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Judy, thinking about what you said. I’m gonna start calling this Papa Blue the Blue-zer (aka bruiser)!! That was a great idea! I was thinking last night about a time last June when the TRES had eggs and a HOSP showed up out of nowhere and decided to take their nesting box. It got into the box and ultimately carried off an egg. When that HOSP was in the box, at one point he poked his head out, and one of the TRES hit it in the head hard by dropping fast out of flight from behind the box (out of the HOSP’s sightline). The strike was enough to topple the HOSP more forward, and before it regained its balance, on a 2nd pass the TRES hit it, grabbed onto the back of the neck, and thrust the HOSP to the ground. It was pinned! The TRES held it there and beat it with its wings. I got the spooker up after that and the rest of the nesting was successful. I have no clue where these HOSP come from b/c they’re not at the birdbath. I think they show up from surrounding yards or nearby farms. Hopefully it’s peaceful from here on out, altho’ my husband would love to see the flight tactics. He loves that part of this process.
My husband (Air Force vet) said the same thing, David! He said, “Wish I had seen that! Hmmm, I need to clear my camera card so we can set it up by the window and you can use it the moment you spot action.” It all happd so fast and, like so much of this, I was in the right place at the right time. The funniest part was the finches and song sparrow exiting the area!
Thanks for sharing this amazing mealworm info!!! Saving it all for the future. I haven’t fed mealworms yet. We live near a river and the bug content here even in daylight is astounding. We can’t use any outdoor lights at night from June until a hard frost in fall. But you all are inspiring me to consider offering mealworms. I’m so thankful for all you share.
Thank you, David, for sharing the step-by-step with this new mealworm station! I would never have thought of each step you took. And thank you for the excellent photos!! Wow. I have saved this link for future review and learning. I am so excited to see the process unfold. You take great pics. Thanks for sharing!! I’m happily learning so much from all of you!
I am so happy I found this forum to read stories like this! WOW WOW WOW!!! That’s all I can say, Rich. So cool. The pair in my yard this year is clearly new. They are so watchful and suspicious. You have clearly built a bond of trust. You know, the tree swallows in my front yard know me and don’t usually dive bomb me–whether I have a bare head or big straw hat on. But let my husband walk out to get the mail, and they bomb him like mad. It’s funny!! Last year he said he was getting a complex. These birds do come to know us–and clearly they know you! Neat-o!
Btw Duncraft has those feeders, and their price is in line with the one here.
Congrats, David! This is the best news after all you went thru! I really enjoy your photos. I’m like Carol–my garden shots turn out, but the birds, not so much. Enjoy the feeding days to come! I love that busy time of the nest.
I love all your fledgling stories!! Made me laugh. Last year I saw two of the babies fledge. One came out of the box and flew straight up, up, up and landed on a big fat splinter sticking out on the telephone pole/streetlight pole. After a moment’s rest, it fluttered up to the lamp of the streetlight beside its parents. I was amazed at how strongly it could fly that high! The 2nd one came out of the box and flew into a humongous oak tree across the street. I saw No. 3 peering out, teetering on the edge of the hole. It leaned out a smidge too far and fell forward, flapped its wings to right itself and wanted to go back into the box, but couldn’t figure out how to get those flapping wings into that tiny hole!! I laughed as I watched. Finally it regained balance on the hole edge, rested, the wings folded, and it fell backwards into the box. Immediately I saw this little eye at the box hole, looking out. It was just so doggone funny. I never saw that one or its sibling fledge, despite waiting. They really are so much fun to watch!
Carol, congrats on the fledging! Your season is off to a bang-up start with a successful (albeit messy!) nest, and then getting rid of HOSP!! That’s terrific. Enjoy the season! Hope you have many more successes this year. Thanks, too, for your nest box cleaning tips. Appreciate all I can learn!
The 4 bluebird eggs in my back box hatched this week. I finally saw my neighbor and told him about it, so they are thrilled to watch the progress. His wife has a health issue that keeps her indoors during this virus, so I’m tickled the blues built back there for them to enjoy. Hopefully you’ll have hatching soon, David!
Carol, did they fledge today? Also, how do you clean your boxes? I am always looking for tips. Thank you!
