen but I’m taking it a bit easier this year. The last two seasons I went way overboard and I suspect that more boxes won’t make a whole lot of difference. Placing too many boxes in a compressed area just didn’t produce the results I was hoping for. So instead of ten or twelve boxes (in pairs) at a local retired landfill I’ll limit it to four (two pairs). I’m interested to see if I attempted to crowd them to close. But the Tree Swallows definitely benefitted and I like them almost as well!
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
I get it on taking on too much!
I had to take down 5 of my boxes on a walking trail because it was getting overgrown and house wrens were taking over. The week after we took them down the county mowed it completely down. So I could have left them up. But it was a longer walk to these boxes so I’m not too disappointed. I put up 3 of them up at my house and TRES are investigating. So now I’ have about 11 on my property and only 8 on the walking trail.
The Jeep plant here contacted me last summer though and wanted to put up boxes. They had a Boy Scout make them and then we’ll help put them up. They wanted me to monitor them. I don’t mind doing it a few times a summer but I’m not doing it weekly. Just a couple times a month would be too much I think.Tammy
Tammy your bluebird story sounds similar, at least this season. I was too aggressive the first three years and started to stress out about spending four mornings a week monitoring. Other than a few nest boxes around my property I’ve reduced to two trails (21 boxes total) that I can monitor in a day. I typically just monitor one trail each morning though.
No bluebird activity on my property boxes so far. A Chickadee pair is building a nest in one of five boxes which my wifey can see from her chair in the living room. I haven’t heard any Lil Stinkers in the neighborhood yet. Wifey reminds me they are Mother Nature’s Lil Stinkers and to leave them be!
Today is supposed to be in the mid 60s so I saw a lot of activity on one trail today. Cold spell has hopefully ended but I see some freezing night temps in the next few days. Tree Swallows have arrived in numbers the last few days and I’m happy to see my pairing of boxes is working out. Even the little stinkin Wrens are not filling boxes with sticks on a daily basis though I think that will change : (
One TRES box had a pair actively defending a box from another TRES invader this morning. They were just swooping through the sky with no real aggressive behavior. I love watching them and they seem to tolerate the bluebird pairs in the box nearby. I think there are eleven bluebird eggs so far. A little worried about the first nest box with five. Hopefully they are still viable after our cold weather. I’ll keep an eye on it. When is it safe to assume they are unviable? I won’t do anything with them until I am sure they have been abandoned. Mom and dad are staying close so I think they will be OK.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
On my last two visits to the box with five eggs I’m happy to report a pair has been hanging close to that box on both occasions so I’m hopeful the eggs are viable. 30 degrees last night here. Going to say this quietly for people that hate bugs but I hope they start appearing soon. That pair apparently have found enough food to fuel laying five eggs so I just can’t see the bugs.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
The nest box I referred to previously made it through our cold snap and the little guys fledged a couple days ago. This is my first fledglings in boxes I monitor. No sign of bluebirds or fledglings during my last two visits. I hope they return for a second brood before those little stinkers (wrens) fill the box with sticks!
I now have four nest boxes with varying ages of eggs/hatchlings. Someone mentioned a few days ago about a noticable increase in tree swallows. That’s also the case here. I even have paired boxes about ten yards apart with two pairs of TS nesting. I love the TS but Bluebirds are my preference. Though I don’t get to decide.
WI/MI Border, about 100 miles north of Green Bay
Tim C. WI/MI border.
Congrats and great work Tim! I can’t seem to get a lucky year. Lots of tree swallows which I love very much (lost one adult to hosp attack). I had multiple pairs of bluebirds duking it out this spring on my trail only to end up with a hosp dumping their eggs and chasing them off two attempts! I got the sparrows under control but too late…and kicking myself for bot getting there sooner and putting a spooker up in time. Praying for another pair to give it a chance as I still have one box without tres open and ready.
TimC. Sorry I never answered. I sometimes don’t see these posts. Forget to look and don’t get notifications. It’s no help to you now but I wait at least a week after projected fledge date and sometimes longer just in case my math was wrong to get rid of eggs. I’m very conservative on getting rid of eggs. I also will mark the eggs with a dot of permanent marker, take a photo and go back after a couple of days to see if they are in a different position. Comparing it with the photo I took. Because the parents, (Mom?) rolls the eggs during incubation.
Phillyblue. I’ve been very lax on the Sparrow Spooker and often regret it too! It feels safe when you aren’t seeing very much HOSP action but then they attack.I put some of those boxes on my property that i took off the walking trail and now have 3 EABL nesting in my backyard and 6 TRES nests. I have some of both on the trail too. No dees this year unfortunately.
Tammy
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