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New Bluebirders Problems/Solutions (Part 8)In addition to Messages that have appeared in the Bluebird Mailing Lists on this topic, the following are on the Audubon Society of Omaha website: Bluebird FAQ by Jim McLochlin Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 10:52:18 -0700 Hello . . I have15 Eastern Bluebirds boxes located in central Texas, of which I am able to monitor once a week. The boxes are similar to the NABS box design. If someone would answer, for me, a few questions, I would be very grateful. Question 1: After the eggs are laid, is it ok to slide the nest partly out of the box to get an accuate egg count? Question 2: After the eggs have hatched, or partially hatched, is it ok to gently lift the babies up to ensure an accuate count of the babies and the unhatched eggs? Question 3: After the young have fledged, there are sometimes unhatched eggs left in the empty nest. I assume that the eggs were infertial. What is the normal percentage of eggs that don't hatch? Question 4: Why, in some of the nests after the young have fledged, will there be dead, fully feathered baby birds? Do more aggressive siblings get all of the food? Do some babies get smothered by their siblings? Thanks in advance for your answers. Dan Hanan
Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 12:19:55 -0400 Karen, southern Maine coast Hello everyone. I'm new to nestboxing this year, so I've been reading a lot and following the discussions on this list, which I've found to be very helpful (mostly!). So I come to you with my questions, with all the background details I can think of-- A few weeks ago I was so very happy with our EAstern BLuebirds' apparent delight with the nestbox we put out for them. It's a nice cedar box of good bluebird-specific design, the Safe Home Birdhouse from Audubon Workshop, NABS approved, and is mounted on a metal pipe with 4" PVC baffle around its full length, with the entrance hole about 5 1/2 feet from the ground. It has a wood block at the entrance, so, knowing that might not be sufficient, I bought a snap-on Bird Guardian from WBU to install during incubation, as the instructions advise, if and when we get to incubation! It also has the little wire parasite guard insert. We put the box up on April 13th, and a couple of Black-Capped CHickadees checked it out right away. Three hours after it was up, Mr. and Mrs. Bluebird were there for about 10 minutes, thoroughly inspecting it. The Bluebirds came for very brief periods on the next 2 days, as did the chickadees. The BCCHs continued to come for the next 3 days, as well; but no EABLs. White-breasted Nuthatches and Tufted Titmice looked it over but not too seriously. Then the EABLs came back for brief checks during the next 3 days. A couple of starlings gave them a hard time for a minute or two, and 3 or 4 TREe Swallows (TRES) swooped around for a few minutes. The EABLs became very defensive and protective and appeared to win every potential controversy decisively. On April 24th, we saw a pair of EABLs (no idea whether the same pair or a second one) on the opposite side of our house, where we'd never seen them before. We had another nestbox, identical to the first, so we mounted it in the front yard, in the same manner as the first, but 6 inches higher, hoping for 2 pairs. The boxes are only about 150 feet apart, but they can't be seen from each other because of our house in between, so we hoped it might work for 2 pairs of EABLs, or that the 2 houses might serve as paired boxes and take care of a pair of TRESs or BCCHs. Within seconds, both BCCHs and TRESs had made cursory inspections of the second box. Mr. Bluebird looked it over quickly some time later. But--not one single solitary bird has been near it ever since. In fact, there have been no birds in the front yard at all ever since that morning. And as for the first box, the TRESs and EABLs continued to come and go a few times for the next couple of days. Then abruptly, April 27th, the day I said to my husband, "The bluebirds have really laid unequivocal claim to their new home," they all left. I haven't seen a trace of a bluebird since. The swallows have flown around the area a couple of times but not gone to the box. The chickadees are a constant in the nearby feeding area but have shown no further interest in the box. So, I've got to ask why they all suddenly decided they didn't like the boxes (Box No. 1, in particular, since it had seemed to be just the ticket). I