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Bluebirds & Claim Straws? (Part 2)Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 18:33:20 -0800 (PST) Greetings....Reading Kathy's post promted me to report this...My front EABL box has had a couple of short pine straws in it for about a week. (Maybe we can call them the "claim straws".) Earlier the EABL had evicted the Chickadees from this box. Well, this morning I noticed the male EABL perching on top of the box with a pine straw in his beak. After the birds flew away, I went out to check the box. The 2 pine straws were gone..so I'm assuming Mr. EABL took them out to show Mrs. EABL or maybe to encourage her to start the nest. The reason I believe this..is because I saw the very same thing happen last spring. (I thought last spring's female EABL was a little lazy at times & had to be encouraged by Mr. EABL to keep building the nest.) Also, I believe I read it in one of my BB books..maybe Stokes...that this is true...Any comments? Horace in NC. ************************************************** --- Rauschenberg Kathy kathy_scottud90"at"yahoo.com wrote: . While they had ===== Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 18:38:24 -0800 (PST) Sorry..forgot to add that when I checked the box late this afternoon..the 2 pine straws were back in the box...probably not the same ones, of course.... Interesting...Horace in NC. ===== Date: Thu, 22 Mar 2001 20:38:01 -0800 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda Horace, you see more details than I do with my non-backyard trail. But I also have seen the "straws" in the box (on my trail, it can be a few straws, trash, ribbon, or feather). Then it's gone the next and something put back in later. Those of you that are lucky enough to have bluebirds in your backyards will be the most likely to decipher what's happening by pooling your detailed observations. Horace Sher wrote: Greetings....Reading Kathy's post promted me to ... Date: Sun, 25 Mar 2001 17:18:23 -0800 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. It's fairly quiet today so I thought the List might like an update of my five nestbox predictions made mid-Februrary (based on early claimstraws). Pictures at http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/claimstraws.html Claimstraw Prediction #1 = Lupine (Remember, no eggs were laid at this site last year) The finished nest now contains 5 eggs (being incubated). Claimstraw Prediction #2 = Eastlake (Remember, last year no eggs until 2nd clutch timeframe Nest is being built; pair comes to tree. Claimstraw Prediction #3 = Shappel The box at the other end of park remains vacant. A slowly growing collection of thin clear dotted ribbons Bluebird pair now comes to tree during checks. Claimstraw Prediction #4 = Fairmont The box at the other end of the park remains vacant. A feather has just been added to the claimstraws; Bluebird pair now comes to tree during checks. Claimstraw Prediction #5 = Brookmont Claimstraws only; But bluebird pair now comes to tree during checks. Date: Mon, 02 Apr 2001 01:12:06 -0500 I have found a few blades of grass in both of my BB boxes. Does this mean a good sign? I saw my male BB all by himself Sat. on top of the roof of the BB box near the road the one they are around the most. I didn't see the female anywhere. Course she could have just been perched somewhere n I couldn't see her. He flew to the ground then up to a tree branch n I finally go to hear his song. How beautiful it sounded. I was taking care of my day lillies n ever so often I would turn around to see him perched in a different spot. At one point on the side of a tree. Didn't see him today...think it was too cold & windy for him. Joleen in Indiana Date: Mon, 02 Apr 2001 05:49:44 -0800 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Joleen, a few strands of grass placed in a nestbox is a very good sign on my trail that the box has been claimed (claimstraws). Based on early-season claimstraws on my trail last February, I started taking photos of the straws and made 5 nesting predictions for this season. Photos showing the progress of those five sites are being tracked on my web page: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/claimstraws.html I expect to have the "Claimstraw" prediction series completed by the end of this month. It is my hope that you and others will also start making careful notes of any preseason changes you see in your nestboxes. ds"at"comteck.com wrote: Date: Mon, 2 Apr 2001 16:01:01 -0400 Yes! Good sign. I've found that more often than not, males (stage one) stake out their territory alone, without a partner, scope out the area and determine what, in their opinion, are the best sites. Then they (stage two) begin advertising vigorously, by singing from the tops of al the nestboxes they have located. Finally (sometimes it has taken two weeks) (stage three) a female is persuaded to stop by and join him in looking over the various options. When SHE thinks one is suitable, she will sign on and begin the build a nest. It sounds like your male may be in stage one or two! Randy Jones ----- Original Message ----- ... Date: Tue, 10 Apr 2001 05:11:33 -0700 (PDT) Hi Linda..If you remember a few weeks ago, I posted that my EABL had left a couple short pine straws in the box which had disappeared the next day & reappeared as I saw the male with 1 short piece of straw in his beak sitting on top of the box. Well, all that was sexeral weeks ago & since then the TUTI has built their nest in the box with what I think is mild interference from the EABL. My gut feeling is that the EABL will not claim this box for their nesting. I think this is perhaps a case where even though the EABL may leave what we think are claim straws, they may very well decide not to claim the box for 1 reason or another. Did you or anyone else on this list have any boxes (even 1) this year or in the past where the birds left the straws, etc. but didn't claim the box? Thanks...Horace in NC. **************************************************--- ... Date: Sun, 22 Apr 2001 16:38:51 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Bruce, you are kidding? You didn't open your nestbox from October 2000 until today, April 22, 2001? If you aren't pulling our collective legs, that explains why you haven't been seeing claimstraws . . . (hint: you need to open your nestboxes to see them). You may recall I made nesting predictions based on claimstraws I saw in my
nestboxes last February. Those predictions are being fulfilled beautifully: So, 80% of the five "prediction" sites which contained the mid-February claimstraws, now have at least a full nest and April hasn't yet ended. My first fledge for this 2001 season will be from a box that was reserved early (last February) with a claimstraw. This site (Lupine) didn't have *any* nesting with eggs last year. Only 47% of the remaining boxes on my trail have a full nest or better. I find that contrast signficant. Bruce Burdett wrote: ... From: Linda Violett [lviolett"at"earthlink.net] PS: The Brookmont West photo (first egg) taken today will be uploaded shortly
