[Scot]

Trying again with pics. This is the nest…………

[Scot]

I’ll get another look tomorrow. If I see an egg and it remains unhatched in 4 days, shouldn’t I try to remove it so it doesnt open and make a mess? Although, I don’t see how that’ll be possible with 4 nestlings sitting on top of it. I was able to remove 3 unhatched last year because there was only 1 nestling.

Thanks for the advice.

Scot in PA

[Scot]

Question for anyone. I had five eggs. I can only see four babies on day 2. I see no eggs left. Is it possible the fifth is just hidden by the other four?

[Scot]

Spooker*

(Damn autocorrect)

[Scot]

Carol,

I have blues with 3 eggs in a neighboring box that has monofilament and a spoiler.

My concern with this particular box is the TRES had a brood of 6 last year and I’m certain they are preparing to build a nest any old day now. I’m trying to avoid a disaster lime I had a few weeks ago where a HOSP trapped and killed a male blue in the same box.

[Scot]

DRST, not FIRST. Sorry for the typo

[Scot]

Hi All,

First egg laid yesterday. I went out and put the spookier up this morning. This is the first time I’ve ever used one. I’m extremely paranoid my pair will be sufficiently freaked and never come back….LOL.

Can anyone allay my concerns?

Exactly when do you take it down? AFTER they fledge?

Also, I have monofilament on the box. Would anyone recommend removing it now that eggs are being laid?

Thanks.

Scot

[Scot]

Thanks for that excellent advice Carol. I trapped and disposed of the male on my first try, and none have been back since, except the TRES pair that just returned from the south to claim the box. I got lucky…..for now.

Scot

[Scot]

In that regard, should the spooked be used for TRES as well? I have both Blues and TRES.

[Scot]

Carol, the male was just scouting. No nest or eggs. I have a sparrow spooker and will deploy it as soon as I get my first egg.

Tammy, that is a great idea, thank you. The male HOSP I caught with my van ert was destroyed and disposed of. The next one I catch will be used as a decoy. Unfortunately, my days of using the van ert are coming to an end, as a pair of TRES has climed that box that the HOSP was trying to use. I’d hate to catch a TRES and scare them away from nesting there.

Darrell, my boxes only have one hole. I had no idea there were boxes with two holes. That seems like an amzingly simple solution to them being trapped and killed like that. I may try that next year if I can find that type of box at my local store. Do you have success with blues and TRES using boxes with multiple holes?

Thanks all for your input.

Scot
SE PA

[Scot]

I’m catching tons of sparrows in my DRST using white millet. Unfortunately, they are Song Sparrows or American Tree Sparrows, so I’m constantly releasing what I catch. Any thoughts?

I trapped and killed a male HOSP with a van-ert after he trapped, mutilated and killed a male Blue Bird in the nest box last week.

[Scot]

Then I’m glad I released them. The good news is since I trapped and killed the male HOSP, there have been none near the nest box, and this morning a pair of TRES were on the box looking to claim it. My other box has a pair of Blues. I’m waiting for nest building to begin.

Does anybody have any evidence that slot entrances deter HOSP compared to the standard 1.5 inch round hole?

[Scot]

I caught two birds in my DSRT later today. They looked like female house sparrows, but I’m not skilled enough to tell for sure. The males are obvious in appearance. I was weighing the option of leaving them there as live bait when I saw two male house finches on top of the DSRT appearing to almost comfort the trapped females. At that point I questioned whether the trapped birds were actually house sparrows versus female finches so I let them out.

Does anyone have a reliable way to ID female house sparrows?

[Scot]

Ok, for those keeping track at home(?nobody so far, lol), within 24 hours of loading the Van Ert, I trapped and killed the male house sparrow. It was my first time doing that, and I took absolutely no pleasure in it. Honestly, it saddened me to have to do it, but I likened it to trying to peacefully coexist next door to a rapist pedophile.

Anyway, my method of disposal was to swing it around in the bag rapidly in one direction, then rapidly in the opposite direction, then blunt force trauma against a tree. Again, not a pleasant thing to have to do, but if my third attempt to post the pics of his victim are successful, everyone will likely agree this is what has to be done in order to succesfully be blue bird landlords.

Scot
SE PA

• This reply was modified 8 years ago by Scot.

[Scot]

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