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Thank you Carol and Connie. I appreciate your support and understanding.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireIt’s hard, Connie, I know. Just do everything you can do, then take solace in the fact that you did everything you could do. It is wonderful that you have done so much to help them, already. When you are up to it, please remember to try again. That’s what we do, right?!
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThe wren guard should remain in place for at least 4-5 days after the eggs hatch; the rationale being that after about 5 days the nestlings should be too large for the wren to toss them out of the box. In my opinion, there are other things to consider, as well. If wrens are a serious problem in the area, I would leave it on longer; wrens don’t drop by to say “hi”, so what’s the harm in leaving it on a little longer. The two primary drivers for removing it are first, to make it easier for the parents to feed the babies, and second (and most importantly) it needs to be off to facilitate peeking and fledging.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireHi, Susan! Congratulations, again, on such a successful season! Carol is expert in these matters, and I am sure she will chime in with her wren guard suggestions. Conventional wisdom suggests a stepwise approach to sparrow spooker and wren guard deployment, with the goal being acceptance of the spooker BEFORE deployment of the wren guard. That is basically what I do, with a couple of caveats: (1) In my experience, EABLs rarely balk at sparrow spookers; they simply don’t care that they are present on the box. Consequently, I put that on as soon as mama drops the first egg, and rarely give it a second thought.(2) Wren guards come in a wide variety of configurations, and each has its own acceptance “profile”, if you will. I make my own, and I do not construct them to have sides on them. They only have the main flap that “hides” the entrance hole. Because of that, it is readily accepted, especially by experienced parents. I have very little pressure from HOSP and HOWR, so I wait until after the second egg drops before deploying the wren guard. Just today, mama laid the second egg, and I put the guard on right in front of both parents. They chattered away at me, clearly voicing their displeasure with it, but mama went right back in, and papa ate a grasshopper 10 feet from my step stool.
What I need… is an “owl guard”.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireI do not have a good answer. This is a very difficult situation, and I am so sorry for you and your blues. How near to fledge are they? The reason why I ask is that their chance of survival IN the box, without a food supply, is zero; their chance of survival outside of the box is very slim, BUT NOT ZERO. IMHO, I would consider staging mealworms and other food items (suet, crumble, dried cranberries, etc.) nearby, and get them to leave the box at the very last moment prior you no longer being able to feed them. I completely get the notion that premature fledge/no idea how to hunt/predators serve to stack the deck against them, but there is no such thing as a good outcome for babies without food in a nest box. I will be praying for your baby blues.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireI agree completely, Susan. The owls are simply fantastic. I have faith in my pair of blues, to keep safe, because they are such an experienced pair, so I am allowing myself to enjoy both species. What is interesting, is that there is only one owlet, this year. She usually has two or three. I am hopeful that the owl only having one “little” mouth to feed will further enhance the chances of survival for both mama and papa blue. However, and despite the risk of them being nearby, I have grown incredibly fond of the little owlet; She is priceless!
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireHappy to report that mama blue dropped her first egg of the second nesting, this morning. There have been no further “dust-ups” with the Barred Owl, and my wife and I witnessed a remarkable sight shortly after I posted the owl pictures earlier. Mama owl caught and killed a grey squirrel, and fed it to the owlet over twenty minutes as we observed. It was like an old time episode of Wild Kingdom. Beyond fascinating. I am pleased that the owl is focused on larger game, and I am glad that the blues are uniquely aware of her presence. All’s well, for the time being…
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireGood news and bad news, related to the owls. The good news is that my blues are aware of mama owl, and they dive bombed her together this morning after mama blue emerged from the nest box after having laid the first egg of the second nesting (I will confirm that this evening). The bad news is that mama owl did not flinch and did not move. Below is a photo of mama owl immediate following the encounter with my blues. She is only 20 feet from the nest box. I am not happy with her. The second, ridiculously poor, iPhone photo is of the owlet, 50 feet in the air above mama owl’s head (very center of the photo). I will get a quality camera, soon.
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireI am certain your papa blue appreciates the help! The nestlings are so demanding. I’m sure he will do fine!
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThank you, Susan! Nothing means more to me, when researching a purchase, than an endorsement from someone who already owns and uses it! Thank you, very much! I will look into it. Like I said, my wife wakes up in the morning, shaking her head at all the stuff I PLAN to do that day… I’ll simply add photographing wildlife to the list. :)
Randy
Bedford, New HampshireShe actually loves my Maple Bourbon Cider.
She is a gourmet, and I am fortunate to enjoy her creations.
I do my own laundry. :)Randy
Bedford, New HampshireThanks Carol and Meg. It is fun, but it really comes down to the safety of my blues; that is what I am concerned about. I was just out there, again. It is just about dark. Mama Barred is perched low, and actively hunting about 35 feet from the BB nest box. The owlet has come down to about 20 feet, and is watching closely. My blues are gone for the night; no eggs in the nest, yet, but I am going to have to figure mama owl out before too long. Barred Owls will eat rodents, birds, fish and snakes. It bothers me that she has decided to raise this one on the south end of my property, near my blues. She normally stays on the other side of the yard.
Randy
Bedford, New Hampshire