and the full clutch photo will be taken and added this weekend. (I asked Linda to send this directly to me as somehow my digest version of Bluebird-L didn't show up on the day of her original post)Date: Tue, 1 May 2001 23:09:02 -0500 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda ... There is no "conclusion" here at all - only the restating of a personal and untested hypothesis. I am more than happy to be considered one of those who challenges the the existence and significance of what Linda calls "claim straws." And a few month's back, I suggested ways that she might move this from being merely a hypothesis to something more. Those options remain open, but what Linda has proposed is not a scientific test and can in no way validate her hypothesis. Jim Walters james-walters"at"uiowa.edu Date: Tue, 01 May 2001 23:29:20 -0700 I use the claimstraw clues on my trail for nestbox placements early in the season and felt those clues might be helpful to others. It is hoped that any future posts on the claimstraw topic will be written in a similar spirit of sharing and contain information which might be useful to those on the List. "James P. Walters" wrote: ... Date: Wed, 02 May 2001 01:48:30 -0500 I had them in in 2 of my boxes & have a pair of BB's in one...I think the theory makes sense...but that is just my opinion. Joleen in Indiana "James P. Walters" wrote: ... Date: Wed, 2 May 2001 07:39:10 -0400 MJ Shearer Hi Linda and all, One of the three nest boxes in my yard contained "claim straws," and that box is now home to 5 baby EABLs (Eastern Bluebirds). Six Carolina Chickadees fledged from one box, and the third box remains inactive with no "claim straws." This is not intended to be a "scientific test"; it's merely an interesting backyard observation FYI. :-) MJ ----- Original Message ----- ... Date: Wed, 02 May 2001 09:17:35 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA I am fascinated with the idea of claim straws. I also use them as an indication that someone is about to move in. Whether it is a claim or simply the start of a nest, I don't know. My observations are that they in fact exist - when I see claim straws I expect someone to claim the box I'd say about 85% of the time. When I see claim straws I'll start to see a nest within the week. However, I do believe that with as much controversy about this subject as their is, empirical data is necessary! One of my herb teacher's (she is trained as a microbiologist) favorite quotes is, "Science is always the last to know". :-) I keep thorough records of claim straws and I'll send in my "anticdotal" data to the list. I monitor sometimes everyday to every three days early in the season to see who is going to take what box, so I keep a close watch of boxes and claim straws. Some of the questions to answer are what about boxes that have nests already started when we open the box? Many of my nests start like that as well - did I miss the claim straws? - so to make this more anticdotally sound, we'd need to check the boxes every single day. I'll also let the list know about those nests - Jim Walters sounds like he has ideas on how to make this a scientific experiment - I'd like to possibly participate in this study........ :-) H Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 18:56:58 EDT Sherry Hunter, Byron Center, MI I checked my backyard nestbox that just had a bluebird pair fledge 3 babies on this last Saturday and found what looks like a claim straw (same dryed cream colored grass as nest is made out of) and some bird poop. Here is the sequence of events: Eastern Bluebird pair fledged 3 babies on Saturday, May 26th at 20 days old. I saw bluebird parents, Sunday evening, in my side yard (nestbox cannot be seen from this area of my yard , it is in my backyard) hunting for insects. They flew into my neighbors trees too high for me to see them or their fledges. I took out the old nest from the nestbox. Monday I cleaned out the nestbox and left the side opening door open to air out the box. Monday afternoon Mr. Bluebird was sitting on the top of the box, looked into the entrance hole and to the side of the box which was open, then flew away. In the evening I closed the box up and later saw Mr. Bluebird sitting on top of the box. This morning, Tuesday, I saw Mr. BLuebird again sitting on top of the nestbox. This evening I found what I think are his claim straws in the box and several little poops on the floor of the box. Just wanted to add this observation to the data collection on the possibility that bluebirds leave some kind of material in the box as a sign that they plan on nesting in that box in the future. Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 20:34:11 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. I notice claim straws at the start of the spring season before the first nestings because a period of weeks sometimes elapses between the placement of claim straw(s) and nest building. There is a clear and distinct separation between the claimstraw stage and the nest-building stage. Second nestings are too quick. My season is getting very busy and I may not be sharing as much as I have in the past. dottie price wrote: ... Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001 12:54:26 -0400 Help, I have a nest box that is empty and is in need of replacement/repair. A few days ago I removed an old nest and cleaned out the box. Today I went out to take it down and found one bluebird feather in the bottom. Does this mean they are "claiming" the box? Should I leave it up? There is a set of fledglings from a natural cavity (tree) in the neighbors yard and the Mom and Pop EABB have been hanging around on the utility wires in my yard. Thanks for the quick assist, Date: Sat, 7 Jul 2001 12:19:14 -0500 Hi Tami, Bluebirds and other birds often lose a feather from time to time and this is NOT a form of claiming a box. If the box is in need of replacing then I would put up a new box. They often will nest in a new box even if it is placed close to another box they are already building a nest in. The feather could even have been carried in by another species of bird in your area. A habit I have gotten into when I clean out an old nest is to inspect the older boxes. If I do not think they are strong enough to survive a raccoon trying to pry it's way into the box then I will remove the entire box when I clean out the nest. It is better to force the birds to shift down the road to another nestbox than to risk losing them in an old rotted box. Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas a steamy 95*F Date: Sat, 07 Jul 2001 11:25:00 -0700 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. On my trail, when a feather, piece of tissue, ribbon or a few straws are placed in a box, it is a signal that bluebirds have chosen/claimed the box. That may or may not be true in your instance. See this year's photos at: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/newbegin.html I would recommend you leave the box in place (or a similar style replacement with feather kept in the box). If you do not have time to build a replacement box, see if you can secure it by adding a several well-placed metal L-brackets for reinforcement (roof to sides, etc.). Tami Wires wrote: ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Hi All, Just got a report from my M 12 Trail Monitor in Myakka City, FL....she sent a photo of a blade of grass in a box!!!!!! She has been watching this pair for two weeks...since we put up the boxes. The BBs have been going from one to another checking them out, all this time. Could this be a Claim Straw? Christy Sarasota, FL Date: Sat, 22 Feb 2003 09:07:33 -0800 Dear Friends, Yes, “The whole subject of "claim straws" has been gone over extensively” and my take on "claim straws" is that they are kind of like testing out a mattress at the mattress dealer. One never buys a mattress without laying down on it, or jumping up and down on it (like we all did when we were all kids) before we invest in one that we will be sleeping in for years to come. Same thing with the Bluebirds as they are simply testing out the area and will move to one box or to the next before finally