have read much about the direction the hole should face ideally and have come close, I think, to satisfying those requirements. The first box is placed about 10 feet out from a line of thin woods into a wide-open marshland of many acres. In order for the hole to face a tree branch for the fledglings, I had it facing SSW, with the branch 1-2 feet higher than the box and about 15 feet from it. When all interest in the box had stopped for several days, I turned it to face more towards the open marsh, meaning SSE. Prevailing summer winds here are from the southeast and southwest generally; but in this particular spot I think the worst are from the east--off the ocean, across the marsh. I could turn it to face N or NNE towards open marsh or NNW towards marsh and tree limbs. Being close to the woods edge, the box is right in the flightpath of a Red-tailed Hawk and a pair of Great-horned Owls that were here all winter and early spring, but I haven't seen any of them for several weeks. An Eastern Phoebe uses the house as a hunting perch sometimes; 2 or 3 European Starlings show up briefly once or twice a week; a half-dozen American Crows have set up housekeeping in the neighborhood and are near the box sometimes, a flock of 10-14 Savannah Sparrows is all over the ground all around the box, and a similar sized flock of American Goldfinches is in the trees and feeders nearby. There has never been a House Sparrow here--yet! A pair of Brown-headed Cowbirds was here for 3 days and 3 or 4 Red-winged Blackbirds have been hanging around for the last week. Two-6 Blue Jays come through a few times every day. I'm not aware of any raccoons. A couple of woodchucks prowl the area all the time. I saw what might have been a mink a few weeks ago. Last summer I saw a cat here a few times, but I haven't seen one so far this year. On the other hand, though, we have at least a dozen chipmunks and at least that many *mean*, *aggressive*, *spiteful* gray and RED squirrels. Several days ago I quit all ground feeding. And I have let the sunflower feeders within 40 feet of the nestbox go empty, all in the attempt to get all predator-type birds and mammals away from the box area. I can't think of anything else to mention, but I sure would be interested in opinions, thoughts, suggestions. Oh yes--the box is in my direct line of sight from my desk and computer, about 80 feet away, with the feeding area in between, so I know exactly what's going on nearly every minute of nearly every day. So I've gone to the box and opened it only 3 or 4 times. There's never been a sign in it of the coming and going I observed for a couple of weeks. Why have the bluebirds just disappeared? From the whole area apparently, as well as the nestbox? There hasn't been one here for 8 days. And is there anything further I can do to try to bring them back? Or at least to re-interest the TRESs or BCCHs? Thanks for any and all ideas.
Date: Sun, 06 May 2001 13:01:46 -0400 Check the roof of the box for wasps!!! :-)
Date: Sun, 6 May 2001 13:11:39 -0400 (EDT) Hello Karen, and all, The very first thing I would do is make a good check inside the nest box to be sure there isn't a wasp nest attached to the roof inside. From the info you provided there doesn't seem to be any other reason all those birds have given up on that box. None of the other birds in the area that you mention should cause these birds to move elsewhere. The box location does seem to be very close to trees or brushy areas but most of the time this doesn't matter to Bluebirds. Changing entrance hole direction has little to do with birds selecting the box. My entrances faced every direction and were a success. You may be mistaken about pairing your nest boxes because pairing means spacing them within 15 ft of each other. However this should have nothing to do with all the birds leaving the area. By having one box in front yard and one in back you can sometimes get two pair at once. Right now all you want is one pair to stay. Keep boxes free of predators and I feel sure some will return to nest yet this year. Hawks could have caught some of them but not all Bluebirds, Chickadees, and Tree swallows. Bluebirds may have nested in an old location,so look for them to show up after a nest failure in the near future. Joe Huber Venice, Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds
