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Hi, Mel! Welcome!
A 1 1/8″ hole guard on the BCCH nest box should do the trick, as far as BBs entering that box, but nothing is going to prevent the territorial behavior your BBs are demonstrating. I doubt, however, that they will actually harm the BCCH chicks. I am in NH, well behind your nesting season in LA, and my BBs are not even building their nest yet, but they are just as intolerant of the BCCH on my property. My male was pretty tough on a BCCH this morning, who was checking out the nest box he had claimed with his mate. I like the chickadees, but I love my bluebirds, so whatever papa bluebird wants to do to protect his nesting area here in NH is alright by me. :)Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThat is awesome, Lisa! Certainly sending prayers, luck, positive vibes, and a bluebird-dose of Valium for “papa blue”, your way!
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThe Garden Treasures nest box from Lowes has the added benefit of a removable wire mesh (hardware cloth) floor, which is suspended 1/2″ off the cedar floor of the box. If you remove it, you will have additional height for your camera in an already generous compartment. FYI, I drilled two additional ventilation holes in the upper back corners of the box. Lowes/HomeDepot also sell raw western red cedar boards, and they will cut it for you, as well.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireGood morning, and congratulations on your recent success!
All-purpose grease, applied around the pole in a 1″ ring, works well. Must be reapplied weekly to remain sticky and effective. Lowes has a fantastic traditional bluebird box made by Garden Treasures. It is cedar, and it has all of the features you will need. I typically replace the predator guard with an aftermarket piece that is also cedar, but is a little nicer and has a copper ring around the entrance to protect against squirrels. The box is $15 during the season, $9 in the late fall. Incredible value, and the bluebirds love it! Here is the link:
https://www.lowes.com/pd/Garden-Treasures-5-5-in-W-x-12-in-H-x-8-5-in-D-Cedar-Bird-House/50333117Randy
Bedford, New HampshireI can’t honestly say that I have ours all figured out, Tammy. Like I said, they are not around so frequently that they could be considered a nuisance, and this one “teenager” gets himself into more trouble than he causes. Each of the past two years, he has climbed a tree in our wetlands, just to fall out of it once he got to the top. I witnessed the first episode. I don’t know what he was doing up there, but he lost his footing, and simply fell out of the tree. He didn’t appear hurt, and he simply got up and walked across the street. The next summer, two workmen were outside doing some repair work on my home, and I was inside. I heard an awful crash, and ran out to see if one of them had fallen from a ladder. They said they had just watched a bear climb a tree in the wetlands and fall, as the top of the tree snapped off! The bear was down, but again, got up and walked it off… I guess he benefits from landing primarily in a couple feet of water, but his luck figures to run out soon. I have seen him do a number of dumb things. We watched him as a cub, and you could tell that mama bear signed off on him kinda early…
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThanks, Connie. I’m rather grumpy about all of this, right now, as everything is headed in the “wrong direction” around here. My flock has officially gone their separate ways, and I am left with but one nesting pair on the property. They hang around, basically doing nothing. They got around to choosing one of the two nest boxes, but are building nothing, at present. Understandable, I guess, because the weather absolutely stinks. Rainy and cold, and even some snow still on the ground. I am going to stop worrying about all of this for a few days, so as not to lapse into a bout of “full-on” depression… The woodpeckers can sense my displeasure, and are toeing the company line, for now.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireGot it. Highly unlikely that a corn snake leaves four eggs behind, and like you said, you have a snake trap in-place. Mrs. BB probably removed the egg for legitimate reasons. The only other thing to watch for would be a house wren. They typically puncture each egg, and toss them all out of the nest box. The eggs are usually on the ground in the immediate area. Again, unusual for four eggs to be left behind after such an attack. The house wrens want the nest box for themselves; they are not simply vandalizing boxes on a Saturday night, just for kicks…
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireConnie, I think we all get a little anxious at this time of year, especially when the weather throws the BB off. It snowed again, today, here in NH. Only a handful of BB hung out at the feeding station, and only one of my nest boxes was drawing any interest. Frustrating. I did have a brief conversation with the red-bellied woodpeckers, revisited the nest box homeowners association rules, and we’re all good, now. :)
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireHi, Lisa. Sorry to hear about the missing egg. Where are you? What type of snakes do you have? It is unusual for most species of snakes to raid a nest and take only one of five eggs. It is not unusual for a female BB to pass a defective egg out of the nest, however. Without any additional evidence of snake intrusion, at this time, I would guess that things are okay, for now. Also, if your BB pair have bonded to the nest box to the extent they have thus far (nest, five eggs laid, dive-bombing you when you monitor the box, etc.) I don’t think there is much risk of them abandoning the box if you monitor it more frequently. Keep a close eye on things as best you can, until you are able to solve the missing egg mystery, at least. Best of luck, and let us know what else you find out.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireI agree, Dana. Taking feeders in at night just makes sense; no downside, whatsoever. Once the northern cardinals leave for the evening, the feeding stations are done for the night. I will start taking mine inside. Our bears are out and about, already, this year! They are a easy-going bunch, however; no real problems with them. I just want to keep them at bay.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireGreetings, Connie, and welcome! As Tammy stated, it’s a bit early for our “northern eastern blues”. I am in New Hampshire on 3 acres, with a mix of open and wooded land. Two nest boxes, 75 yards apart, separated by our house which has a large footprint. Nest boxes are not in view of each other. One is a Gilbertson box, one is the more traditional cedar variety. I have a flock of 22 bluebirds that stay year round, and although both boxes appear to have been claimed, there are ongoing territorial disputes over them, and no pair has actually started building anything. The house finch population has completed numerous nests, and they are all ready to lay eggs. The local red-bellied woodpecker pair threw some sort of wild housewarming party ’til all hours last night at their nest box. Loud. So I have some activity, but we are still damp and chilly up here, and the blues seem to be waiting it out, a bit.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThanks, Carol, and I do not necessarily disagree. I, too, am partial to bluebirds, no doubt, but I also offer grape jelly and orange halves for my Baltimore orioles, and the Red-bellied woodpeckers get special attention, as well. I guess I am just trying to strike the right balance so that all of my “desirables” continue to grace my property, while at the same time keeping the black bears at bay. I may just experiment with daytime feeding on the weekends, when I can monitor, and nothing left out at night…
Randy
Bedford, New Hampshire