settling in on a Ducks Bed (a little bird humor) before getting down to business. No matter how big or small, it is always exciting to see productive results. I’ve been excited this year that all of my nest boxes that I left out over this winter have been used for winter roosting so never let go of those magical (the owner of a family vineyard that I was visiting yesterday has a 3 year old baby girl, and you should have seen the glint in her eyes when we told her about the baby Bluebirds that will be inside the nest boxes, made my heart melt) moments. However, "claim straws" aside, lets explore “Dummy Nests” which is something else that you will see and how we can put them to more productive use latter in the nesting season. As the Bluebirds move from one nest box to another, they may actually build a nest in preparation of moving in, but then at the last moment will move to another nest box, build a new nest at this new location and will abandon the previous nest for this new location (puzzling yes, but Bluebird do funny things.) After monitoring your trail for a time and you’re convinced that the Bluebirds have settled into the other location (blue eggs or hatchling inside the nest box), you should remove the “Dummy Nests”, place them in plastic bags and save them for the following. As your Bluebirds fledge, and you clean out your nest boxes for the next
clutch to come, you will notice that Momma and Papa Bluebird are not very
interested in building bigger taller nests (like they did at the start of the
nesting season) as they will build and settling for smaller nest sizes to lay
their eggs in. These smaller sized nests can generate big problems as the baby
Bluebirds trample and pulverize these smaller nest into oblivion until there is
very little left of the original nest. Out here in California our Western
Bluebirds have 2 clutches, but if you are dealing Eastern Bluebirds (with their
potential for 3 Most of the more experience Bluebirders have seen the fecal build up in these trampled nests turn to a sticky glue like tar build up. If not removed, eventually a baby Bluebird gets stuck in an dies in this muck, as the siblings trample each other to jockey for position and dominance. This is why Linda Violett, Keith Kridler, myself and others are either using or exploring the use of larger nest boxes as a way of dealing with this challenge. If a bird dies, decays and the out side temperatures start to climb the smell will attract predators to the nest box (snakes in particular) and if you do not have a predator guard, you may loose the lot. The moment that you see this build up (hopefully before the birds are about to fledge), you should gently remove the birds (a good trick is to place a piece of corrugated cardboard cut at the same size as the floorboard, placed inside the nest box before each nesting, as this helps to remove the birds without having to touch them and works best with side opening nest boxes) place them in a shoe box and scrap out the muck with a paint scrapper (if you have used the cardboard trick you’ve automatically removed the fecal muck) and install one of the “Dummy Nests” that you saved during the early part of the season (if you do not have any “Dummy Nests” simply gather some straw and fashion yourself a nest) and gently place the babies back inside and into the new nest. Momma and Papa Bluebird will be by watching you, but not to worry as once you leave the area everything will return to normal. Happy Bluebird Trails To You, Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 09:28:00 -0500 Haleya Priest Amherst MA To this day I am just pleased as punch when I find a claim straw!!!! Whether we believe in claim straws or not we can just relish the magic of SOMETHING happening in our boxes! Happy Trails! :-) H The online Bluebird Reference Guide:
http://birds.cornell.edu/bluebirds/ Date: Sun, 23 Feb 2003 14:00:02 -0800 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Christy and All: Claimstraws are significant clues when they appear in the boxes on my trail
and I, too, share your excitement. Some experienced monitors took a strong
stance against their very existence a couple of years ago. Then,others on the
List confirmed seeing prenesting straws in their boxes. All that is really left
of the debate is whether the straws have any significance. Therefore, would you
track the following and give us a season's end report of the following: Here are the archived discussions: Because of the debates, and especially the strong post from Dean Sheldon
(scroll to 2/14/01 in the archives) stating the straws were a figment of the
imagination and (his quote) "HORSEHOCKEY", I photographed the "claimstraw"
sequence I see on my trail at:
http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/claimstraws.html ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Hi Linda and All, Overall it is just exciting to see something in a box and who knows what the reason...I would like to think a nest is not far behind. The Trail Monitor did some searching of her own and did come up with you website Linda and the section and photos of Claim Straws. You did a wonderful job of showing photos of the boxes in different stages of building with the dates. I certainly am going to link to your site to show this information. You Claim Straw page is a wonderful visual. Claim Straw or first piece of grass in a nest ......a nest has to start with a piece or beak full of grass sometime. My Trail monitor today said the birds are on another box. We had lots of wind and rain..but is in 70's ... she looked in the original box where she saw the female bringing other grasses... Now nothing is in the box. Why would they empty the box? Christy Sarasota, FL ----- Original Message ----- ... From: "ke4fej1" ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com Hi Phil and All, I am not sure what you are saying. When you say Pine Straw...do you mean the pine needles. I have seen those in books, used in nests where there are lots of pine needles. The same needles we weave baskets out of down here. And when you say they do not use grass. The Monitor saw her birds taking the straws from the tall grasses that grow in an uncut field. I would call that grass. And the nests I saw in Hardy County, and Avon Park were all from very soft short little pieces...looked like grass to me. And the few pieces I have seen in my boxes ...were only an inch or so and very dried and ...again it sure looked like dried grass to me. I have mowed and raked the yard enough...I think I would know the difference. So either I don't know what Pine Straw is...and it really looks just like dried grass. Or the birds down here in FL do use grass. What written source did that information come from? Is there a photo to look at? And seems a little odd, to me, to even have much FL info out there since I have only seen one article on a man doing a heat study ...and he lived in Brooksville, FL ...and nothing was mentioned about nesting material. So I would like to know what and who said that...and I feel and at least think now that I already disagree because of all what I have seen. I sure would like to send you a nest...but..... we won't go there again. Guess you could come on down and look. Christy Sarasota, FL ----- Original Message ----- ... From: "Bruce Burdett" blueburd"at"tds.net LnL, WLI, If I were a Bluebird, it's possible that I might leave a piece of grass in a
