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Brad, just curious – what photo sharing site are you using to post here – Photobucket is not let us post “3rd party” any more without paying a huge fee. That is what I use and a lot of others here.
I use imgur. But in this case I just copied the photo URL from Amazon.
So has no one used a dome feeder? The reviews are pretty good on Amazon for people with blues. Just lower the height of the dome to keep out any bigger birds.
I wonder if I will have problems with HOSP wanting the mealworms. Do they eat them?
Carol, the dome lowers as much as you want to keep bigger birds out. Maybe it doesn’t work well, that’s why I was asking if anyone has used a similar one.
Susan, that’s a great price. I tried the same code and it only gave me $53. Ha! I might try that though if I decide to get it. Thanks a lot for the heads up!
Does anyone have experience with dome feeders like this?
They are much cheaper and well reviewed. You can find it on amazon:
Aspects Vista Dome FeederI have mockingbirds, HOSP, and robbins around who like the mealworms I’ve put out. Not sure who has been eating them out of the dish along with the blues, but I have seen the robbins for certain.
Is there any good reason not to get a dome feeder like that?
My male is pretty absent during incubation. He shows back up for feeding after they hatch. I would guess all is well.
It’s been interesting of late.
I left town for 4 days when the babies were 6 days old and I took the wren guard off right before I left. The group went from 4 hatchlings to 3 after a couple days and it appeared like the mom had removed one from the nest and eventually did something with it.
When I returned only 2 of the 3 babies remained. I have no idea what happened with the other. Sparrow spooker and baffle still on. No sign of any kind of predator. Unfortunate, but such is life. I wish I knew if I did anything wrong or if it was just nature.
I thought only 1 bird of my first round survived, as I’d only seen one hanging out with the male in my area. Immature parents or predators…who knows. 2 days ago I saw a blue in my backyard, which is rare. I started watching and quickly realized there were 5 hanging out hunting food on the ground and playing about. One was definitely the dad and there was another male. I could tell several were young. I’m not sure if the mom was there or not, but if she was it means 3 have survived and if not then all 4 are still with us. That was quite welcome.
The remaining 2 seemed to grow much quicker than the last round, probably because they only had to feed half as many. They fledged today and are now gone.
I’m strongly considering buying the mealworm feeder from this site to put in the backyard in hopes I can see them back there more often. I don’t get to see the box unless I’m coming or going from the house.
I assume this is it for the year here in NC. I didn’t expect any babies this year. I would guess nesting areas are lacking here, considering they took to my box day 1 after I moved it to the front yard. I’m just glad to help 6 babies leave the box successfully. I’ve also disposed of 3 HOSP, which isn’t fun but I know is the right thing to do.
Thanks to everyone for all the help.
I checked today and there are only 3 babies. Is it common for the parents to remove one if something was wrong with it? There’s no reason to believe there’s been any predation.
On the positive side, the male seems to have figured out the Wren Guard this time around and is helping feeding. The babies seem bigger at this stage than last time around, although it could just be perception.
I had 2 eggs hatch yesterday and the remaining 2 today.
One of the babies is not down in the nest cup, but is up on the top of the nest in a corner where the door opens. I can only assume the mother put it there. Should I move it back to the nest cup or just let it be and mom to take care of it as she wishes?
Sorry, I’m new to HOSP trapping too and don’t have any answers for you, only questions. Do you have other feeders out? I’m trying to figure out what will interest my HOSP in the trap.
I have heard people say placing it 2-3 feet off the ground helps, so it might be worth trying.
I had a lot of activity the first 2 days but squirrels eat the outside bread and no birds have shown interest in the bread inside my trap.
I’ve learned in another part of my life that I must learn to accept the things I cannot change, have the courage to change the things I can, and seek the wisdom to know the difference.
My role in helping bluebirds is to provide a nesting cavity and do my best to safeguard it from predators. Beyond that nature will run its course and I have to accept that.
I have no control over what happens to the birds after the leave my box (and to a fair extent while they are in it) and I just have to accept that I’m doing my best to help them and what will come after that is just part of nature.
Life is full of ups and downs but I just have to look at the big picture as much as possible.
Thanks Cari. I will try that again with my next one. I haven’t had a tragedy yet (this is my first year) but understand the problem and would like to help the native birds. The HOSP are certainly around and rearing their young. I don’t know how many are around but I see them more often than anything else.
Thanks. There’s one less house sparrow now, although I can’t say I felt good doing it. I found a way to do it in the trap.
I had 4 fledglings and 2 fledged on the first day and 2 the following. The resources say up to 72 hours between first and last can be normal. Did the little guy fly today?