Date: Mon, 07 May 2001 10:58:25 -0700 I arrived home "at" noon Friday, May 4th to find my female bb flitting about and being very vocal. I immediately thought predator! Then I saw a small bird fly from a branch to the mama bb. She immediately settled down. I had missed seeing them leave the nest box, but felt very gratified that I had helped to raise these 4 tiny beautiful birds.Later in the day I cleaned the box. On Sunday, I set up a shepherd's staff and attached a saucer bath and hung a plexiglass feeder, complete with tape on the sides as some of you had suggested. I set out meal worms and was rewarded soon afterwards. Both birds visited the box, even went in and out a couple of times. I am hopeful they will raise again. I have lived in my same house for 38 years, and these are the first Eastern blue birds I have seen in my yard. I have been feeding birds in earnest about 3 years, and put up my houses late in the season last year. I feel very fortunate to have attracted these birds so soon, especially, since I live in a populated area and my box is less than 500' from a state highway. Is there a chapter of NABS in Arkansas? If so, I wish someone would pass information to me. I would like to join. Thanks for all help and suggestions from this list. It really helps me as a new comer! Doris Foley
Date: Mon, 7 May 2001 19:48:05 -0500 Today I had some babies to leave the nest and we have some severe weather predicted to come through tonight. I can't help but worry and wonder if they will make it through it. Does anyone know anything that would make me feel better about it? The babies were very strong and healthy looking. I will hope for the best. Evelyn Cooper
Date: Mon, 07 May 2001 22:48:03 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Seems I have babies that seem to like to fledge just before a storm! My feeling is not to worry. They seem to make it through ok - I've gotten a good head count once they return from the woods - remember they are made to survive the out-of-doors.... Of course you won't know how they've made it through unless the parents bring the babies back around your yard - but that won't be for about a week or two - until then they will keep them tucked away in the trees for safety sake. :-) H emcooper wrote: Today I had some babies to leave the nest and we have some
severe
Date: Tue, 8 May 2001 10:45:42 -0400 (EDT) Hi Evelyn, Don't worry about fledging Bluebirds the day before some bad weather is expected. When in Ohio it seemed a storm was forecast every time birds were ready to leave the nest. a few times we had heavy thunder storms right at night fall after a fledge. The young always seemed to appear in good shape the following day. They can deal with most natural conditions besides there isn't any thing we can really do about it any way. Joe Huber venice Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Tue, 08 May 2001 10:35:06 -0500 Can't anyone tell me how old does a baby bluebird needs to be to start reproducting? After raising the 5 babies that were abandoned, we have 3 beauties left. They seem to be interested in other babies from the area. Is it time to put up more houses or will this just bring in older blues that run the babies off? Thanks for your previous advice while raising them inside. Jo Date: Thu, 10 May 2001 09:29:12 -0400 Q/A will house sparrows kill blue bird chicks, and take over nest? Kevin D. Brittingham Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 16:05:54 -0400 Our bluebirds first clutch hatched the 28th of April and were destroyed by house sparrows the next day. The parents were in our yard near another nestbox for a couple of days last week but haven't been seen since then. They don't show up for their mealworm handout either. It looks to me, after reviewing my records from previous years,
as though the female starts a new clutch about two weeks after one
has fledged. So Any information or thoughts about this? I surely hope they come back and would think they might since it's been the same male for several years although the female has changed once or twice over the past few years. They stay here in the winter and, I think, live in the vineyard next door. Thanks. -- Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 16:35:48 -0400 (EDT) Hello Kevin and all, Yes House Sparrows will kill Bluebird
chicks and take over the nest. This is the only question you ask,
