dogsandbirds

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  • in reply to: NEED HELP CHOOSING NEST BOX PLEASE #23800
    dogsandbirds
    Moderator

      Carol, have you looked here: http://nestboxbuilder.com Fred is a member here and builds wonderful boxes of all kinds. He probably has what you would want. He built one for me several years ago and his craftmanship is expert.

      Gin
      Atlanta, GA

      in reply to: Not a bluebird but.. #9420
      dogsandbirds
      Moderator

        I love those things! There is a pair that passes through here from time to time. Their prehistoric look is impressive and reminds me there is a dinosaur in their ancestry.

        Gin
        Atlanta, GA

        in reply to: No hatch #9419
        dogsandbirds
        Moderator

          There are so many reasons why eggs don’t hatch but most of the time there is something wrong with the eggs and you can’t help that. Sometimes temperatures come into play if there is extreme heat or cold.

          First clutch here 2 out of 5 hatched. Of course it didn’t matter since a wren came along and removed everything. Given a chance, I probably would have removed the unhatched 3 after a week. IF it’s just one I tend to leave that and let the birds decide.

          Gin
          Atlanta, GA

          in reply to: New nest, i think #9418
          dogsandbirds
          Moderator

            Chris, I don’t think there is ANYBODY who detests HOWR more than I do! Seriously.

            This season I have a new female who is too dense to get around a wren guard. First attempt, only two of her eggs hatched and the second day after hatching the chicks were both removed by a wren. Second attempt, the first 3 eggs were stolen. She kept trying in the same box and apparently that wren finally got busy with his own nest and 2 were able to fledge last week. The craziest part was there were a total of 6 sticks loaded into the box.

            So…good luck with those sneaky things. You could try a guard if you have time to watch and see if she accepts it.

            Gin
            Atlanta, GA

            in reply to: 3rd nesting of four BB in skies now #8662
            dogsandbirds
            Moderator

              Yay Carol! Vacation. Time. Is. Here!

              Gin
              Atlanta, GA

              in reply to: 1st 3rd nestIng in 7yrs but not looking good #8661
              dogsandbirds
              Moderator

                Donna, you can put a little dot on each egg, using a sharpie. IF the dots move, you will know she’s been in because nobody else is going to turn the eggs. If there is no change in 24 hours, chances are good she is not alive. No way does a bird abandon viable eggs. Another thing you can do is wedge a piece of grass or straw in the hole. It’s pretty easy to do and will let you know if a bird has entered the box. Hoping for the best here.

                Gin
                Atlanta, GA

                in reply to: 4 babies in third nesting – YEA! #8645
                dogsandbirds
                Moderator

                  Carol, they might be taking worms into the nest about now. The first few days are what I call “tiny bug time”. When they do start taking them, you might see the birds bashing the worms around to kill them first. Seen that?

                  Gin
                  Atlanta, GA

                  in reply to: 3rd nest! #8639
                  dogsandbirds
                  Moderator

                    Carol, they hatched five days ago and all is well. Except for one HOWR attack it’s been an uneventful season here.

                    Gin
                    Atlanta, GA

                    in reply to: 3rd nest! #8611
                    dogsandbirds
                    Moderator

                      I have a third clutch due to hatch today or tomorrow. That should be it for this pair. I know it’s the same ones because this female lays white eggs. Hot here but the box they are in never gets sun. That’s a good thing down here.

                      Gin
                      Atlanta, GA

                      in reply to: Perches INSIDE the box #8610
                      dogsandbirds
                      Moderator

                        IF the wood isn’t ultra smooth, EABL don’t seem to need perches, kerfs or hardware cloth. Other species, such as TRES, sometimes need a little help. My boxes have hardware cloth under the entrance hole for insurance.

                        Gin
                        Atlanta, GA

                        in reply to: Mealworms and pupae #8574
                        dogsandbirds
                        Moderator

                          So what’s going to be the name of your mealworm company? :BagOverHead:

                          Gin
                          Atlanta, GA

                          in reply to: Male list mate #8573
                          dogsandbirds
                          Moderator

                            I don’t know ANYBODY who hasn’t lost eggs, chicks, or adults. Things do happen, sad to say. Even after you take all of the precautions, things seem to sometimes go wrong anyway. If you do this long enough and right now have a perfect record, one day things might change. Hope not but you just never know.

                            One year grackles pecked to death an incubating female in my backyard. No HOSP here but wren troubles happen here most seasons and I really don’t like those birds! I’ve had ants in the box when I didn’t grease the pole enough. One year an EABL killed CACH eggs so he could take their box. If I had just put the hole reducer on earlier. Dud eggs, sickly chicks, micro eggs, cow bird eggs in the box–I’ve seen all kinds of things in these 35 years or so. The good thing is most of the time things do work out for the birds.

                            I made mistakes, too, Jamie. We just do the best we can.

                            Gin
                            Atlanta, GA

                            in reply to: Not Bluebirds but you might enjoy the pics #8572
                            dogsandbirds
                            Moderator

                              Blue jays, crows, woodpeckers will all rob nests. Never heard of a jay taking young birds trying to fledge. That’s really bizarre.

                              Gin
                              Atlanta, GA

                              in reply to: Please Introduce Yourself! #8571
                              dogsandbirds
                              Moderator

                                Therese, welcome here!

                                There are so many reasons for hatch failure. Among them are the age and health of the female, fertilizing failure, poor incubation, too hot or too cold temp in the box. It’s anybody’s guess.

                                You could move your box and see what the birds think of that. It’s very odd for a female to flush because of human traffic. Most times I can walk right up to a box, make noise and see a bird fly only when I open a box. Maybe this female is extremely skittish and moving the box would help her.

                                Gin
                                Atlanta, GA

                                in reply to: Mealworms and pupae #8488
                                dogsandbirds
                                Moderator

                                  You could start your own mealworm business! Think of the rewards and glamor!

                                  Seriously, EABL around here always accept the pupae. You actually counted yours? That’s pretty funny right there.

                                  Gin
                                  Atlanta, GA

                                Viewing 15 posts - 1 through 15 (of 650 total)