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Can’t understand why you cannot see a inside box with a front opening door, whether it opens from the top or bottom. Is it because your pole & box are up high? I cannot see in my one box which I actually have to take the top off to see inside, but I use a small step stool to check everything. This box is one of my oldest (about 10 years old now) and before we began making the front opening boxes (Gilwood style). These newer boxes are front opening doors, and pivot from the bottom (which I suppose would be called a top opener door). It pivots down enough so that the door is actually about even with the floor of the box when it is open and I can see in fine. My boxes are about 5′ from the ground and I am only 5′ tall so works fine. Good luck.
Wow, this is EARLY, even for Alabama I would believe. Yes, keep us informed – I know here in the Midwest I pray that no eggs are laid until late March or early April. I have had a few nests (in 9 seasons) which have failed because of too cold weather I believe. But there in the southern states I know things are on a much earlier schedule. Good Luck.
I, too, was wondering if these grackles (large blackbird-type birds) have actually harmed any baby blues. Like Gin says, they would not be able to get to them prior to fledging if the entrance hole is 1 1/2″in diameter and the bottom of the box is proper depth from hole, which I believe is at 5-6 inches. If the nest gets too close to entrance hole, predators can reach inside to grab babies. Also NO PERCH on the box. I have lots of grackles but have never noticed them harassing the blues, but then again, we don’t always see what is happening. Be sure to check out the Sialis.org website for great info. Good luck, and WELCOME to this forum!
Tammy, I had always used Grubco as well, and was always pleased, especially with them “making good” if there was a problem, as when 1 or 2 shipments arrived dead and they sent me new ones. My ONLY complaint with them was the time frame on orders, which sometimes took 3 or 4 days. Yes, their medium worms were not large by any fact, but when I switched to Natures Way, (in Ohio just a few miles from Grubco), their same type shipping orders (US Postal Service) have always arrived the next day and their worms are about the same size as Grubco’s, but as long as they are not tiny I do not care. I believe the birds drop/waste some any way, although I have seen them dive down when they drop one, but I’m sure they miss some. I have the order “Hold at Post Office & call), as I just live about 2 miles from town and then I don’t have to worry about them sitting outside in the hot weather. But I really can’t complain too much about Grubco, as I used them for about 7 seasons. Must be something about the location of these two companies that their same type shipping does not arrive at the destination in the same number of days. My notes say they are only about 9 miles apart. I will be ordering my first of the season worms in early March.
Larry & Darrell – I believe the site is http://www.sialis.org. Fantastic site & good winter reading!
Darrell, I totally agree with Tammy & Darrell – if you put up the box you must be willing to try to eliminate the HOSP. BUT, don’t let that scare you out of being able to enjoy the nesting season of the bluebirds by watching them build a nest, then the 1st egg being hatched, and the parents feeding the babies, and then those babies flying away like “big birds.” AND then later on to watch them “return home” after they are eating on their own (that is, if you feed them mealworms). There is nothing more satisfying than having this experience, ALMOST as exciting as watching your children grow up! If you are unsure about trapping at first, you need to begin with removing the HOSP nests and by using a sparrow spooker if you do get bluebird eggs. But, if you really want to have success, you will need to trap/dispose of the HOSP. Like Tammy said you may get by for a while, but it will eventually happen if you don’t take precautions. Good luck!
Scouting means birds are looking for a place to nest & raise young when the time is right. I didn’t realize your blues were roosting in your box – probably means they will use that box for nesting, also, but other birds do try to take over when the season is here. If you are sure it is blues roosting and now HOSP or something else, that might make a difference on when to remove the nesting material, as they be using it for extra warmth and you could wait until later on to remove it. My blues stay here all winter & eat every day, but they do not roost in their boxes but the HOSP will try to. I usually then trap them. Predators are many, but include coons, snakes, cats (anything that can climb), along with wasps and of course their main predators are the house sparrows (HOSP) and starlings. House wrens will pierce eggs & throw them out on the ground, but are a protected by law species. I’m not sure about how far apart in the woods your boxes would need to be, but normally blues boxes need to be about 300′ apart, as they are very territorial. If you have not tried the sialis.org website, do so – it is like our bible for birding. It is VERY thorough, so it may take you all winter to get through it. Bet Zimmerman Smith is the author of this website, and is on the Board of Directors of the North American Bluebird Society (NABS). Check it out.
