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I have never had WBNU but right now I am once again hosting BHNU. They tolerate monitoring quite well but do like to scold. You have to be careful of the wind when you open the box because the nest is usually made of bits of thin tree bark. A super calm day is best. The other thing they do with those little bits of bark is “calk” ALL of the seams of the box. You can see the calking from the outside once they have started the nest. Very cool.
Gin
Atlanta, GAI was feeding a lot more too. But then I read somewhere that mealworms weren’t that nutritious unless you feed them dog food (no problem getting that in my house!) or dust them with calcium. So maybe that’s what I’ll do.
Dog food? What’s that about? Anybody feeding their mealworms dog food?
Gin
Atlanta, GAPersonally, I have never used a feeder of any kind for meal worms. All I do it put them in a bowl on the deck railing when I decide it’s time to offer a few. They shouldn’t have all that many in a day anyway. Having said that, I’ll give you a couple of ideas.
First thing you have to do is get them to notice worms are available. To do that, you often have to put a smooth sided container on the ground near where they perch to hunt. This gives them a good chance to notice. Then you move the container nearer and nearer to where you want to feed them. If you choose a small enough container, you will be able to put it inside your dinner bell. When they have succeeded in following the container to the feeder you can dispense with the container.
You will have to protect the worms from sun and water while you are training the birds.
Other birds are going to notice so you might not feed just EABL. That’s always ok with me. You might feel differently.
Once you have the birds trained and if you have hawks around, an audible signal to call your birds isn’t such a good idea. Hawks soon learn that their own dinner bell has sounded and you’ll get more company than you would like.
Gin
Atlanta, GALisa, we can’t know yet what will happen with the eggs. Quite often they do hatch even when exposed to cold temps.
Gin
Atlanta, GALet me tell you when you get a starling in a sack, they are big and wild!!
I can just imagine. Video please.
Gin
Atlanta, GAMissy, the monofilament won’t necessarily deter EABL. They don’t seem all too bothered by it from the reports I have read. There is that rare bird who is bothered by EVERYTHING though. How did you install it? For tips, see this: http://www.sialis.org/hosp.htm#halo
Gin
Atlanta, GAAs far as boxes go, I guess I’m a hopeless nestbox junkie.
(Hey, that icon looks like a two-hole mansion box). See?I will never see this
the same way again. Leave it to you…Gin
Atlanta, GAI would be stomping around and having a tantrum about this. Yeah, I think I would put a hole reducer on that box. If they still get into that, it might be only the one bird and you can then trap the thing.
Gin
Atlanta, GAFred, thank you so much for the most complete answer anybody could want.
Missy, my boxes are NABS style with a large roof, giving plenty of overhang. The floor is 5 x 4. I don’t know NEARLY as much as Fred does about boxes. He’s the one who can give you all the answers!
Gin
Atlanta, GA
Thanks, Fred.