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So sorry Connie – I have never had any dees around here so don’t know their habits. Sure a shame about your two blue eggs – hope they try again. Yes, I believe your mama blue was trying to protect her eggs – amazing how bird habits mimic those of us humans when it comes to protecting their young!
Lisa, your post was quite a lesson for me. I never realized nuthatches would nest in a BB box – never heard this before. SO, when I discovered a nest with 1 egg in it, which sure looked like a HOSP nest, I studied for about an hour, looking at pictures and information on the nuthatch nests, to be sure before I set my VanErt trap. Well, I was convinced it was HOSP and this morning I caught the HOSP, which unfortunately was the female. But like I say, it takes two to tango!
I do have one box which I am pretty sure has a bluebird nest in it. I’m glad they are waiting a while to lay 1st egg, as we had a cold spell the past two days, but supposed to warm up all this week here in Mid-central Missouri. Something good to do while we are stuck at home.
Wow, Connie, how exciting! Surprised she stopped at two eggs, though, but like you say, 2 is better than nothing. I do have a BB nest ready for an egg, but none yet. HOWEVER, there is one less HOSP as of 30 minutes ago when I caught a female – sure rather rid the males, but it takes two to tango!
At least we have something good to do with our extra time at home.
Dana. I really don’t want to go into details on disposing – you need to use a sack to get him out of the box (put the sack over the whole box & open door & let him fly up into the sack and then grab the sack where the bird is & hold your hand together on the sack. It then doesn’t take but a split second to dispose of him. I have LOTS & LOTS of them here in the wintertime & into spring. If you do manage to “relocate” it, there will be more – and a mile or two away isn’t far enough for them to not to come back!
As far as the female, she will not return without the male being around (as a rule) so you would need to remove the nest. IF you were to capture the female first, you leave the nest there and male will try to entice another mate & you may get him the next time! Don’t give up.
We all really need to ponder this delicate question quite seriously before we decide to “invite” the bluebirds to our yard and then not protect them from the HOSP. We cannot do anything about the native birds, for instance the house wrens, other they try to use wren guards for them. Good luck.Connie, good news – yes, maybe Spring weather is here, or very close. I’m sure glad I have them to watch, feed and just enjoy, with all the happenings going on now.
Lisa, I don’t believe you should put up the spooker prior to the first egg – the parents may reject it and move elsewhere. Unless you are sure they are your same pair and were used to a spooker last year. Still . . . . . very chancy. Sure good news that they came back though.
Sorry about your problem, Dana. Unfortunately, when we put up bluebird boxes we have to be ready to fight/rid the HOSP. See my info to Lisa about how I manage them. I realize some people are not in the same mindset as a lot of us are and that is okay, but it is truly necessary to decrease the number of HOSP to help increase our BB population.
P.S. It took me about a year to realize all of this and after about 12 years I have pretty good luck each season, usually with 2 and lots of time 3 different nestings. I have no experience/opinion about a Gilbertson box, but truly don’t believe ANY are HOSP proof.Lisa, I caught my 2nd male HOSP this morning – saw him with a female going in & out of one box which he had built so went out and set the VanErt & within 15 minutes HE WAS HISTORY! Hope you have luck with this theory – it may take a while, maybe not even this year, but it will work! It took me a while to realize not to get in too big a hurry to set the trap – need to have the female around & then he works really hard on the nest. Once in a while I will catch a female (which I don’t like to do), but 3 out of 4 times will be that evil male.
Lisa, I find that having more than one box is very helpful if at all possible. My pair of blues have been here all winter (plus some of their juveniles) and at least a month ago they claimed one of their favorite boxes. I have had quite a few HOSP also, and they tried to get this box “saved” but my papa blues would not have it and the HOSP then proceeded to build a nest in my 3 other boxes. This keeps him busy and the blues are guarding their box very hard. I believe this one male HOSP did the building in all 3 boxes, just waiting for a female to like one. But today I saw a female on this one box so I will be keeping watchful eye out as to when to set my VanErt trap tomorrow. Earlier when the HOSP tried to claimed the blues’ box, I was able to capture one (after the female showed around) and hope to be able to do the same now. Short and long of it is I believe more than box is definitely helpful if you have the room and with 300 foot, you would.
Apparently your roosting box had a entrance hole large enough for the Starling – personally I would remove the nest – those starlings are here by the hundreds in my yard- non-native bird.
Great, Dana – my regular pair have been scouting their box for about two weeks – last week I actually rid a HOSP out of this box and the blues were only about 30 minutes after that they were scouting it again! Today, this pair actually ran off a HOSP from the box – but I’m sure this will be the normal battle again this season. I usually leave one box for the HOSP to build in to keep them busy, but I never let any hatch – usually my VanErt trap does the job!
We had a few dry, warm days last week, but had plenty of rain this morning and colder! They will be hunkering down for a while probably.
Connie, can’t get over your blues not eating this suet! It does take them a while (maybe a week) to get used to it, but, usually once they eat some they are back in a heartbeat. You didn’t try to feed it on a ground feeder or something, did you? Don’t give up it trying it, sure does give your pocketbook a rest for the winter months. Where I live the mealworms would freeze very quickly once outside. Just works out for me this way, feed the worms for about 7 months and the suet about 5. COME ON SPRING!!!