Larry go ahead & remove the old nests now if weather permits, as they begin scouting in late January and February. Also you really NEED to move the box higher than 3′ from the ground – this is dangerously low & makes it easy for predators to have a meal (by jumping/climbing the pole). You may have to wait until warmer weather if the ground is frozen. You may get by, but you wouldn’t want anything to get to your bluebird eggs or babies. Look at the top of this page under Bluebird Information-Housing, and about 2 lines down tells about box height.
Also a baffle under the house is a good idea.Larry – the height of the box is AT LEAST 5′ or little more – not 3′. That would allow for easier access for predators. I’m not familiar with PA weather, but I live in Mid-Missouri and my blues have always stayed all winter also, but further in Northern Missouri I believe most migrate. I posted on your other topic about the nests & mealworms. WELCOME to this forum!
Zurichman – 1st of all WELCOME! The forum is slow this time of year, but nesting season will soon be here. Yes, you definitely need to clean out the nestbox after fledging occurs, and the blues will then build a new nest without any human help. If they build on top of old nest, it will put it dangerously close to the hole entrance, which means that predators can reach in and grab babies/eggs out of the nest. You mention you live “in the woods” – are these woods really close to your house and birdhouses – bluebirds do not usually like a woody/brushy environment (this is what wrens like). But as the old saying goes, “whatever works” . . . . keep doing it. As far as the mealworms go, it does take them a little time to get used to eating them, but as everyone will tell you, once they get a taste, they are hooked! Usually putting the worms in a container (something slick they cannot crawl out of) fairly close (up off the ground of course) to their house for a day or so, and once they begin eating them, you NEED to gradually move it away from the box into its final place to avoid drawing predators. It takes patience but is well worth it – they definitely prefer the live worms, but of course in the winter they will freeze if they do not eat them up quickly. This is why I switch to peanut butter suet in the wintertime – I feed them (usually 6-8 blues) every morning & sometimes in the afternoon if weather is bad.
No recommendations – just be aware that you will absolutely get nothing else done but watching! I would love to have a nest cam but know I would spend too much time at it, but it would be great to see everything!!
I, too, am in Missouri (mid-central), and I have had HOSP roost in my regular bluebird boxes a few times, and this is when I set my VanErt in-box trap. I don’t believe you need anything special – they will probably take over anything. We have only had one really cold spell (minus about 4-5 degrees) here so far this year, so maybe it is just not cold enough yet. I know KC is usually a little colder than we are (we are about 70 miles southeast), but I have not had any HOSP roosting this year uet, at least not to my knowledge. They are definitely around, though, as I feed peanut butter suet in my cage feeder, and they usually come around to that (UGH). But sometimes my 7 or 8 bluebirds do chase them off until they have had their fill.
I switch to peanut butter suet in the wintertime – don’t have to worry about the worms freezing when I put them out, PLUS a little relief on the pocketbook! Every morning just after daybreak I have about 7 or 8 blues waiting for the suet – there must be some from the 1st hatching, but then again may be from the last fledgers which I never did see come back to the feeder and assumed they did not make it. When I was feeding worms at the end of the season I only had 4 or 5 coming around.
P.S. Merry Christmas to everyone – have some family coming in from Texas and it is forecast 62 degrees on Christmas Day!! (We had 5 below zero a couple days ago).Oh, Tammy – that is one for the books! Almost as bad as me keeping mine in my regular refrigerator hidden on an “extended” shelf on the bottom! It’s like a ledge and wonderful for my plastic oblong containers of worms! No one but hubby & I know there are there, and I clean out boxes regularly so no smell at all.
I have had success with trapping HOSP when they “take over” a box to roost in for the wintertime. Excellent time to use the Van-Ert inbox trap – not an easy job in the wintertime because have to monitor closely, but worth it when you can rid them, even if it is one at a time. Although, many here then use them as decoys in a ground trap. I believe it would be too cold at this time of year for a decoy to survive very long, though.