nestbox as an earnest that I have dibs on the box for future use. Bruce Burdett SW NH P.S.: I think it was possibly Mencken who said, describing a certain type of logic, "It would be nice if it were true, hence it is true." Date: Tue, 25 Feb 2003 09:33:08 -0800 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. Brand new trails such as Christy's, or trails with a large proportion of vacant boxes are the most interesting to follow in regards to prenesting straws/tokens left in the boxes compared to boxes that are actually chosen for egg-laying. Anyone who is interested in the subject can follow weekly online logs notes of one such trail, La Mirada Park, by accessing http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/testmirada.html. That problem park had about half the box/sites with bluebirds last year. There were plenty of vacancies last year with 13 available box/sites and this year it has been expanded to 20 box/sites--it is wide open with plenty of new boxes and choices. Look at last year's notes in regards to claimstraws and nest attempts. Only one box at La Mirada had a Claimstraw during the early Feb. 2003 (scroll to first box in the log records) but green leaves are now being brought in. The leaves might be from a rat but the box is not contiguous to bird feeders so they were left "as is" and a sample kept with my hard notes. Online logs will be updated weekly beginning March. Monitors who do not keep any trail notes of their own (I believe this
includes Gary Springer) might find the variety of information contained in the
logs interesting to review. Bruce Burdett wrote: ... From: "Jim McLochlin" bluebirdbox"at"cox.net While I don't buy into the whole theory of claim straws I do believe there is some significance to the piece of grass that is being labeled a claim straw by some. My understanding of what transpires (and this is definitely applies most directly to the behaviors of Eastern Bluebirds) is that the male most often will lay a claim to the box. Part of this claim to the box is singing from on or near the box, flying in and out of the box, and yes even placing a piece of grass in the box. Of course the next action is the most significant, he must entice a female that his choice is a good one. In a heavily bluebird populated area there may be little choice, but for other areas this is not the case. My trail for example will often have unoccupied boxes on it. Some of these boxes will have a piece of grass in them, others will not. What seems to have happened is the box did not meet the females fancy. So I would not call the piece of grass is a claim straw, but instead a part of the behavior of the pair. I guess my real problem is the term "claim straw". Certainly the box is "claimed" by the male to be his. It is in his territory. But just as often as the box is marked with a piece of grass and used the box goes unused by bluebirds or is taken over by another species. The grass is not as much of an indication that a bluebird will nest in that specific box as it is an indication that bluebirds are in the area. The fact that there is courtship behavior in the area increases the odds that nesting will occur. But, I believe that the female will make that choice as to which box is the right one. What is the exciting aspect of this is that this behavior is occurring for us and we are allowed to enjoy it. It should be exciting to us that we are helping for this to occur and that the actions we take as bluebirders are helping native cavity nesters to do what they need to do to survive. I found it exciting the first time I encountered this and I find it exciting each spring. I also find it equally satisfying that others are enjoying this as much as I do, because I know that through the actions of all bluebirders we are making so entire populations of native cavity nesters can survive and prosper. But probably equally important we are learning things about nature, life, death and ourselves Jim McLochlin The Audubon Society of Omaha
http://audubon-omaha.org/ Date: Wed, 26 Feb 2003 00:04:25 -0800 Linda Violett - Yorba Linda, Calif. It is not my intent to carry this topic further since I have provided online data for anyone who cares to review it. But misleading statements must be addressed because silence carries an implied acceptance. Jim states, "But just as often as the box is marked with a piece of grass and used, the
box goes unused by bluebirds" "or is taken over by another species." Data from my logs: http://home.earthlink.net/~lviolett/testmirada.html Jim McLochlin wrote: ... From: "Lawrence Herbert" lherbert"at"4state.com I assume that a "claim straw" is a piece of grass, weed, or pine needle sticking out of the entrance of the nest site. If so, that may be a regional bit of behavior. Here in southwestern Missouri, and southeastern Kansas, House Sparrow regularly has a claim straw protruding. The Eastern Bluebird rarely exhibits this behavior here however. Good birding, Larry H. Joplin MO. From: "Nancy C. Hebb" Fencroft"at"msn.com OK, folks, another novice question. I checked boxes today and found a couple with a few very fine pieces of grass in them. Others with nothing. One in the yard with a partial nest, a couple more with HOSP junk. Are the spattering of fine grasses what you refer to as "claim straws"? It's been snow & ice nonstop here for days, but they're predicting upper 50s by the weekend, so maybe more activity will commence? Thanks. From: Shane&Emily Marcotte [mailto:marco50"at"bellsouth.net]
I have a nestbox with just a few pine needles in a circle but they havnt built there.Its been about a week or better.Are these claim straws? Shane Marcotte Member LBBS Watson Louisiana From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"tds.net] Shane, et al, I know it's a controversial subject, but I just flat out don't believe in "claim straws." I don't even know what the expression means. Obviously, when a bird begins to build a nest it has to start with one or two pieces, and then add four and five and six and so on. But I see no reason to suppose that these first few pieces indicate some sort of "claim." Sounds like out-and-out anthropomorphism to me. Just because people like to "claim" things doesn't mean that a bird does it. A bird is not a person. So, Shane, if you don't know what a "claim straw" is, you're not the only one. On the other hand, I see no real harm in this belief. Example: I believe that dreams "mean" absolutely nothing; some people think that they "mean" all sorts of things. No harm either way. It's a free country. Bruce Burdett, SW NH P.S.: I suspect that the reason for this "claim straw" belief is that birds often pause in their nest-building. If a person looks into a box during one of these pauses and sees just a few pieces of grass, he's apt to say to himself, "Ah! Claim straws!" Thus are legends born, and superstitions also. Bruce From: ke4fej1 [mailto:ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com] Hi Shane and All, Yes we all do have an opinion on this one. I think it was Linda in CA who started this thought. Now that I have over 70 nest boxes being used, I am looking at them. Both this year and last I wanted to watch and see what Claimstraws could mean. Last year I saw what I also thought could be something to them...a pattern. This year I have all my Monitors report one long piece of grass and a few times they reported just two or three. I will have to do better with watching next year, because I wish I had left a "C" in my records if they started with a Claimstraw. Most of the boxes did start with the straw. True, did the Monitor just catch it when it was the first start to the nest, but we also looked at that. There still seems to be a pattern that a box is picked and then ...later... gone back to. When there is 3 days to a week or more...seems to me they are waiting. Other nests