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With the Van Ert trap, if there is any HOSP nesting material in the box at all, i drag that out and throw it on the ground, and set the trap. They can’t resist grabbing that material and shoving it back in the box. You can experimenting with the trap, just barely engaging the mechanism, a “hair trigger,” so it will go off more easily.
Its kind of a pain watching the traps, you want to make sure you don’t catch any songbirds. I have a bunch of the traps, i even mounted a hook on some of the boxes, i store the trap with the box, and when i see a HOSP i go out and set it.
I have one box that is side opening and i found it too difficult to mount the trap. I use the trap itself as a template to attach the screws. When i catch a bird in the box, i throw a clear trash bag over the box and close it off, that way if they escape the box you can catch them in the bag.
This is what i don’t want to see. I think the same hawk this spring killed the male during the first nesting attempt.
Chris
Here is my sparrow spooker its the one i bought from sparrowtraps.net i think. The parents accepted it.
I know i should have a wren guard on there also, but i was out of town 7 days, im pretty sure Mom was incubating when i got back. I would have felt alot more comfortable installing one if they were still in the egg laying process.
Last year installed a spooker on a box with eggs after i discovered a red shouldered hawk perching on the birdhouse. I think that helped, and also working from home allowed me to chase it off when it came around.
Chris
That’s awesome.
I’m trying to feed my bluebirds mealworms, i moved a feeder to the backyard to be closer to their nest. Mealworms are disappearing, i didnt witness them eating them today but surely they are.
The birds keep me company while i garden. Ive got the hummingbirds, and then a catbird that is fairly gentle. Yesterday i had a pileated woodpecker in the garden, probably eating ants.
Thanks.
Sparrow spooker is up. I installed it yesterday as soon as i could, but then took it down – it was so breezy the red mylar was flapping like crazy, seemed to be keeping the bluebirds away.
This morning the air was calmer, so I reinstalled it. Mom and dad were in the tree, and the male was flycatching, eating bugs. The female, perched on the spooker, then the box, then left and was checking out another box. Finally, she fluttered in front of the box with the spooker, perched at the hole and went in, so i think they have accepted it.
I can’t tell you how nervous i was worried about them!
Chris
I checked on the nest this afternoon (Saturday), so it is possible with 5 eggs that the first was laid on Tuesday. I was gone since Sunday, and i assume eggs get laid in the morning.
I do have a sparrow spooker, I used it last year. I read that you should put it up after 1st egg is laid, do you think the bluebirds will accept it now? I’ll read the other posts.
Thx,
ChrisI’m prepared on all counts except the wren guard, ive never used those but reading up on them. Stovepipe baffle installed, i have a sparrow spooker and waiting for the first egg.
I saw the raccoon last night, looking out my window. I set a havahart with marshmallows, he got the bait but didn’t trigger the trap. He stood on his hind legs, somewhat like a bear, and drank the sugar water out of my oriole feeder, on a sheperd’s hook. Tilted it up like a jug of beer. He must weigh at least 20 lbs.
Resetting trap tonight, relocated birdhouses with baffles.
Chris
On an encouraging note the parents were checking out another box. They still were coming to get mealworms, the mother was collecting two or three at a time and flying off.
Chris
Thanks, i’ll try modifying some of the baffles.
I have had other houses with just pvc pipe around the post, i havent had predators on those. They generally have chickadees and house wrens, which apparently predators find distasteful.
Ive had one plastic bluebird house for years, only sparrows seem to try it out. Basically serves as another location for a nestbox trap.
Chris
No. This particular house was on wooden post that was a property marker, about 8 inches in diameter. Its been up for probably 12 years, had virginia creeper growing up it. It was kinda big to try to wrap something around it, and being near the road i didnt want to draw attention to it.
I do have either PVC or the homemade stovepipe baffles around the steel posts i have other birdhouses mounted on, they are just all occupied by chickadees and wrens.
The first nesting this season was in a box on a steel pole with stovepipe, and the dad was killed by a red shouldered hawk. The mom i presumed got a new mate and nested in what was available.
