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I wouldn’t touch the eggs unless you can be absolutely, positively sure they’ve been abandoned. Are they ice cold to the touch? Can you place a piece of grass across the entrance hole to be sure you’re not just missing seeing the birds going into the box? They can be very sneaky when they want to be!
Central NY
TMB StudiosI think it depends on the bird, Donna. I’ve trapped both male and female bluebirds with the Van Ert, and had them come back to nest in the same box. They seem a bit shaken, but not so much that they refuse to enter the box. My birds seem to “know” I’m trying to get rid of their enemies!
Central NY
TMB StudiosI don’t know if there is a return policy. That’s not a question we could answer. I do know it costs quite a bit to ship them, and you wouldn’t get your shipping costs back.
There are far more people who have had success with this trap than those who haven’t. And probably if the ones who posted about not having any success followed the suggestions given in the four pages of instructions that come with the trap, and additional tips given here, their luck would turn around. However, not everyone comes back to post once they’ve tried the suggestions and had success.
I do know that Blaine says to give the trap at least two weeks before deciding that it won’t work. Sometimes people catch birds right away, sometimes it takes a while for them to lose their fear of the new “thing”. Pre-baiting the area where you plan to put the trap may help with that. So does having a bird that you’ve caught with an in-box trap to put in the repeating trap. Having a bird in the trap seems to attract others.
Central NY
TMB Studios
Sometimes I think they just love to see us work!
Central NY
TMB StudiosScot, I think many of us learned by trial and error. You can’t change the past, so just go on from here using what you’ve learned.
Central NY
TMB StudiosGina, HOSP disposal is handled through private discussion or e-mail. We don’t post those details on the public forum. This is a child-friendly discussion group. As for videos, what did you want to see? The bird goes into the elevator compartment, then into the holding area of the trap, and the trap resets. This allows multiple catches without human intervention.
If you catch a native, all you have to do (if it is the only bird in the trap) is open the removal door, and it should fly out. If you have both HOSP and non-HOSP in the trap, then you will have to reach in through the removal door and carefully get hold of the good bird and pull it out without allowing the HOSP to escape.
Central NY
TMB StudiosAs soon as they have an egg, you can install a spooker. Tree Swallows usually will accept them as readily as the Bluebirds do.
Central NY
TMB StudiosFrom the instruction sheet that comes with every DRST purchased, here are some additional bait ideas that have worked for others:
Bread chunks (esp. white bread)
Nesting material (break up an old HOSP nest and stick pieces of it in the bait tray)
Feathers (hot glue a few to a bottle cap or piece of wood so they can’t be pulled out through the mesh without the bird entering the elevator area).
Dry cat food
Popped popcorn
Cheese popcorn
Stale french friesWhen elevating the trap, make sure it has a visual “floor” underneath – a board, or a picnic table – don’t “suspend” the trap over thin air.
Using mealworms is not a good idea, because:
1) they will crawl out
2) they are expensive
3) they will make the trap more attractive to other native songbirds
Central NY
TMB StudiosBZ, can you post some pictures of your Wren Guard? I’d love to add as many different designs as possible to our sticky topic!
Central NY
TMB StudiosVery nice, Dave!
Central NY
TMB StudiosDeb, I’d do it now! Once they have an egg is the nest they are committed to the nesting and are less apt to be frightened away. I wouldn’t add both at once – add the one you suspect you need the most first, and watch to be sure they’ve accepted it. You’ll be able to tell if there’s a 2nd egg tomorrow. Once they’ve accepted that, then introduce the other. Again, watch to be sure egg-laying continues.
Central NY
TMB StudiosA post from our moderator Tamsea on bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com – quoting a post from River, about a Wren Guard made by our other moderator, dogsandbirds, and another one by Renee.
This first one was posted by River in the UPDATE & QUESTION thread.
Fred says:
“Here’s Gin’s shoe box wren guard. Just cut out one long side. Since the shoe box I had was a dark color, I brushed on a little beige latex paint (so let it rain), then popped it on with four thumbtacks. Thanks, Gin. This is simply brilliant and is so easy to make – took about five minutes including the painting.”
This one was posted by Renee in the Heat Concerns thread. An easy way to make a guard for a peaked roof box.
Central NY
TMB Studios(Originally posted by Bet from CT on bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com)
Very clever! I think bluebirders can be so innovative!