Carol, I stumbled onto the 2nd box for trapping idea purely by accident. This year I even trapped 2 male HOSP during Feb. as they were laying claim to one of the boxes!! I had to slog out in my winter coat and snow boots to get them out of the box, but boy, it was worth it! Two fewer HOSP is always great. I’ve noticed new HOSP babies around this week, so I’ll get my DRST out again. I had it out late last fall and again this spring and caught nothing! Not even a wrong bird! So I packed it up. I told myself I’d get it out when there are young babies to catch. If they go in, it seems their moms go in, too. And then the males take notice. Ha–that’s my plan to take over the HOSP population!! Hope you catch yours!! They are terrible.
Hope you get to see the blues fledge! I spotted it last year purely by chance. What fun!! Enjoy!! Btw I finally got to look at the blue nest yesterday–Mama Blue flew out at last! 4 eggs. So exciting!
Carol, my first year with blues was 3-4 years ago. (It took me 2 years to mentally prep myself to deal with HOSP!) I didn’t know when to empty out the nest after fledging, so didn’t do so until fall. The 2nd yr I had read more and did the quick empty. I’m still very much learning. I have 3 gilbertson boxes–2 in front about 15-20 feet apart (easy for me to monitor) and 1 in the way back (tougher to see from indoors). I started with the 2 in front at suggested spacing, then found bluebird nut and read Tammy’s advice on spacing and followed it. The blues often alternate their nestings in those boxes. I now think they’re too close, but I use the 2nd box more for a HOSP trap box. Chickadees often visit it, but never choose it. And the song sparrow who “owns” the front flower bed likes to sit on it and sing, so that’s good, too.
I put up 2 TRES boxes last year b/c they were trying to use the Gilberston, which is too small (read that online). There were epic aerial dogfights between them and the blues, which distressed me! So I added those 2 TRES boxes. They seem to prefer the slot box.
Carol, one thought on this: I found last year that if I emptied the used nest out right away, the blues came back to that box. The past year I delayed (was out of town), so they set up the 2nd nest in a different box. Maybe if you don’t remove the nest from the Audubon box they’ll move to the Gilwood?? I have no rule book on this. I just noticed the pattern. Last year they made 3 nests in the same box–I emptied it within 2 days of fledging.
I also saw rose breasted grosbeaks this week (south central PA) and Balto orioles for the first time ever yday and today! I quickly cut some oranges and stuck on twigs and a garden support where they were hanging out. Would love to see them stay. Wanted to share I finally figured out what happened here with my abandoned bluebird nest. I believe this is a new pair to nesting, b/c I have yet to check the box and have Mama not in there on the eggs! Usually with other blues if I whistle or tap the box, out she comes. Not this new mama! I believe there are 5 eggs but have never been able to confirm! (Day 4 of laying was non-stop rain, so couldn’t check. She’s never left when I’ve checked since Day 5!) Anyway, the TRES showed up the day EAB egg laying should have started out front, but since it’s a new pair, I think they abandoned the front box and moved housekeeping to the back box. I cleaned the abandoned nest out last Sunday, saving it for a back-up.
The TRES seem to be working on the nest, but with the cold they have disappeared for a few days. The chickadees seem to have abandoned their nest with eggs. A HOSP was bugging them, and I put on a hole reducer, but the HOSP still kept hanging on with its head in the hole! Ugh. So I added fishing line, and the dees kept coming and going, but then just left. Not sure what happened. So bummed.
One thing to note re: the cold: I noticed a non-stop stream of birds at the suet feeders today. Busiest day ever!! I think the cold may have zapped some bugs, which would affect what Papa Blue could bring to incubating mama. I say this b/c the woodpeckers came in a stream all day to the suet, one after the other. It appeared to be the same ones. They’re either feeding babies or an incubating partner b/c they’d fly off to the glen one street over and then be right back. It was comical to see, b/c they would patiently wait for one to finish and fly off and then the next one would plop on. Stay warm and be well!
Rich and Judy, you both sound like you did an amazing job! I’m so impressed with your creativity. You should consider patenting your methods, Rich, or at least taking pics and getting them posted somewhere. This spring weather is nuts. 27 is so cold!! Our lowest is now set to 31, but it does keep changing.
