- This topic has 56 replies, 11 voices, and was last updated 1 year, 10 months ago by
.
-
Posts
-
Hi all– so we have four eggs now. Mama BB started incubating a day or two ago. Papa is running off the cardinal pair that show up and get too close or try to eat their live mealworms. He also runs off the squirrels! It’s entertaining to watch. Papa lets Mama BB have most of the live worms (the one last year ate his share). He still taps on the window every morning. I’m amazed by these birds’ dedication; Mama sits or stands with her head sticking out of the birdhouse and Papa keeps watch on a branch nearby. They have a spot on the edge of the roof where they wait together while I fix the worms, then as soon as I go inside she swoops down to eat. She’s such a little thing, maybe on the younger side? It’s hard to believe four eggs could fit in there! I’d post a pic if I could figure out how to do it– looked at the Imgur thing but couldn’t figure out which one to download or how it works. Wonder if video clips can be posted here?
Lisa
Thanks, enjoying this camera. She laid the 5th egg today. Hopefully that’s it, going to be a packed house.
Proud Mama. Say Cheese!
6?? That’s the most I ever seen. I’m sure they know what they are doing but I’m worried about the room. Going to be cramped.
Carol I’m sure they were come if you’ve have them before. Maybe something happened to the previous or they found a new house? If so, I’m sure some new one’s will come eventually. Good luck.
My pair just started their nest today. I think that they have been waiting out the weather, as we have had a very cold and changeable Spring. Since January we have had a couple weeks of teens to 40’s, then a week of 50s and 60s, then back to cool again. This past couple of weeks we have had 60’s and 70’s with a few days in upper 80’s and yesterday it hit 90 before dropping back to the 60’s again. Today the pair were carrying nesting material to the box and have the basic circle started. I am having to restart my mealworm farm. A combination of COVID and cold basement due to inability to use my woodstove (cracked chimney liner) froze them out. I only have a couple mealworms hundred left (no beetles) to start again.
Dave do you have an in-box camera there? You are getting some nice photos.
Happy Birding everyone!
David
Stafford, VANice. Glad they came back.
It’s a Blink camera. It’s nice, small and light and it runs on batteries so you don’t charge it. It’s cool to peek in at night, first time I’ve seen a bird a night.
Hello! I posted here once last year and was grateful for the welcoming responses. I had a male blue at one of my feeders a few weeks ago and have not see him since. A pair of HOSPs have claimed the box that my blues had last summer. I’ve removed 2-3 nests and eventually decided to open the hatch to see if that will force them to go find a new place. However, they keep returning and sitting on the roof.
So, I am having a very hard time with the idea of killing them, even with my love of the blues. However, I am getting to the point of willingness. So, what happens once a Van Erp traps them in the box? I have heard people will get them into a plastic bag and swing them into a tree or something? How do you do it humanely? I don’t even like the kill ants that come into my house, lol (I am finally over that I think)
Hi, Flipper & welcome! No, I was exactly like you when I first was informed (about 15 years ago) of the damage HOSP can AND WILL do to to our blues & other birds. I don’t like to kill anything. However, after years and years of bluebirding I know the importance of getting rid of the HOUSE sparrows (not other kinds of sparrows). I trap them with my VanErt and after they are trapped in the box I remove them and humanely dispose of them with one VERY HARD smack in a plastic bag, takes less than one second if you hit the sack very hard on something VERY solid, like cement. Good luck.
What happens if they don’t die on the first try? I know, try again but what an awful way to go.
Once they are trapped, how do you make sure they don’t escape when you need to get them out?
PS. Thank you for understanding!!
to keep them from escaping, i through a clear plastic recycling bag over the whole box and cinch it up. i found out at the bluebird conference other people use laundry bags. When you open the box the bird flies out but is caught inside the bag.
i wear gloves when i euthanize sparrows, here is a link with options:euthanizing sparrows
Chris
In upstate New York- we have two boxes full of blue eggs and a third nest with a pair of newly weds putting the finishing touches on their nest!
But remember the best way to attract blues is to feed them all year! Then you are guaranteed to host them in the spring!!!
https://bluebirdnut.com/wp-content/plugins/wp-monalisa/icons/BlueBirds-baby3.gifChris
Rochester, NYN
Never seen so many house sparrows as this year…and I have gotten rid of hundreds over the past few years. Up to 10 just this week. Almost had another today but my laundry bag had the slightest.of holes in it. Amazing how they find any hole in an instant! Thankfully they are right back at it. My neighbors up the street have about 10 feeders full of that costco special waste seed. So frustrating.
What kind of area do you live in? Rural? Suburbs?
My place is somewhat rural. I have woods as part of a horse farm across the street. Woods across a creek behind me. A flower farm across a meadow and a creek to the right and my only real neighbor to the left about 500 ft or so with a big yard with some scattered trees between us. I live on about 2.75 acres of land.
I see house sparrows every now and again, I scare them off when ever I do. I’m a freelance designer so I have the luxury of working from home and can monitor things. During the winter there were quite a few around going for mealworms I leave for the blues. There were some around in spring sniffing around the houses (I have 3 up). I would go out looking like an idiot yelling at them, fortunately there is nobody to see besides some cars driving by. The blue birds were good about chasing them off their box, which they’ve had to do a handful of times this year, if that. When I scare them away they usually fly toward the flower farm. They just put up a ton of bird houses a couple years ago and I’m scared they are over there breeding like mad. For about three weeks now I really haven’t seen a male house sparrow. I’ve only seen one female that occasionally tries to get mealworms, but thats it. They haven’t even been bothering the tree swallows who just started building their nest right in front of my house. Last year was kinda the same way, by the time breeding season got going they were really never to be seen. Hoping my neighbors at the farm got educated and started killing them. Hope I don’t have to start doing it, I have a box trap.
Hi all, we now have four babies born three days ago. They’re all doing well. I’m rationing live mealworms and trying to figure out what kind of powdered calcium to get. The local pet store has a reptile version with vitamin D added. Is that ok or should I order plain calcium carbonate powder online?
Here’s a pic if I can get it to post—
- You must be logged in to reply to this topic.