are started and just keep going. Most had the wait in-between...so why the wait? And why not more pieces? Those boxes having what we report as a Partial Nest [PN] seems to stay a partial nest and is never used again, if it is left along for a long time. You can see on my Home page, all our box reports and few still have a Claimstraw marked and unused. One example was very interesting to me, was one of our 4-H Trails...two boxes had Claimstraws at the same exact time, and one nest was built and used and for the next nesting they went to the other box that had the Claimstraws, and built their second nest...It was just like they had found two good boxes and wanted them both. I tell my Monitors not to take out the Claimstraws if not used for a couple of weeks, but when a new nest is built it has usually been in a box that had the Claimstraw instead of one of the others. And we do have lots of others for them to go to. I do stress not taking out anything from a box unless it is after a successful nesting, we then remove the nests. So Shane, I do believe there is such a thing. I started looking to try and prove it right or wrong either way, because it didn't matter if it was, or was not a possibility. I also get others to look at this possibility and the Monitors are looking on their level, and I look at all of their boxes. Well this is about as scientific as I could get this year. I will take and keep better records next year, because I find it interesting, and I do believe I see a pattern. ( But then, I also believe in the possibility in the meaning of Dreams, Ghosts, Aliens and winning the Lotto etc etc etc) Gee, just realized I put Claim and Straw together..always have.......guess that is like another one word BB term...like the nestbox? Christy Sarasota, FL From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Shane, the little tiny circle is how they first start the beginning of the nest. I have had the little circles and they are the neatest things. It would be like three straws wide all around the bottom of the nestbox, so perfect. A claim straw is just one or two straws you find in the nestbox before nest building begins. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: Bruce Burdett Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 8:27 AM Subject: Re: NABS president Ann, Tom, et al, If I had to guess, - and this is only a guess, - Dean resigned because he heard the phrase "claim straws" just once too often and flew into a rage. That phrase has a similar effect on me, but I'm not President of anything so I can't resign. All I can do is fume quietly.Dean's resignation, assuming that he sticks with it, is a great loss. He has always struck me as a pillar of common sense and rationality in a world of superstition, bogus notions, mythology, and Old Wives' Tales.But this is just one man's opinion. Bruce Burdett, SW NH From: "Evelyn Cooper" emcooper"at"bayou.com From: MJShearer [mailto:eshearer"at"comcast.net] I don't know if they're "claim straws," but before Bluebirds begin nesting in the boxes I monitor, a few straws appear in the box a short time (a few days to week or so) before serious nest building actually gets underway..... From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"tds.net] Evelyn, et al, I am not, as you put it, "against claim straws." And I do believe that when Bluebirds build a nest by lugging in a whole lot of grass, or needles, or whatever, they start by lugging in two or three or four pieces. All it means is that they've begun to lug stuff in. I don't believe that they're "claiming" anything. I doubt that your average Bluebird understands the concept of "claiming." However, if a person wishes to "believe in claim straws," and if it pleases him to believe it, then he has a perfect right to believe anything that he wishes to believe. ... Bruce Burdett, SW NH From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Well, I guess what confuses me that people can be so adamant that there are no claim straws, is when I know for sure it was Bluebirds that brought the straws. Maybe we should call them "intention straws". It is not a fairy tale, Bruce, they definitely do it. Whatever puts them in my nestboxes is pretty busy. Just because a person has never had it happen, does not mean it is a myth. Sometimes these single pieces of straws or pine needles will stay there for days or even a couple of weeks or more before nest building starts. You put "claim straws" in the category of myths and old wives tales on your first post to Wendell and that is why I took it that you do not believe what we are posting about them. You do have a right to not believe it, but those of us that know for sure about them cannot keep silent when we are told it is a myth. Many of our LBBS members report to me of finding them. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: Mr. Tracy L. Powell [mailto:sialia"at"magnolia-net.com] I'll take claim straws any day over claim poop. Early every Spring I check my boxes and it never fails that bluebirds have left large quantities of poop in some nest boxes. And it never fails that they later nest in these boxes. So obviously this is claim poop. A few straws are a lot less messy than an inch of poop. Tracy Powell SW Arkansas From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 2004 2:10 PM To: sialia"at"magnolia-net.com; 'Bluebird-L' Subject: RE: claim straws I think the poop indicates that they have chosen to roost in your nestboxes for the winter. I had three that they roosted in and I cleaned them out with warm water and a small amount of Clorox. However, if you put foil in the bottom of the nestboxes with a little straw or pine needles on it for the winter, that helps keep down the mess to deal with. Just pull it out come spring. I found that one female had removed the pine needles off the foil this spring. She got ahead of me! Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"tds.net] Evelyn, et al, Instead of calling these first wisps of stuff "claim straws, " which implies that the birds are "claiming" something, why not just call them "first straws," or perhaps "foundation straws," or maybe "initial straws," or "beginning straws?" On the other hand, why call them anything? Even "intention straws" makes an unwarranted implication, in my opinion. All we really know about this stuff is that it's the beginning of a nest, - the first of many steps in nest construction. When a carpenter bolts down the first 2" by 8" wooden sill on the concrete foundation of a new house, would you call that a "claim sill?" Or does the concrete guy pour a "claim wall?" Of course, if you want to call it a "claim wall" you have every right to do so, especially if it gives you pleasure. Those of you who have been on this List for as long as I have know that we have been around and around on this subject quite a few times. The results of our discussions are always the same. People believe what they believe, right? Bruce Burdett, SW NH From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Whatever we decide to call them, I see them and I see the pair sit above the nestbox on the power line sometimes two weeks or more before they decide to start building seriously. (at many nestboxes on my trail) I don't know why such a fuss has to be made over what we call the first sign of a straw that indicates that couple has laid "claim" to that nestbox. It just sounds sort of fittin' to call it "claim". :<)) Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"tds.net] Evelyn, et al, I've seen these things, too, many times. And I've seen the pair hanging around the area where I've seen them, and I've seen the pair lugging stuff, - grass or needles, - into the box. But I've never felt a need to call them anything special, except just "the first materials of a new nest." When I see them, I don't say to myself, "Ah. Claim straws." But I might say to myself, "Ah. These Bluebirds seem to be starting a new nest, and these are the first pieces of it." Maybe it just comes down to a question of nomenclature. Bruce Burdett, SW NH From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Apparently, there has been no scientific study on this, but hey, what about the zillion other little facts all bluebirders learn in the "field" by observation? If I see it over and over again and watch behavior and study them, I can pretty well feel this is the way it is. I say "Ah, claim straws" because I see several little couples sitting above the nestbox just waiting until they feel the time is right for the little home they have chosen. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] If Bluebirds have the ability to decide which nestbox they want, why would they not have the same ability to leave a straw as an indication they like that nestbox? Why do they start a nest in one and then change their minds and build in another one? There could be several reasons. But, I would not discount their putting a straw or pine needle in a box as an indication of choosing a place to build a nest. That is my story and I am sticking to it. :<)) Evelyn [subsequent post]I do know for sure that if there is some material already in the nestbox that they did not put there, many times they will take it out before building. I just told in a recent post about a female taking out the pine straw that I had placed on top of the foil for winterizing the nestbox. I just had not gotten around to taking it all out. I have read numerous posts about females removing material they don't put there. They don't always do this. No, it does not mean a nestbox will not be used if they don't put material in it. It did not take a scientist for me to know that as it was about two years before I had a "claim straw" in a nestbox. I had 14 Bluebirds nesting out of 21 this year and I had 9 claim straws. So, it is really "no big deal", just exciting to find for a lot of us!!! Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: ke4fej1 [mailto:ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com] Hi All, I Believe in Claimstraws.........oh, but what do I know.............. But ya have to think... I absolutley agree that...True they have to start a nest with something. But, why it is almost always, just ...One... long piece that is there for some time. I don't hear people report that a ...pinch... of dried grass was in the bottom of the box... I still like to see anything in a box......but a Claimstraw is the ....Long piece of something...not something that looks like the bird dragged in cause it did not wipe it's feet. Just got a Claimstraw report today!!!!!... getting late in the season...but actually we had quite a few nests started lately. Christy Sarasota, FL From: ke4fej1 [mailto:ke4fej1"at"email.msn.com] Ok.... I just have to answer this.... NO, we would not call them Claim Sills, or Claim Foundations... but I am sure the birds notice the post with the paper stapled to it... And I think the Bluebirds call it... "A Permit" ...and yup, That means a Human house is coming. Christy Sarasota, FL (gee must not be anything good on TV right now) From: Haleya Priest [mailto:mablue"at"gis.net] From: Blubabies"at"aol.com From: Dean E Sheldon Jr [mailto:seedbed"at"accnorwalk.com] Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 6:35 AM To: blueburd"at"tds.net Cc: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu Subject: Re: Claim straws??????????????????? Hi: Thanks for taking this matter on once again. This term {claim straw}, which was coined by Linda Violett in CA, was/is a pure figment of her imagination . It has no basis in scientific fact, whatever. I can surely understand why newbies (especially) get excited about the first placement of nesting material in any nest box. It is an thrilling observation. Personally, I think that it's kind of a novel idea to put a name to this phenomenon......but those choosing to do so...should be aware of the fact that this is nothing more phenomenal than a bird (any bird) undertaking the initial steps of nest buliding in a nest box. It's all pretty simple. Dean Sheldon in Greenwich, Ohio (just south of lake Erie) From: Burnham, Barbara [mailto:Barbara.Burnham"at"zzz.zzz] You can read many previous discussions from Bluebird-L at : http://birds.cornell.edu/bluebirds/archive.html or http://www.bestofbbml.audubon-omaha.org/ Thanks to all the people who contribute their thoughts, ideas and experiences, and those who provide the expertise and resources to make these web sites available to us! Barbara Burnham Ellicott City, MD From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com]
I think if Linda had called it "first straw", we would not be having these discussions. I think the ones that view this negatively really think we are applying it anthropomorphically. Regardless, many Bluebirds do put that piece or pieces of grass or pine needles that stay there from anywhere to several days to a couple of weeks. What it says to me is the little female intends (not a good word!) to make a nest and have some babies and that makes me happy! :<)) I bet a lot of "newbies" will notice that one or two pieces of grass or pine needles that might not have before. Evelyn Cooper Delhi, LA From: charlene anchor [mailto:charleneanchor"at"msn.com] Maybe these could more accurately be called "procrastination straws?" They are definitely putting it off for a while? Or haven't quite made up their minds? This doesn't mean that I do or don't believe in the "claim straw" concept. Charlene Anchor, Illinois -----Original Message----- From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"tds.net] Sent: Wednesday, July 07, 2004 10:05 AM To: Evelyn Cooper; seedbed"at"accnorwalk.com Cc: BLUEBIRD-L"at"cornell.edu Subject: Re: Claim straws??????????????????? Evelyn, et al, I agree with you that if Linda had simply called these things "first straws" we would not be having this discussion. "First straws" is precisely what they are, - nothing more, in my opinion. And you're dead right again that the "claim straw" notion strikes me as out-and-out anthrpomorphism, pure and simple. But ever since somebody. - maybe that Wendell character, - jumped all over me for using the a-------------- word, I've tried to avoid using it. Nonetheless, I think that there's a lot of it going on among birders. Titillating though it might be to think so, birds are NOT little people, and they don't think like people. Consider, for example, the size of their brains. (I've read somewhere recently that birds are actually little dinosaurs, structurally.) Bruce Burdett, SW NH
