Did hole guardian scare away my bluebird pair?

[Skyonitsback]

I put a 1 1/4 inch long hole guardian on my hole because woodpeckers had chewed at it and also because I read (on Etsy, not a reliable source) it helped deter sparrows. I didn’t think it could do any harm. But now, I read (on Sialis, reliable source) that evidence on trails shows bluebirds do not pick boxes with hole guardians and will even abandon a nest if one is installed. Aargh! My pair arrived a few weeks ago, checked out the box, and haven’t been back since. I feared it was the fishing line I’d put up, but now I worry it was the hole guardian (which I removed as soon as it occurred to me it was causing problems.) Can anyone comment? Thank you! Feeling very sad without my birds this year!

[Carol – Mid-Mo.]

When I have had to use a a “guardian” because something (squirrels or woodpeckers?) had chewed up the hole & made it larger, I put on the same 1 1/2 inch (using about 1/4″ thick wood) size piece to cover up the chewed hole – dear hubby has lots of shop equipment and has a drill that will make exact size round holes. Maybe others here have had some experience with this. P.S. What we have put on is a “round” hole guardian – Believe there may be other “long” types ?????

[Skyonitsback]

Right. Yours was 1/4 inch thick but mine was 1 1/4 inches. We have 1/4 inch thick ones at the community garden boxes, and those are fine. But this was more like a little tunnel.

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