is there something else you need to know? Joe Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Fri, 11 May 2001 17:14:32 -0400 (EDT) Hello Mary Jane, Are you sure you want those Bluebirds Back? Since House Sparrows destroyed the nest this first time have you done anything to prevent this from happening again? Adding another nest box near by may attract Bluebird back again but will they be safe? The female can be ready to lay eggs again real soon so they may have moved to another site to nest. It doesn't take the female long to regenerate her egg laying so after one failure she can start anew very soon. Joe Huber Venice Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 15:07:54 -0500 Hello All, What should I expect next? Should I clean out the box now? How long until they will start another nest? Thanks, Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 16:12:10 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Right now they have quite a job keeping their babies from being eaten by predators - esp. crows, jays, etc. So, they'll keep the babies in the woods for a week or two before bringing them out in the open. So if you bird baths, etc, you might get to see the babies in a couple weeks or so. :-) H lgibson"at"kih.net wrote: Hello All, Date: Thu, 17 May 2001 15:50:45 -0500 Sue and all - The EABL will start a new nest as soon as a
couple of days or maybe a couple of weeks. Alot depends on the
bugs available for food. The Dan McCue in Camden, TN. 75 miles due west of Nashville on the
Tennessee River in West TN. ... Date: Sat, 19 May 2001 11:37:35 -0400 I just joined the list and I need some help (advice)! After just reading a local news article about how popular eastern bluebirds are getting in Lancaster Country, PA my interest has been rekindled. I live on a hill sided 3/4 acre lot which gently rises to a mature wooded area. We now are blessed with nesting wrens, baltimore orioles,and chickadees,we are located about a half mile from the Susquehanna River at Columbia, PA. We are on a well traveled flyway from Hawk Mountain located in Reading, PA and view many hundreds of buteos, harriers & vultures even an occasional bald eagle soaring overhead. This has been verified when the folks from Hawk Mountain Conservatory arrive at my house in the Fall season to identify the species as they fly by with the radio collars attached. I tried for years to coax nesting Bluebirds to my area without any luck. I am a retired tool maker and am very established in woodworking (building nesting boxes) of the correct design. Is there anything I am overlooking? I just thought that we are sort of overloaded with feather friends. I have also tried luring Purple Martins to our home without success. Anyone care to take a guess why the Bluebirds are avoiding us? I visit Myrtle Beach quite often on golfing trips and it's a toss up whether I enjoy the golf as much as seeing all the bluebirds on the courses there. Thanks so much, I enjoy your web site. Mim & Bill Swingler Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 08:31:01 -0400 Hi: I am new to this list. I am located in central Kentucky and recently got seriously into Purple Martins. I have approx 16 Martins presently, up from one pair I had last year. I have always had a bluebird box up with good success too. Presently I have a box with a nesting pair of Bluebirds with 4 eggs that are about a week away from hatching, and have an extra box up nearby with nesting Tree Swallows with 5 eggs. But now, I want to get more involved with Bluebirds. I do have one question right off the bat. How flexible is the 100 yard rule on Bluebird trails? I am needing to know inreference to triangulating an area. Thanks, Robert Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 09:27:57 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Hi Robert and welcome to the list! Bluebirds are extremely territorial and so the 100 yard rule of thumb is pretty standard. This can vary depending on food availability, however, you can end up frustrating bluebirds by trying to attract too many to a smaller area. However, you can try to get away with it by placing boxes closer if they are hidden from view of each other. Your house would be the perfect block as would be trees, etc. in your yard. If the bluebirds can't really see each other's boxes they'll sometimes nest closer. Good luck and keep us posted! :-) H Robert L. Richerson wrote: Hi: I am new to this list. I am located in central Kentucky and ... Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 19:18:49 EDT I am new to bluebirding. We have had a house up for about 4
years and all we could get is HOSPS, and I refused to let them
reproduce so we always cleaned the nest out. This year we put up a
second box and a week later a pair of EABLs were checking it out.