From: Kenny Kleinpeter [mailto:kpkmajk"at"cox.net] Whether we consider it anthropomorphism or not, bluebirds and humans share many behavioral traits -- claim straws or territorial displays being not the least of them. Kenny Kleinpeter Baton Rouge, LA Member, La. Bayou Bluebird Society From: Tina Phillips [mailto:cbp6"at"cornell.edu] I think we have beaten this topic to death and then some. I have already begun receiving the typical "please unsubscribe me from the list" Messages that inevitably come after a frivolous discussion such as the one about claim straws. I am using the powers at hand to kindly request the end of the claim straw discussion. Thanks for your cooperation, Tina Phillips The Birdhouse Network From: Paula [mailto:PaulaZ"at"columbus.rr.com] Oh dear! Bruce has made the ultimate faux pas by mentioning a phrase that enfuriates him and now must read about it once again. I am envisioning him at his computer right now, fuming quietly. "Claim straws" is a term used by some of us to enfuriate Bruce Burdett, but by most of us to describe the nest start of the birds we serve. Often, and especially in the early spring in my area, the Bluebird will place a single blade of dried grass or couple pine needles in the nest box, thus "claiming" it for its nest. They will return a few days or weeks later to finish the nest and start their brood. Maybe we should call them "nest starts" so as not to enfuriate Bruce. Paula Z Powell (Central) Ohio From: Burnham, Barbara [mailto:Barbara.Burnham"at"zzz.zzz] Wendell, Beautiful shot! Thanks for sharing it with us. I've often seen the male bring a token to encourage the female to begin building her nest. Early this spring, we lost our resident backyard male, probably to a hawk. There were 6 young male bluebirds, all at the same time, flying about with pieces of pine straw, showing off their skills, trying to impress this lonely female. One of them had a huge chunk of pine needles bigger than his head, and beat them on the deck rail to show her how very strong he is. They took turns feeding her. This went on for several days until she finally chose one like this beauty you photographed for her mate. What a circus! Barbara Burnham Ellicott City, MD From: lviolett"at"earthlink.net [mailto:lviolett"at"earthlink.net] Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2004 9:30 PM Subject: Re: Claim straws??????????????????? Linda Violett The question was asked by a newbie to explain the term "Claimstraws" and I am just now getting through the emails and am responding to the question. Regardless of the location of my nestboxes, whether mountains, golf course or parks, bluebirds on my trail will sometimes place an obvious straw on the floor of the box. Sometimes that straw will also have a piece of cellophane and/or a feather added. When this occurs it is NOT the start of a nest as Bruce Burdett purports. Years ago, I saw some of these claimstraws during a February check of the trail and shared that excitement with fellow bluebirders via Bluebird-L. Both Dean Sheldon and Bruce Burdett immediately and adamently took issue with the subject. Therefore, I promptly made a prediction that the boxes with early claimstraws (Feb/March) would have bluebird nesting attempts during the first cycle (April/May) and a photo sequence was made of the five boxes which had those early and hotly debated claimstraws. Note the timeframe between the early claimstraws and the actual commencement of nestbuilding. Yet, Bruce Burdett and Dean Sheldon continue to insist that claimstraws do not exist and that these straws are part of the nest building cycle. Review the photos; claimstraws on my trail are not part of the nest building cycle. For those who have been members of Bluebird-L for several years. You may recall when I first started posting about claimstraws in my Western Bluebird boxes weeks prior to actual nest building activities. (I hadn't seen any term given to them so the term "Claimstraws" was used in my log notes and in posts to Bluebird-L as a sign that the nesting season was about to begin and/or the box was taken (claimed). Several experienced Bluebirders on the List adamantly denied their existence and Dean Sheldon said the existence of "Claimstraws" was HORSEHOCKEY (his caps, not mine). So I took snapshots of the sequence and created a "claimstraw" web page With that background, it is now interesting to view Cam shots (via Cornell) of Western Bluebirds entering the nestbox on March 31st bringing in straws:. And, according to the captions next to the photo sequence, "nesting material" has continued to be brought into the box by BOTH the female and female Western Bluebirds of the pair. This has been going on for over two weeks . . . both Bluebirds bringing in "nest material" and "bringing in nesting material for over two weeks, yet (smile) there still was no nest as of yesterday, April 16. The pair of Bluebirds, without a doubt, has claimed the nestbox and they certainly intend to build a nest there. But they were not ready to start building a nest on March 31st and they have not been building a nest during the past two weeks. Since there was no nest or even the start of a nest as of 4/16, any material which had been brought into the box from March 31st to April 16th are not part of a nest (i.e., not nest material). Therefore, a better description in the captions next to the photos from 3/31 to 4/16 would be that Western Bluebirds are bringing in "claimstraws" or any other term besides "nesting material." Linda Violett From: happywebl"at"comcast.net [mailto:happywebl"at"comcast.net] Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 10:35 AM Subject: Re: Claimstraws / Cams Linda and list, The bluebird pairs which have been nesting in my yard for the past dozen years have also "claimed" the nestboxes with straws before actually building a nest. Early this spring I check both the nestboxes I have here, and each of them had "claim straws" on the floor of the box. Maybe it's a California thing :- ) . Barbara in SUNNY Cloverdale, CA From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] I find it very interesting that materials are being brought in by "both" female and male. Watching my backyard pairs, the female does all the work. This is the EABL. He makes every trip and sits in a tree above her as if watching guard over her. When she flies back to the box, he makes the trip with her waiting until she does her thing and leaves for another beak full of straw. From: denisefarmer"at"comcast.net [mailto:denisefarmer"at"comcast.net] Sent: Tuesday, April 18, 2006 1:59 PM Subject: RE: Claimstraws / Cams Last week when I checked my boxes, there was one long piece of straw sticking out the hole of the house (too big to get all the way in),, I thought maybe kid had put it there and I removed it. I wonder if that was a "claim straw". That box was empty today as are all my boxes except the one with the nest and no eggs yet. Though more material had been added to the nest , it is very neat nest and has a nice deep cup so hoping it is a BB still in the building stage. Two of my boxes had wasps, which I removed. I need to take soap there as well and do what I did to the box at work. Denise From: lviolett [mailto:lviolett"at"earthlink.net] Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 11:21 AM Subject: Re: Claimstraws / Cams Evelyn, that is one of my points. The male isn't building a nest in the web cam photos. And the female isn't building a nest in the web cam photos. Claimstraws are separate from nest building but the captions pretend that the male and female are building a nest. From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Sent: Wednesday, April 19, 2006 11:14 AM Subject: Re: Claimstraws / Cams Yes, I realized I was addressing the "nest building" after I sent the message and meant to also include that I've never seen the male "in my backyard pairs" carrying nesting material in the box, re: claim straws. From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net] Sent: Friday, May 05, 2006 3:51 PM Subject: RE: Claimstraws / Cams "Horsehockey" or no, they sure do seem to show up in almost all boxes I have that are eventually Bet from CT From: jwick"at"tds.net [mailto:jwick"at"tds.net] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 12:50 AM Subject: RE: Claimstraws / Cams I have observed Eastern Bluebirds, particularly the males, bringing