Forum Replies Created
-
Posts
-
Carol, you are so funny with your lone ranger!!! So glad he’s learning how to chase off the bad guys!! These are key life skills. I checked my trap 2 hours ago and there were 3 new females in it! So far it’s mostly females (1 young male), but if there are no gals to lay eggs, that’s a good thing. As you say, David, eliminate a generation–or several!! I did this last year at this time and caught a bunch in a short time. I don’t think the young ones have enough “street” smarts, and often when they’re caught, the mother follows them in. Hopefully this will reduce latest flock flitting around here and cheeping incessantly.
Rich, where are you located in PA? I want to follow this in the local news if I can! I’m north of Harrisburg. This is so exciting!! I have lots of neighbors who walk by our house and they all watch for the blues. I spied an elderly lady today ducking behind the butterfly bush to watch the babies being fed today. Made me chuckle. I need to tell my neighbor with the 2 little girls to come sit on the porch and watch the feeding show. I’ve had several neighbors put up houses, but sadly one is breeding HOSP and this year another has HOWR. Bummer.
Carol, how do you attach the heat shield? I’ve seen pics of them, but wondering how you do it. You have such practical ways that are approachable for someone like me who’s not the handiest tool in the toolbox!
David, I am enjoying this discussion so much. Your scientific approach is delightful. I keep thinking there’s a best-selling novel in all of this somewhere…or at the very least, a great how-to/adventure tale that bluebirders would devour, pupae and all!!
Wonderful news, Carol!!! Sounds like you’re off to a great start–armed and ready. So thankful. Fingers crossed you’ll see live babies this time! So tickled for you.
Phillyblues, you’re on a roll with the Van Ert! Today I caught a male early with the Van Ert, and then I caught 2 HOSP at once! Carol, you have started a trend this year!!! I never dreamed it was possible. As soon as I caught the male HOSP, another pair moved in. So happy to get them! It must be time for HOSP to nest! Phillyblues, there’s probably enough time for another nesting, I would guess. I tried to find the cut-off date for PA but couldn’t. I have always wondered that myself.
Keep up the great work with Van Ert!!! Our unsung hero.
Carol, I use a tall squarish container that sunflower seeds (or other bulk dried fruit, etc.) came in. I do gently pick them off, but I also try to maneuver that container beneath them and then knock them off their perch. They usually drop instinctively, and in they go into my soapy mix! Sometimes they do fly off, but they’re more docile (not warmed up) in early morning and evening (dusk). I’ve noticed that if I see one flying into a plant to land, they hover around until they find a cluster of other ones, so I patiently watch and then try to get them all at once. With a container that’s wide enough for one hand to hold securely, I can use the other hand like a scoop or scraper, moving them toward the container and then covering it with that hand. Sometimes I get 8-10 at once! That’s when there are bunches. Usually I get doubles, triples or singles. They eat my rose flowers, the raspberries (leaves usually but many berries ruined this year–grr!), and the cherry tree leaves the most. I tried something new to me and natural for the lawn grubs this year. We’ll see if it works. Won’t know ’til fall or next year. We had a skunk digging the lawn last fall for grubs, but I don’t want to poison the lawn…but I also don’t want a dug-up lawn!
Carol, my knock-out roses are covered, too. They look so terrible! Happily they flowered early, so there are no new blooms yet for the beetles to ruin. I’ve investigated various options to treat the roses, but they’re all toxic, so it’s me, a squirt of dish soap, and a pair of gloves. Today I saw a catbird grabbing beetles out of the weeping cherry tree. A wonderful sight!! So happy to have a helper in this beetle project! Fingers crossed to catch 2 HOSP in a box this year–you have inspired me! And the male and female were going in and out this evening like clockwork. We’ll see what tomorrow brings.
To my surprise, a pair of HOSP moved into that box immediately today!! They were nest-building tonight, so the trap will go in tomorrow. My husband keeps suggesting putting out the DRST, and I’m considering, but have had poor success with it the last 2 times it was out. Maybe I’ll try again and have good results catching young ones.
You are so right about the song sparrows liking water! I frequently catch them sipping from plant saucers. I have a little bonsai gingko forest, and I keep it in a small footbath pool thing. The song sparrows usually bathe there in summer, skipping the birdbath entirely. It’s so funny to me how they find any water that’s just-right for them. I love having them around for their perky song.
Jamie, I bought mine maybe 10 yrs ago. When I ordered them, I learned they had been promoted on one of those morning shows (said that on the page). When I was going to buy one recently, I could only find the ones with the perch, which I think I could cut off with a hacksaw or some such thing. Fingers crossed yours works! These did work for me with that robbing blue jay. We had wrens aplenty!
Jamie, the nest guard I used looks like this one, but lacks that perch at the bottom:
I do not understand why this would have a perch. I’d never buy this one now. There is a blue version of this, shown online, with photos of bluebirds using it and sitting on the perch. But of course, HOSP would also sit on the perch, so that’s not a great idea. I’m sure the blues will accept it, esp if they have eggs in the box. I did a lot of reading about hole restrictors this spring, and the common theme was that the female (of many species) readily accepts, while the male is more skeptical. So if your husband saw the male going in, that’s a good sign.Btw I did not paste a photo there. I pasted a link. Good ol’ Amazon is promoting with photos!
Super exciting, Carol!! What a great surprise to find!!! I’ve had 2 HOSP males sitting on the 2 empty boxes here chirping their little hearts out, but no females are coming. I’ve never seen them take this long (over 10 days) to get a mate! Hooray for a shortage of gals!! Best wishes on the new nest!
David, that first photo of the finch looking at the hummer is so funny! Love that. You have a lot of colorful birds to enjoy. I have only seen one hummer so far this year. THANK YOU for sharing non-blues pics!! Definitely glad you did.
Carol, I am so thankful your home was not hit! That tree damage sounds nutty. We have a maple that was struck by lightning before we moved here, and the last few years we noticed a large section of the tree center dying. I searched high and low and finally found a certified arborist who came. She trimmed, evaluated, and told us the strike led to weakness and disease development. She’s done some vitamin injections into the soil for roots to absorb, and the tree is really rebounding. I share that to say you should watch for subsequent damage to surface in that tree. If the roots were struck, that can affect the tree’s ability to take up water. They usually say to be sure to water trees that are struck with lightning to help them thru the first year. Most certified arborists give free estimates. I don’t want your tree to be unsafe and hurt your home–that’s why I’m sharing this.
Jamie, wow!!!! You have so many nesting birds! I’d need a spreadsheet to track all of that. I once lived tucked into woods, and we had carolina wrens in boxes. I watched a blue jay land on the box, cling to the opening, stick its head inside the box, and emerge with a baby in its beak!! Which it proceeded to drop as it flew away. That’s when I discovered nest guards! Blue jays are robbers.
