[NickNackHummer]

I don’t know why I can’t edit this a second time, but I can’t. I just wanted to add that I saw the female go in the box at about 10:30 a.m. I stayed outside and watched, and she didn’t leave for fifteen minutes. I checked the box, and there was still only the one egg that I saw earlier this morning. Maybe the eggs that were in there on Friday were all removed/destroyed, and she laid the one egg early this morning.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

That’s a great photo!

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Thanks for your input Julie. The bluebirds and CAWRs have always coexisted peacefully here, too. That’s why I was so surprised by what I saw yesterday afternoon. I know they rarely build in nest boxes. I don’t have any hanging plants, but maybe I should buy one. I may go out and do that today. Thank you for the suggestion.

I haven’t seen the CAWR today but see them all the time.

The bluebirds are here today at their nest box, bird bath and mealworm feeder. I’ve seen the female go in the nest box. I haven’t checked for an egg today, but there wasn’t one yesterday. I’ll check this afternoon. It seems like it’s taking a long time, but maybe not. The first time I actually saw her taking nesting material in was on the 19th (today is the 28th).

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Skyonitsback, yes, it’s definitely a stretch to think a CAWR would be a threat to bluebirds. They are a wonderful bird that co-exist well with bluebirds. They share the seed cylinders, mealworms and bird bath year round. They’re a great bird. I’ve never read or heard a bad thing about CAWRs. I’ve had them at my feeders for over 20 years. I was completely stunned to see it in the nest box today. They do use nest boxes occasionally, but not that often.

If you saw one in person, they’re really beautiful birds. They have a very distinctive line over their eye and don’t look ike HOWRs. Their song is beautiful, too.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by NickNackHummer.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by NickNackHummer.
• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by NickNackHummer.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Thank you Tammy and Carol. Carolina wrens are here year round. I really love them. As I said, they’re my favorite bird. They come to my mealworm feeder and my other feeders, and I love their song. They’ve never nested in one of my boxes.

I haven’t seen the CAWR since that happened with the bluebird’s nest this afternoon. I’ve seen the male bluebird on top of the box since then but not the female. I definitely don’t want the CAWR to keep the bluebirds from nesting this time though. If it picked the nest box first, I’d be fine with that, but not to kick out the bluebirds.

I’ve tried to find information about this, but I can’t find anything at all about a Carolina wren doing this, just a HOWR.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

The female is continuing to build the nest today, so I know there aren’t any eggs. I didn’t see them much yesterday because it rained all day.

I continue to hear the HOWR but hadn’t seen it until this afternoon. The bluebirds don’t seem to be bothered by anything, so hopefully it has a nest somewhere else and won’t bother their box. I hope she finishes the nest today and lays an egg soon so I can put the wren guard up.

I know this doesn’t make a lot of sense since the replies from Carol, Julie and Dana, were (accidentally, I feel sure) deleted as spam.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

I see from my email that I also got a reply from Dana and will post it below. Thank you, Dana, for your confirmation that I should wait to open my box until it’s dry.

Here is Dana’s reply:

Dana wrote:

Same here with the nest box door swelling. Mainly after it rains. It won’t open at all. I usually wait until later in the day to try opening it again (as long as the sun is out). Or wait until the next day. I agree with Julie not to try opening it until the wood is dry as you may not get it to close.

Dana

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

I guess the two replies to my post from Carol and Julie, as well as my subsequent two replies, were mistakenly removed as spam. I’m glad I got emails notifying me of them. Anyway, Julie, thank you very much for letting me know that your boxes swell after it rains. I will take your advice not to open the box for a couple of days so that it can dry. You’re right that I might not be able to close it after that.

As Carol advised, I removed the Carolina Chickadee nest in the second box. I hear the HOWR very loudly every time I go outside. I still haven’t seen it.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

stebet, the WBU pole system is great. I highly recommend getting the pole and raccoon baffle from them. That’s what I’ve always used for my nest boxes and bird feeders. They may be a little more expensive, but they last forever and are so sturdy.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Madelyn, I’m so glad the mother accepted the new box with her babies! You probably saved some lives by doing that. I wouldn’t have had the courage to change the box out.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Thank you Julie! I should have put the Sparrow Shield up sooner. I’d never used one before and just wasn’t sure. I do use a sparrow spooker after the first egg is laid.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Thank you Carol. I made another post yesterday about having a Carolina Chickadee nest in my other box. I don’t put the Sparrow Spooker up until after the first egg is laid, and I do have a wren guard ready to use after the first egg is laid also. I didn’t use the wren guard with the first nesting because the HOWR aren’t here yet. I saw the first one last year on May 28th.

I feed dried mealworms but stopped after the babies were born because I read that the babies need water which dried mealworms don’t have. I just started feeding them again a couple of days ago. I do soak them and put calcium powder on them, but I’ll stop feeding them when the second clutch is born if they choose my nest box.

Yesterday I saw the male bluebird sitting on my roof looking at the nest box. That was encouraging.

• This reply was modified 3 years, 5 months ago by NickNackHummer.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Thank you Julie. That is so encouraging! I had read the information on sailis about chickadees, but I just read it again through your link. I’ve also read about the nesting habits of Carolina Chickadees on AvianReport.com and NestHollow.com.

I don’t think the camera could have spooked them. They hadn’t touched the nest in at least two days before I set it up. It’s a very small Blink camera attached to my screened in porch. It’s not very noticeable.

Thank you so much for your help.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Tammy, I tried to put the Blink camera at the top of the top in the back, and it is too big for the boxes that I have. The Gilwood box has the hole at the very top of the box, and that’s why it doesn’t work. The birds wouldn’t be able to get in or out. It would be very difficult when the hole is at the top like these boxes are.

Carol
East Tennessee

[NickNackHummer]

Thank you Tammy. I just switched to the Gilwood boxes this year because they are not preferred by HOSP. I want to use these boxes. I belong to a couple of bird groups on Facebook and just joined an Eastern Bluebird Facebook group as you suggested. It seems like most of them use Blink cameras and some of them use the Green Backyard bird camera.

I can’t tell if you have to have electricity for the Green Backyard battery operated nest box camera. I can follow directions but am not tech savvy. green-backyard.com

Carol
East Tennessee

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