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@BlueDaBaDee That’s terrible news.
If it were me, I would remove the nest from the box that the bluebirds had chosen, if that is what you are asking. Either another pair will use it, or the original pair will start anew.
I would also take down the other nest box so long as it is in sight of the first box.
What I don’t know is what to do about the wrens. I may be misremembering, but didn’t someone mention moving the nest box? I believe the idea was change the layout from the perspective of the wrens as you employ the wren guard anew.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
I guess what threw me is I have only observed the bluebirds in natural sunlight, and there is a clear difference between males and females. I knew the fact about the blue color, but it didn’t occur to me, though it should have, that the colors as seen by the camera in the nest box would be that much different. Anyway, good on you for staying on it and solving the mystery.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
@phillyblues By sheer luck my wife and I chose to live in a neighborhood years ago that fits with my appreciation of plants, bugs, and birds now that I have the time. Your neighbors would hate it, sounds like. My ideal ground cover is not grass but rather Mimosa strigillosa (Sunshine Mimosa). I love Tradescantia ohiensis (Ohio Spiderwort) and its beautiful, short-lived flowers that bloom in the early morning and close by around noon. The relationship between Passiflora incarnata (Purple Passion Vine) and Dione vanillae (Gulf fritillary) is fascinating, watching the larvae consume the vine to the ground and then seeing the vine come back the following spring. I look at wildflowers and what everyone else would call weeds as food or support for insects, or bugs in general. And I look at bugs as . . . bird food!
I’m reminded of a meme — can’t find it now — showing an image of a large beautiful lawn followed by a huge paved parking lot and the caption “What birds see”.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Thoughts here:
I have only very limited experience so far. Of what I’ve seen, the male doesn’t appear to participate at all in the nest building.
Something can be not observed by the vast majority of people but still occur on occasion. And it sounds like what is being observed is indeed very unusual.
Perhaps none of the females want this male at this time, perhaps because his behavior is strange, or because of things only a female bluebird would sense.
My instinct would be to leave things alone and not interfere, if it were me.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Hatch day! All three eggs hatched.
It is 14 days since the 15th, when the third egg was laid.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
@BlueDaBaDee That is terrible.
I don’t know what you can do. FWIW, one hypothesis I developed when dealing with the house sparrows last summer is don’t feed them. I don’t know if that applies to house wrens, except the general idea is don’t accommodate them; whatever they like, take it away from them. I appreciate this probably won’t have any impact if there are many wrens and they are getting what they like from the environment around you.
See what others say about this next point, but you may end up needing to take the nest boxes down until the these individual wrens move on. Again, I’m interested to read what others say.
@tamsea I’m glad you posted on wren guide use. I had missed the point that the purpose is to keep the wrens from finding the nest box entrance in the first place, but not from finding it again after they have found it earlier.- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
Horrible news. Breaks my heart.
I don’t know anything about wren guards, not personally, only what I’ve read and watched on the internet. But I doubt the Bluebirds will have any trouble figuring it out.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
I don’t have any good ideas and I’m interested to see what others say.
I do have one neighbor who has her yard sprayed periodically, but I don’t know anything about the pesticide used. I wasn’t so much concerned about the food for the birds as I was about potential direct harm to the birds. However, we each successfully maintain a nest box and nesting bluebirds.
Only thoughts I have are reaching out to groups like the Audubon Society – you may even have a local chapter – and your state’s Bluebird Society, if you have one. At least, perhaps find likeminded people and go from there pooling ideas and efforts.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
FWIW I was looking for confirmation that a nest can be removed if there are no young or eggs present. It comes down to the definition of active. I found this. The definition is in footnote 2, which essentially states that a nest is active from when the first egg is laid until the young have fledged and are no longer dependent on the nest. The footnote also clarifies that a nest that is being built but does not yet contain an egg is inactive. A nest containing nonviable eggs is also inactive.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
I’m interested to see what others say. Legally, you should not interfere with the house wren nest, correct? Could you block the house wrens from finishing a nest in that box if they are only showing interest at this point? Would that be likely to send the house wrens to the bluebird nest box? That’s what I’m asking myself. Note sure what I would do.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
The stovepipe should do the trick as far as the snakes. We have a blacksnake that lives in the area and comes around periodically, and I saw it just a couple weeks ago. It’s sort of tough on my mind, because I like having the wildlife around, and I’m happy to have the black snake as well. Anyway, the stovepipe baffle I have on our nest box seems to be keeping the snake in its lane, or the lane I prefer it stay in anyway.
- Ira / Coastal NW Florida
