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CACH are on the decline lately. Being so small, they get picked on & have lots of failed nestings. Have you looked in that box yet to see what’s going on? Should be able to get hole reducer on with normal screwdriver if box is cedar. Wood is usually pretty soft. Besides that, ditto to what others said. Good luck!
Nicole
Mel, the height of that nest almost looks like it was built on top of another nest, making it very accessible to predators putting arm through hole & pulling out babies. Also agree it looks like a pip mark, not predator. Others here – please chime in – would he need to reduce height of nest after all babies are born or what? Even with that wire mesh (questionable) it seems really tall. You might be okay if you have a baffle underneath nest. Still puzzled about the blues “taking care” of the dees. Keep us posted.
I haven’t looked inside the CACH house since I took that picture. I figure we’re in the premature fledge danger zone right now. I may look today, depending on how the male BB acts.
Hi Mel, congratulations on all the babies! I live in northwest Louisiana too. I’ve heard that Bluebirds will not tolerate Chickadees near them but I’ve had them nest about 20 feet apart for years. The first year I put up a nest box the Chickadees built a nest in it first. I wanted bluebirds so I put up another box nearby and they built in it. They do harass the Chickadees at first but the Chickadees are fast and determined. After a little while the blues don’t seem to mind them. This has been going on for about 12 years. I did put a hole reducer on the Chickadees box. I’ve never heard of Bluebirds taking care of Chickadees though.
-Martha
Hi Bluebirdie!
I’m a bit south of Shreveport.
My first year story is exactly like yours!I went to the Wild Bird Center today for live mealworms. I made a cat food and calcium paste to put on them. I guess I used to much because I think I killed them, a couple dozen out of a 500 ct container. I sprinkled another dozen live ones on top of those, and put them out.
I can’t watch the EABL as closely today.
It definitely looks like one nest on top of another. I hope I’m not nosy but what are your predator guards like?
If you have raccoons or cats that could be real trouble. For snakes I’ve realized it doesn’t matter. I can’t believe what a wimpy half done nest mine laid an egg in today. It’s like 1/3 done!
I stapled fishing line on my houses yesterday evening. (The guy at the Wild Bird Center recommended fishing line, he also told me it was safe to put up a close second house after the dees took my first one.)
And I have a mini poodle, inside dog, supervised outside.
Those are my only predator guards.I live on the perimeter of a new subdivision. Front yard looks suburban, backyard looks rural.
On FB, some of my neighbors have posted pics and video of water moccasins and timber rattlers, field mice (giant mice), and wild hogs. I’ve heard coyotes, and a redtail hawk visits my backyard just about every morning.I took down my mealworm feeder yesterday evening, it looks like half were taken.
Yesterday I saw the male BB tending to both houses.
It’s raining today, if it lets up I plan on checking the EABL house to make sure all the eggs hatched, and remove any that didn’t. If I can safely get my hand in over that tall nest.
Mel, where are you? You many not even have to guard against blowfly. But man! That is a REALLY tall nest and I am worried about that.
Please open that box and see what is going on. An EABL feeding CACH? That would be bizarre. Very bizarre. Just as crazy would be the female EABL laying an egg in there.
New chicks would starve in a day.
Pip mark.
Did I see all of your questions?
Gin
Atlanta, GAdogsandbirds, I live in North Louisiana, z8b.
I believe you answered all my questions. Thanks for answering the morbid question, it’s something I need to know.I checked on the hatchling EABLs, they are 2-3 days old.
Daddy BB spent much more time at his home, much less time with the dee chicks.
The adult dees did stop by today, Papa BB chased them off.
Put out about 4 dozen plain mealworms this morning, only a few left this evening.
My husband will help me clean out the CACH box in a few days.
I’m happy the male EABL chose his family, but I’m preparing myself for CACH tragedy.I would remove that piece that makes the nest so high. It’s a tragedy waiting to happen.
I hope the CACH chicks manage to get enough to eat. Don’t give up hope! You know it’s possible to move their box while they are in it. If you can, install another pole and move the box. The adults should follow if you stay near where it was originally. Maybe moving them a little will be enough for the EABL to start ignoring them.
Gin
Atlanta, GAGin mentioned slick pole with baffle earlier. In order to minimize predators, both boxes should be protected like this. Forgive me if I’m behind. You may have already done this.
Nicole
I second the opinion that no box should be attached to a privacy fence.. we lost mothers and babies years ago due to cats/raccoons climbing the fence.. nothing is worse than waking up one morning to check on the box and seeing a pile of blue feathers underneath the box!!!! This happened years ago and I still remember it! Like Dogsandbirds said.. put it on a greased pole and put a baffle on it.. we used a 5 gallon bucket with a hole in it upside down off center with a zip tie.. works just fine….. The fence is a death sentence sooner or later for birds/babies.
Please Please if you are in the south look at snake guards. I went for years innocently without problems until last year. A rat snake can easily climb up a fence. Hopefully you will luck out this year…it took many years for the snakes to get mine. But when they do, it’s tragic. They take all of them just a few days before fledging. I would be happy to share my hideous Krueger guard contraptions with you (that my HOA hates) LOL!
My husband removed the CACH nest after dinner. The babies had passed away, he said there were 2 or 3 of them and that they still had pinky skin.
Sorry for the sad ending, y’all.
I told my husband that I wasn’t sure if I wanted to do this again, but he said he would help and that he wanted Bluebirds.
We’ll do things differently next year, but will try our luck with our set-up till these nestlings *hopefully* make it.
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