such material into nestboxes and surmised this was their way of saying, "Take a look at this box, honey. Pllease consider nesting here." (I say this because I have observed the the male in my yard carrying a bit of material into several different nestboxes during the course of a given day, then landing atop the nestbox, and wing waving, as if to say, "OK you looked inside that nestbox, now have a look at this one." Within 2 weeks (approx.), the female makes her decision re: which nestbox to build in and the reproductive process for the nesting season begins. ~Ann Wick From: Bruce Burdett [mailto:blueburd"at"verizon.net] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 9:46 AM Subject: Re: Claimstraws, so-called I do not wish to engage in this "claimstraw" controversy ever From: lviolett [mailto:lviolett"at"earthlink.net] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 2:56 PM Subject: Re: Claimstraws / CAM Photos Good Morning, All: OK, Bruce Burdett says he does not "wish to engage in this 'claimstraw' Bruce was one of the very vocal voices objecting to the existence of claimstraws when the topic was first discussed on Bluebird-L a few years Cornell's live CAM of Western Bluebirds this year shows a pair of Bluebirds putting claimstraws in the box from March 31st to April 19th http://www.birds.cornell.edu/birdhouse/nestboxcam/w_bluebird_or/ Any Bluebirder would agree that Bluebirds could build a nest in a matter of days and certainly within a week. An objective observer of the CAM photos would know that the few straws brought into the box by BOTH Bluebirds during 20 days were not part of the nest building processes. It appears Bluebirds were signaling their intent to nest in the box by placing straws in the box. It would interesting to know if the CAM host has another box nearby that the usurped Western Bluebirds could use as an alternate. Linda Violett From: Dottie, Hickory Hollow, Brown County, Indiana [mailto:yumyumkatts"at"voyager.net] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 5:08 PM Subject: Re: Claimstraws, so-called I believe in claim straws. I find them in my boxes. I think Ann has a Dottie, Hickory Hollow From: rebel1956"at"comcast.net [mailto:rebel1956"at"comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 5:12 PM Subject: Re: Claimstraws, so-called Hi group, It's very possible that what Linda has observed and documented is more common in Western Bluebirds than Eastern Bluebirds, or that their are regional populations that have more competition for nesting cavities and exhibit more possessive characteristics. Maybe it's because Linda's hanging mansions are so ideal that her Western Bluebirds exhibit behavior that not everyone observes in other Bluebirds in other parts of the country. Linda's Bluebirds seem more feisty and willing to compete for a place to nest than my eastern US EABL's that seem more willing to move than stay and put up a fight. Observing certain behavior in one part of the country in Western Bluebirds doesn't mean that all Bluebirds exhibit the same behavior everywhere, and I don't remember Linda ever saying that all Bluebirds use claim straws everywhere. She just shared her well documented observations with the group. Saying she is wrong because one has never observed Mountain or Eastern Bluebirds doing what Linda has observed and documented makes about as much sense as saying that "I've never seen humans put pink flamingos on their lawn where I live, so that never happens." Rob Barron From: Evelyn Cooper [mailto:emcooper"at"bayou.com] Sent: Saturday, May 06, 2006 9:12 PM Subject: Re: Claimstraws, so-called ... From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net] Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 8:08 PM Subject: claim straws and TRES I broke down and subscribed to Birds of North America online. This on Tree Swallows: "Duration of nest building difficult to define, as birds often add a few pieces of nesting material Bet from CT From: F Lovelett [mailto:flovelett"at"verizon.net] Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 7:53 AM Subject: RE: claim straws and TRES Hi Bet, In my two early (mid-April) TRES nests this year, I found only one or two pieces of dry grass for about 10-14 days. The two later TRES nests (early My TRES finally laid their first egg on Sunday. By then, two of my EABL pairs had already fledged their first broods. (Yes, BNA online is wonderful. I broke down several months ago). Felicia Sykesville, MD From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net] Sent: Tuesday, May 16, 2006 7:58 AM Subject: RE: claim straws and TRES Interesting Felicia! I do have a few boxes that still just have several straws in them, and I'm wondering if a nest will be built or not, as most of the other neighboring TRES have FINALLY finished theirs and egg laying just began 5/11. I did get some delays due to paper wasps - in some boxes I had both native and European Paper Wasps, and it spooked the TRES off. I've also noticed "straws" in some paired boxes, and wonder if the TRES are trying to stake out both. Will keep an eye on this. Bet from CT From: Steve Murphy Home [mailto:thcri"at"qwest.net] Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 6:00 PM Subject: Claim Straw I checked my third box this morning to see if anything was happening with it. This is the box that is within 10 feet of my blue's box. Remember I put this one up hoping a pair of TRES would move in but they moved in a box that was 50 feet away from my blue's. Anyway there was some poop in it and I cleaned it out. Checked about 6 hours later and now have a piece of straw in it. Is this another pair of blues or is my first blue's going to move into it when they fledge and abandon their first box? Steve Murphy From: denisefarmer"at"comcast.net [mailto:denisefarmer"at"comcast.net] Sent: Saturday, June 24, 2006 7:11 PM Subject: RE: Claim Straw Not sure but hopefully it is the Blues but could be another TRSW, guess you Denise From: Vicki Butler [mailto:butlerrowe"at"sbcglobal.net] Hi Everyone: I just checked our Wood duck/ Tree swallow trail today. The TRES have arrived and are flying around and going inside some of the boxes. One box had 6 or so feathers. No nest start with grass, just feathers. Vicki Butler From: Bet Zimmerman [mailto:ezdz"at"charter.net] Hi Vicki, I have not seen that with Tree Swallows on my trail. Usually when I get feathers in the bottom of a box, they are from roosting downies who just lost them. I have seen a blade or two of grass/pine straw placed in a box by both Tree Swallows and Bluebirds. Let us know what happens! Bet From: happywebl"at"comcast.net [mailto:happywebl"at"comcast.net] I just checked my two nestboxes this morning, and one has two "claim straws" in the bottom. The pair has been hanging around my yard full time for about a month now, but they have been in and out of both nestboxes. The second nestbox had some kind of small, dark, flying insect in it. When the side was opened this morning to check the box, several flew out. My husband got the garden hose and hosed it out well, so we'll have to leave it open today, which doesn't please me since the birds are actively selecting nest sites. Don't know what the insects are, or if they would deter nesting, but they are now washed away. It's supposed to be near 80 today and the rest of the week, so I think the box will dry out by evening. We haven't seen any TRES yet this year, and I would be happy to have a pair nest. My neighbor had a pair the year before last and thoroughly enjoyed their antics! It's begun! Barbara in Cloverdale, CA |
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