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You can make a wren guard out of a shoe box.
https://imgflip.com/i-page/8vpwcs
https://imgflip.com/i-page/8vpw5nTammy
Honestly, house wrens scare me more than House Sparrows and I haven’t quite figured them out. Since they have found that box they probably will try again. And now that the bluebirds know the wren has found it they probably will not nest in that box again this season. Do you have a second box up in your backyard? You could see if the bluebirds will take a second box and put the wren guard up as soon as you see the first egg and let that house wren build his dummy nest. Technically you don’t know if it’s a dummy nest but I just assume it is and then take out the sticks later.
Tammy
Hi Meredith. It was most likely the House Wren. It’s just what they do, even if you have empty boxes nearby.
You can make a Wren guard. That will help once you have bluebird eggs in that box. You put it on after this first egg is laid. I’ll give you some links and photos. But it will take me a few minutes.Tammy
When it’s been too long, I would just remove the eggs so they can start over quicker. I always give it extra time though, just to be safe. I’m sure you’ve already done this by this time.
Tammy
What’s happened with that nest, Mango? Usually bluebirds will not lay in a nest that a house wren or house sparrow has started to take over. They will give up. If they have eggs they are more committed. So I’m guessing your bluebirds gave up?
Tammy
@Judy I agree they are really too small but it seems to work OK.
@ Tim. Love your photos. Endoscope is a cool tool. I mentioned reasons why I like to have my eyes on the birds in another post so you can read that but when they are bigger they tuck themselves besides and under each other and so visually counting them is hard.
REally nice photos!Tammy
Judy. I hate house wrens too. They are sneaky. I hear people say that they give them their own box and their wrens aren’t an issue. I don’t get that because that isn’t how it is with most of us. I have several empty boxes that the wren can use in my backyard but he destroyed all my bluebird eggs this year. And chickadee eggs last year. My first dee nest ever on my property!!
Tammy
How fun to have a dee nesting! They are a lot more skittish and sometimes will abandon a nest when they are monitored too often. So you are smart to let up. Do you look in all your boxes that way? with an endoscope camera? That’s probably a good option with the dees. I think I would have problem counting my bluebird, tree swallow and martin nests with an endoscope. I often reach in and count the babies by touching them. Sometimes there’s too many little bodies to visually count.
Hope you have a good season. I have several second nests on my little trail. Not necessarily the same bird or even the same species.Tammy
I don’t know why that happens occasionally but it does. So sorry. It’s so frustrating. It’s hard to know what could have gone wrong. It could be the things you suggested or maybe something happened to the momma and that dad found a new love and didn’t feed them?
I’m guessing your bluebirds probably are visiting other yards. A bluebirds territory is about 150 yds. The parents could have fed the babies something that caused their death. But,the frustrating thing is…we will never know!!Tammy
Too bad about your daddy TRES. My house sparrows really discourage my TRES at the beginning at the season and even though I trapped the HOSP two pairs gave up and quit trying. Makes me so mad. I used to have 5 boxes of TRES on my property and now I only have 2!!
Tammy
AIH. I think the privacy fence will help with you getting a pair but they are very territorial so it could still keep you from getting a pair.
House Sparrows are so adaptable. I think they will nest anywhere. I don’t think the plastic box has anything to do with her lack of problems. Do you have a lot of house sparrows in your backyard?
Does she monitor her box? Does she check the eggs and babies once a week until they are too old? If not, she wouldn’t really know if there was an issue. If she does do that….maybe she just doesn’t have house sparrows in her backyard…yet. If there are house sparrows in your neighborhood she may be safe now but eventually she will have an issue.If you don’t get bluebirds you could get chickadees! If you have a wide open yard with very few trees you could even get tree swallows.
Tammy
@Tim. It looks like those babies have been dead for awhile. Can you tell if there was any peck marks on them? Could they have died from some other reason?
Usually wrens are the culprit when eggs are removed. And they can remove really young babies from the nest. I haven’t heard of them killing babies. Although I’m sure they could.
House sparrows on the other hand are known for both, dropping babies on the ground and killing.If you use a Wren guard put sides on them too. You want to keep the Wren from finding the hole.
**And always take the Wren guard off when the babies are about ten days old. They need that entrance open so they don’t have problems fledging and by that age the Wren can’t remove the babies from the nest because they are too big.Tammy
Hi Claire. I had a similar experience this season. My main bluebird pair first brood died because it was cold the night they hatched and newly hatched babies can’t regulate their own temperatures. They tried again and a Wren got them, so now they are on their 3rd try.
In my experience bluebirds like cleaned out boxes. Mine usually don’t reuse a nest that failed. If I don’t clean out the nest they will move on to another box.
Do you have a second nestbox up?
You can wait a short time before cleaning out out but I wouldn’t wait long at all because they might move away to start another nest. If they aren’t going in the nestbox now that’s an indication. Honestly I would just clean it out. They like to build new nests.
But another thing to consider is what got those eggs? If it was a house sparrow usually you see the house sparrow on top of the box afterwards trying to lure a female in. If it was a house wren, I’m sorry, because they are so hard to battle. They’re native and protected so legally you can’t do anything but you can put up a Wren guard after the first egg is laid. A Wren guard hides the hole so a Wren doesn’t see it. But once a Wren has found a box and know the opening is there he will bypass the guard. But it can work if he hasn’t found that box.
Hope that helps.
A Wren guard can be as easy as a part of a show box I can give you more info on that tomorrow.Tammy
Hi. Welcome. There’s not a sure fix for this other than what you’ve tried. They see their reflection and think it’s another bird. It will stop eventually.
Someone on this group years ago papered their entire windows and their bluebirds still did that.
The stickers help with window strikes but not so much with a bird that feels aggressive of their reflection.
Did you paper it on the outside? That might work.Tammy
