Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Yes, the ventilation slots must be on opposite sides of the box, to create a flow of air from one side to the other. As well as the other items Gin mentioned.
Connie, so sorry about your situation. YES, your box MUST have ventilation at the very least. Some people even use heat shields in very hot areas. There is no need to paint a natural wood box if it is made of cedar or some other stable wood. Pine boxes will not hold up to the weather for very long, as will cedar, so many people paint those pine boxes white, but ONLY on the outside, not inside.
If you do not want to purchase a new box there can be ventilation slots put in the one you have, but it would take someone with a small saw and able to do this. You only need about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch high slot right under the roof of the house. Stop & think how hot your home would be if it were hot and you were not at least able to open a window to get some air. And those bird houses are small and will get overheated very quickly without any ventilation. P.S. Bluebirds are very tolerant of our monitoring their nests so I don’t believe this was your problem. Of course, you must use common sense and not try to touch the babies, and opening the box to check on them stops when they are about 12 days old to prevent premature fledging. Best BB website is the following – check it out – it is our bible for birding here – http://www.sialis.orgPhilly Blues – great that you have a bluebird on your property – is it really your first sighting there? As far as the blue removing feather from the TRES box, as Gin says it is very likely, as any bird will do this if they want a box bad enough. Hope you have good luck with the blues (I am partial, as they are my favorite).
I, personally, don’t believe this egg is viable or mama wouldn’t have abandoned it, but if something did happen to her or the pair I still don’t believe this would work since it has been there quite some time – but I have really have no experience exactly like this. Others will chime in hopefully.
This is a real bummer – so sorry. But unfortunately we have to take some sorrow with, hopefully, some joy. I had four blues fledge and I believe only two of them survived all the storms and bad weather we had just about one day after they fledged. Survival rate is not great for birds, even with our help and without some help, it is even lower. I had TRES two years in a row, 1st year they fledged successfully and the 2nd year I found all 5 babies dead, and the nest was full of mites, which I assume is what caused their demise. Have not had any TRES here since then.
Hope you will maybe get a successful nesting yet this year, of one species or another.
Bob, you said that your hole has a “square” over it, attached at an angle. I have never heard of a hole guard/extender that is square – they are usually 1 1/2″ round, exactly like the original hole. Actually these extenders (if they are thick enough) are meant to make it harder for a predator to reach in the box and grab the babies out of the nest AND also to prevent a squirrel from enlarging the hole. After drawing this out, I guess the square idea would be okay, since it is over the hole and does not actually make the hole larger! (dah!) Like David, I also remove sticks of wrens before the nest is very large.
Renee, sorry about those wrens destroying your blue eggs – bummer! Yes, I believe it is always best to error on the high side than to not put up a guard, even if you think they are not around. Since the beginning of my passion for bluebirds, and after reading everything I could get my hands on about hosting them. I have put up a sparrow spooker and a wren guard. I have had no actual destruction from the HOSP, but I have had my eggs thrown on the ground by wrens & destroyed about 3 times (in about 11 years). Not too bad odds, and one time we were gone and I didn’t get the guard on in time. After the one attack from wrens when I found one egg that I could actually see the fetus in it, that was enough for me to be very diligent about the guards. I’m pretty sure these were wren attacks because I saw the wrens around – the HOSP were being kept busy (rebuilding) at their own box. I really find that more than one box is very helpful. Don’t give up – just keep on trying – for the blues’ (or other native bird) sake!
Richard, glad you finally have a blues beginning to build. Yes, the HOSP are relentless, and I, like you, are relentless to get rid of them. I found out many years ago that it is really good to have at least two boxes, if possible and you have the room for them to be a good distance apart. That way the blues have a chance even if the HOSP try to take over one box. In my mind, let them keep busy at one box, remove their nesting stuff and they usually will keep on going. When I am sure the HOSP pair are committed, I will try to trap them. (VanErt trap is fantastic here since we aren’t too good with pellet guns.)
Connie, congrats on the successful fledge – that is always such a relief. I cannot imagine the blues not being interested in the mealwormss – even with the cicadas around. Were you buying dried or live worms? My 1st bunch of blues are now eating with the parents at the worm bowl – 4 fledged but so far I have only seen 2 and possibly 3 of them. We had those terrible storms & rain just a day or two after they left the nest and I was worried about them.
David, quit showing off that beautiful, neat nest (ha, ha) My #2 nest was made with old junk grasses and is not pretty, BUT it now has 5 beautiful blue eggs in it! Our second nestings are almost on the same time cycle. It has turned off very hot today, temps near 90 degrees and index near 100 degrees. I am beginning to think about needing my heat shield quite soon.
Chris, somewhere in the back of my mind, I thought you had to obtain a permit to band birds – do’t remember where I read this – anyone know about this?
Bob, are you the Bob from Missouri? I live in central-Missouri and seem to remember you from the past.
Yes, I’m sure your male blue was scouting out the box, as David stated, and the process of going on the hole to the top of box is quite normal. This is all a good thing!About the robin, that is strange because I have a bully robin this year, really been a pest. I have a large tree in which the robins build nests, and it is in close proximity to the blues house. I have seen this robin chase the blues and bully it quite often this year, but I don’t believe they actually harm them – they are just defending their territory like all will do. Hope your male finds a mate and they build their nest – I believe he will return unless it is a very young bird and unsure about that robin – good luck.
