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Aww….chickadees. Hope they stay! They will build their mossy nest on top of the other one. I’m not sure what happens to your bluebirds. They may or may not come back. If the dees use that box can you put up a second box so the blues can use it if they want? Put one up now and maybe the dees will choose the new one. One the dees nest and lay the first egg you can put a hole reducer on the inside so that bluebirds won’t sabotage there nest.
Tammy
It’s not that the fishing wire and spookier doesn’t help at all. It might help for awhile but HOSP are very adaptable and end up getting past things like that. You would be amazed at how many people have told us that they can’t trap and dispose of HOSP but are now doing it. It only takes a couple of disasters before people reconsider. I so hate for you to give up bluebirds. They are so much fun…as you know. Try those other things and see what happens.
Tammy
Unfortunately they will keep trying to nest. Usually removing their nests does not deter them. Even if they do give up by that time your bluebirds will move on to another box somewhere. And yes, he’ll move on to the next box you have. They are also known to retaliate when their nests are removed or unsuccessful…or so it seeems.
I understand your sentiments on not killing them. When I first started this bluebird hobby I couldn’t kill them so I would take them far away and release them but then became aware that was frowned upon because I was just causing some other bluebird host issues. I finally decided I had to dispose of them. It is hard even now but necessary.
In my opinion the only way to get rid of this current problem is tontrap that HOSP pair with a Van Ert trap and then eliminate those HOSP.Tammy
Glad to know, Fred. Last Year I had my first mocker and he was such a bully. Finally he disappeared and I was thrilled that he was gone. This winter he’s back. I tried so hard to not let the mocker see me feeding my bluebirds mealworms but at some point he noticed and then would intimidate my bluebirds. Hopefully he’ll move on like last year. So I feel for Neil.
Tammy
Yes…Could be. They might nest early this year but I hope not because our weather can change quickly and I don’t want those babies exposed to super cold temps. Sometimes they act like this and then stop building for several weeks.
Tammy
Let us know how you do. I hope I’m not repeating info..But
Sprinkle millet on the landing area and even around the trap to get the HOSP coming to that area. If you have it resting on a table or something sprinkle a little on that area. And of course the bait area. Nesting material is a good idea.Tammy
We had a man on here. Neal, that advocated painting boxes white to lower the temperature inside the box. He had statistics to back it up. I haven’t heard from him for awhile.
Tammy
Some people stop.feeding their other birds while bluebirds are nesting. Several on here do that. But I don’t and don’t seem to have issues. It would discourage HOSP from your backyard though but you’d have to give up your other birds.
Tammy
Hi Ellen.
How great you have a bluebird pair. Up here in NW Ohio that would be very normal. Often for the first nest my bluebirds build it and then wait. I’m not sure about down there. So it could she normal or they could have decided on another nestboxes somewhere else but my guess is that they are still planning on using that. Time will tell. Do you have a predator guard on your pole? It’s a must down there where you have rat snakes etc.Tammy
That works. But just be really careful using Suet. Other things will work. When the birds start nesting and having babies you’ll have much better luck.
Tammy
I agree, peanut butter suet works great!! I try not to use that though, because I kept catching my bluebirds in the trap and I’m not all that great at checking the trap for native birds sometimes. The only time I use peanut butter suet in the trap is when I’m trying to catch Starlings in the wintertime.
Tammy