I would DEFINITELY not install this BEFORE an egg was laid if you can help it. I don’t think it needs to be quite as long as the picture shows. It just
needs to hide the hole from a passing House Wren (HOWR).I know some folks had experimented with a more U shaped (squared off) wren guard with sides on it. I don’t know if they ever wrote up whether it worked
as well/better, or how readily it was accepted. Would be very interested to see what happens if you test this.Supposedly it is best to have the wren guard made of the same or a similar material to have it blend in with the box.
Blaine’s design is useful in that it can be used on a FRONT opening box (the guard bends up when you open the door for monitoring.)
Also, remember to take it off when babies are too big to be carried off by HOWR (for bluebirds, this is about day 5.) It does make it harder for the parents
to feed. But it’s better than having the eggs/babies thrown onto the ground!The following was posted by Bet on the Cornell List on 6-12-09
I’ve updated my webpage on deterring House Wrens ([url]http://www.sialis.org/wrens.htm%29[/url]
with the following warning about wren guards (a view blocker that
extends from the front edge of the roof to just below the entrance hole
– see drawings and photos – [url]http://www.sialis.org/wrens.htm#drawing%29.[/url] I’m NOT saying they shouldn’t be used – just that
they should be used CAREFULLY.****
TIMING: Watch the box after installation to verify that the nester is
able to enter. DO NOT PUT A WREN GUARD UP AFTER EGG LAYING IS OVER
unless you VERIFY that the parents will enter the box, especially with
other species like Tree Swallows! If the parents refuse to go inside to
incubate, brood or feed, the eggs or babies WILL ALL DIE! Putting up a
wren guard before egg laying begins may result in nest abandonment with
some species (e.g., chickadees, titmice.)****
Here’s some background.
Wren guards were “invented” by Orthwein, and I’ve used them
successfully on a number of Eastern Bluebird nests to deter House Wren
attacks. (House Wren populations are increasing in my area, and so are
attacks, in some cases farther and farther from “typical” House Wren
habitat.)This year, I tried putting one up in a park on a
chickadee nest BEFORE egg laying began, and the nest was abandoned.
(I’ve put them on chickadee boxes during egg laying and all were
accepted.)I tried one on a titmouse nest during nest building
(in a box with a nestcam on it) and the titmouse would not go inside. I
removed it a day later and she went in and finished the nest and laid
eggs, which a House Wren then destroyed when they were close to
hatching. I put one on another titmouse box during egg laying and it
was accepted.I just got a very sad report from someone who put up a
guard on a Tree Swallow box as the eggs were hatching. It was properly
installed, even farther than 2.5″ away from the hole, but the parents
refused to enter. The landlord went back the next day to check on the
box, and all the babies were dead.Also, I’m NOT convinced that repeated removal of House
Wren nests (especially if they are not dummy nests – removal of nests
with nest cups or eggs is not legal under the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act) doesn’t increase aggression (similar to experiences some trail
monitors have had with repeated removal of House Sparrow nests and eggs
– a discussion I am NOT suggesting we engage in again right now.) Some
people have had good luck with moving boxes 300 feet or more away from
brush/forest edge. I’m guessing increasing forest fragmentation (from
development) is creating more opportunities for House Wrens.Anyway, I would be interested in any reports from
others regarding success OR failure with wren guards, especially with
regard to other species of cavity nesters. I will update
recommendations on my website accordingly.Bet from CT
Central NY
TMB Studios(Originally posted by “River” on bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com)
Cher,
Thanks for posting Blaine's pictures – we need all the help we can get. And I appreciate your hosting offer for the plans.
My own site is taking shape, but even with all the great templates out there, I'm still having to learn HTML, so it's slow going. I'll let you
know.Speaking of the HOWR guard, the sketch below shows yet another idea. I'm waiting on samples of a material called Flexwood
(thin veneer) and I've ordered a roll of tan vinyl flashing as well.The flexible material is cut to a length so it forms a half-circle, and is attached with 4 screws. The screw holes would be the
slot-type, so it could be slipped on and off easily without tools. One side only could be detached without removing the entire guard.The box shown is a NABS, and at first glance it seems to work. Whether the material can withstand repeated on/off operations
without tearing is the key. Once I have this material in hand, we can try it on other guard ideas as they hatch.
Central NY
TMB StudiosWren Guard ideas excerpted from the Perfect Box thread:
A while back I mentioned those wren guard prototypes that Blaine had built and sent photos of. I contacted him and he doesn't have any desire to start
manufacturing wren guards – he's far too busy with traps. So he gave me permission to post his photos here, for what they're worth.
The main problem I found with the flashing was that it couldn't be bent more than a few times before it suffered metal fatigue. Maybe the vinyl flashing
would work better – I don't know if he tried that.
Central NY
TMB Studios
