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I think the nest would have been messy if this was a raccoon. Does the baffle wobble?
Does the spooker brush the top of the box?
I’m not betting on a hawk but stranger things have happened.
Different things can jump to the top of a box and bypass any baffle if there are shrubs or trees close enough. How about starlings? Have you seen any of those?
Gin
Atlanta, GAI think this is one of the most fun things we get to see. Well, sometimes we see it. During some seasons they do that here, other times not. So glad you got to witness this!
Gin
Atlanta, GAI agree that the slot is a good escape from HOSP. I don’t have HOSP but sadly I do have HOWR. They are the reason I never use slot boxes with the exception of my CARW box. That one has a HUGE slot and they do love it but I have to be vigilant when both species are nesting. No HOWR allowed…ever.
Gin
Atlanta, GAFour to seven days is WAY too early for me. I looked at my week old chicks yesterday and no way would I leave them unprotected at this point. They are still so vulnerable and a wren could peck them to death even if he couldn’t remove them. Day 11 or 12 works well for me. Adults seem to get around a guard just fine from what I see here. At 12 days they are usually still going in the box to feed chicks and remove sacs and not feeding anybody at the opening.
Has anybody noticed that when there is a wren guard and one of the adults is in the box that the other one stands lookout? If there is danger, the one on the outside will sound a warning and the one in the box does not come out.
I remember DECADES ago not even knowing about wren guards and having no need for them. Geez. Bird populations change and not always for the better.
Gin
Atlanta, GAJudy, I agree with you that sometimes wren attacks don’t seem as prevalent during some parts of their nesting cycle. The males do become a little less aggressive when they have successfully attracted a mate and she builds a cup. Activity in his own box keeps him busier than when he is frantically trying to fill every available cavity with sticks. I have boxes that are not visible from each other and that maybe helps some years when there is wren activity here. Other years I have constant wren attacks, with or without guards. There are no guarantees with guards.
For a very long time, I have noticed wren action where there used to be none. They are for sure moving farther and farther away from brushy areas. What’s up with that–I have no idea.
You don’t like their “song”? Neither do I. I haven’t heard it lately though since the only nest they started here this year was a failure. Guess they moved on. A big YAY to that.
Gin
Atlanta, GAHOWR! Grrrr! If he was going to attack he did it at the right time. Any earlier and he would have succeeding in killing them.
Sadly, guards don’t always work. Does yours have sides? That sometimes helps. Extra length helps too.
I hope the adults are vigilant for the next week or so. He will get in again if he can.
Gin
Atlanta, GAOdds are good he would have been killed in there. Good move on your part. Is there a spooker on the occupied box?
Gin
Atlanta, GAIt’s sad but I would at least take the eggs out the box. If he finds another female she’s not going to incubate them. All that is if you are absolutely positive that the dead female you found is the mated one.
Gin
Atlanta, GAYes, Judy, that’s what I’m saying. When we have the rare winds that come from all directions it helps keep the inside of the box dry. If you don’t like what happens, you can always tighten things again. At this point I’m not really sure where my screws are!
I probably have had them wait several weeks between nests, but I don’t worry about that ever. They are going to do what they are going to do and worrying gets me nowhere. I don’t see worried looks on their little faces so I just go with what they do.
Gin
Atlanta, GAJudy those holes in the corners of the floor are not really very efficient vents. In theory, they are for drainage. Of course a good box doesn’t need that.
Your box is facing an excellent direction. No worries there. Your heat shield sounds perfect.
My boxes normally face northeast but sometimes that changes, depending on weather. A few years ago, Fred (who isn’t around much) mentioned free wheeling boxes. I’ve been doing that ever since that day. My boxes are mounted on a pole with a flange under the floor of the box. When the wind changes direction during a storm the box is free to rotate so rain can never blow in the entrance hole. After the storm, I walk out there and correct the direction of the box.
Gin
Atlanta, GAI really really dislike house wrens.
Really? I never knew that. rofl
As for me, I wish the first one had never evolved. That’s your feeling too isn’t it?
Gin
Atlanta, GAI don’t know how late they normally lay eggs where you are, but in Atlanta I have a third clutch being laid right now. That is a little late for here because of the heat.
When or if to add heat shielding depends on how good the ventilation is in your box, how much (and when) there is shade during the day, the outside temp and the direction your box faces. Vents work really well when they are opposite each other, afternoon shade is best, and facing well away from the west all help.
My box faces away from the afternoon sun and is also shaded then. Vents are adequate and I have never had to heat shield.
Gin
Atlanta, GA
