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I’m sorry but it isn’t looking good for your bluebirds nesting this time. House wrens are awful. Once they’ve found your house they will not stop going in and off there’s another bird’s eggs they will destroy them.
I’m the future, leave that wren box open. You can attach a Wren hole reducer on it so the bluebirds can’t get in. You might want to do that now just in case it would work. You can buy in then at a bird store near you usually or online.
But usually even if a house wren had their own house they still will destroy eggs.
Giving house wrens their own place works for some people but not many.
If the Wren hasn’t found a bluebird nest yet and there’s eggs in it you can use a Wren guard and hope for the best.
So for right now I would open that wren box up right away and hope for the best.Tammy
I’m with you, Meg. I hear about delayed incubation but I don’t think I’ve ever experienced it and I’ve been at this a long time. I’m afraid for your eggs. Did they hatch?
I’ve had so much heartbreak already this year so I feel for you.Tammy
The U shaped. My bluebirds love those things!!! But I have 3 slot boxes on my trail made by someone at the Nebraska Bluebird Society (I think, I can’t remember now) and bluebird on my trail choose those first every year!
Tammy
I thought I wrote back but obviously I didn’t press submit. I didn’t realize who you were when I asked about keeping records, otherwise I wouldn’t’ have asked!
Did they all leave?
I’ve been in that boat before. Once one flew out into a cornfield. No way could I find it. And then last year I opened a box of baby blues without checking dates on my little trail. I had to stuff them back in and of course they never stay in after that so I put a hole reducer on but Momma wouldn’t feed them so I finally took it off the next morning and just left ….I couldn’t watch. But I think that gave them enough time.
And then on the trail the previous year I did the same thing to tree swallows. That was an awful experience.Tammy
Payton, You are talking about a trap you bought from Sparrowtraps.net, right? Are you talking about the flap that is on the access port where you put your hand in to retrieve the birds? It’s black? I went out and looked at mine that I got several years ago and it does have a flap. I’ve had 4. My first couple didn’t have a flap. I would assume that he puts them on now. Let me see I can find a way for you to contact him. There’s an email on his website but sometimes he’s hard to reach. I’ll get back with you or Cher will help you. She’s the boss here. I’m making one on the traps that I don’t have the flap for out of a tire innertube. Hopefully it will work. I’m not very handy so we will see.
Tammy
Hey Tim.
I love traditional Gilwood boxes. And my bluebirds love, love, love them. They are always the ones they choose first. I wish I could find someone that sells the Gilwood.
I’m not a fan of PVC boxes. I have one. The only bird that uses it is TRES. I feel they are too small and I don’t like how I have to disconnect the entire PVC to do nest checks. And if I need to replace the nest for some reason it’s hard to do. Or even removing a dead baby is hard.Tammy
Mariam, were you a part of our group when it was on Yuku and later changed to Tapatalk with the user name newbabyblue? You had purple martins and had issues back then with tree swallows taking over your bluebird boxes?
It is that another person.Tammy
If he flew really well then I really believe the parents will find him. He’ll call out to them over and over again. I still make that mistake occasionally. But when I’ve done it they weren’t ready to fly and that is a worse mistake.
Do you keep track when the eggs were laid, when they are supposed to hatch and then fledge? That helps. But I do that and sometimes I still make mistakes like this so I get it.Tammy
Glad you’re back on, Carol. I was starting to worry. I’ve had two white egg laying females at my house. One a long time ago and one recently. I didn’t have white ones this year or last year. And I have two white egg nests on the little 13 box trail I monitor. I like it because you know you have the same Momma when that happens because they will lay white eggs their entire life.
Tammy
I’m not familiar with spotting scopes so can’t be of help. I use binoculars. Too bad you aren’t on FB because there are bird photography groups that can help you.
Tammy
Tim, what I’m wondering is…maybe backyard birders are not normally birders that use ebird, so the normal birds that visit the backyard don’t get recorded as much and so the numbers are skewed. That’s what I think because some of the migrating info on the backyard birds seem really wrong.
I use ebird occasionally but I don’t use it to see when my backyard birds migrate. I don’t think the real birders are going to see a ton of house finches, goldfinches, bluebirds, wren, purple martins etc. Just a thought.Tammy
Judy. I had the same issue. Mine hatched too and I was elated but we had another night that didn’t get to freezing but dropped low and since the hatchlings can’t regulate their temperature all 6 babies died.
They’ve already laid 2 new eggs.Tammy
Merlin of course does make mistakes quite often but I’m guessing it’s right. Id be surprised if you didn’t have bluebirds in your area right now. They were probably in your area before May 6th last year but you just didn’t see them.
Canada already has purple Martins. And bluebirds usually migrate before martins and tree swallows normally.
Keep us posted on your success.Tammy