The next day the HOSPS were also checking it out. I checked
various websites and found one for using the monofilament line and
the next day we put that on the new box. The HOSPS took leave of
it, the EABL pair arrived again 4 days later. That was on 5/19
(Sat.) One Sunday they spent the day guarding it and going in and
out of it. The female was bringing grass into it. Today, Monday
they were both at it this morning and noon, then the rain and
thunder came. It is still raining (7:20 p.m.) Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 19:47:10 -0400 I'm not the expert here, but I'm on my 2nd year and have 2 Gilbertson PVC boxes and have run into exactly the same behavior. It is discouraging at first, but the bluebirds seem to follow their own schedule and come back. For example, a nesting pair seemed to disappear yesterday after 2 days of rain, only to reappear today, feeding just-hatched chicks. It has gone on and off like this for weeks of on and off weather here. So, unless you see something that gives you a firm clue that something has happened, I would counsel patience. I, however, don't have house sparrow problems here, so I don't have that variable. VMS EHDerry"at"aol.com wrote: was bringing grass into it. Today, Monday they were ... Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 20:32:31 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Hi Judy, The bluebirds are doing just what they ought to do during an impending storm - head for cover!!!! :-) Keep on eye on those monofilament lines as most experience is that it will keep the house sparrows (HOSP) away for a while, but they may well return once they get used to them. You might start researching other methods of HOSP management in the mean time such as trapping them. You can find that information on the Bluebird Reference Guide "at" http://www.crosswinds.net/~bluebirdguide/ you'll also find lots of great info about HOSP control on the Best of Bluebird-L - the URL will be found on the Ref Guide - keep us posted and best of luck! :-) H EHDerry"at"aol.com wrote: I am new to bluebirding. We have had a house up for about 4
years and ... Date: Mon, 21 May 2001 22:37:23 -0400 (EDT) Hello Judy, I do believe the Bluebirds have stopped building due to the weather. When the sun returns look for them back. Remember the monofilliment line treatment on the nest box isn't a sure thing and things can still go wrong. Be sure to let the list know your results. Joe Huber Venice, Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 18:57:03 -0500 THESE ARE DUMB QUESTIONS BUT DO MOM AND/OR POP BLUEBIRD STAY WITH THE BABIES AT NIGHT IN THE BOX OR DO THEY GO UP INTO THE TREES TO ROOST. ALSO, DO THEY FEED THE BABIES UNTIL DUSK OR QUIT IN THE AFTERNOON. IF ANYONE KNOWS, I WOULD APPRECIATE THE ANSWERS. THANKS!!! DOTTIE, BROWN COUNTY, INDIANA Date: Mon, 28 May 2001 23:34:18 -0400 (EDT) Hello Dottie, The Mom stays at night to keep chicks warm for several nights but then they are left alone. The young are fed all day or until all are full. Generally they are fed till dark. Some days when feeding is easy they may seem scarce at the box. Parents stay in trees or other cover not far away..Hope this answers your questions. Joe Huber Venice, fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 12:50:39 -0400 Hi, Bad news. We had cool temps.and rain. By the end of the week 5 dead bluebirds (not even a week old). O.K. so the box has been cleaned out and is ready to be put back up. But TRES are on eggs 15' away. Is it likely the pair of bluebirds will venture back to their old box? Have a good day. Date: Sun, 27 May 2001 20:43:39 -0400 (EDT) Hello Joe and all, Yes it is possible the Bluebirds will return to the same box ,but it is also possible another pair may take to it that near the Tree Swallows. You have the box ready so all you can do now is wait. Good luck. Joe Huber Venice, Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 08:52:45 -0500 I am new to the Bluebird world and need help, but dont know where to there from here. We have 4 boxes set up and on sat the 26 may (after several days of rain and cold snaps) one box with 10 day old babies and the adult female were found dead. another box in a meadow had one egg and a dead female adult in it. yesterday in the box in the meadow there was a dead adult female in the box with nothing else. (she had not started building a nest). The box with the babies in it was cleaned out and another family has built a next in it. Im concerned but don't know what to do at this time. Other birds dont seem to be affected. Thanks.. Fred Clark Location is in nort east Missouri
Date: Tue, 29 May 2001 19:01:50 -0700 Cinda from Shippensburg, Pa. As I mentioned before, I have tree swallows in my V-shaped nest box. How much "monitoring" can I get away with? I don't want to disrupt things just to solve my curiosity. They get terribly upset once the eggs are laid. I never realized that we can actually handle a nest, or eggs, or babies without desertion from the parents. I'm sure it depends on the breed as well, Yes? Thanks for any input. Cinda
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 08:04:35 -0400 Hi BB List, For the past three years I have had a bluebird box, homemade to specifications, in my backyard. We live in an area of Southern Ohio that is mainly agricultural and our house is one of nine on a culdesac street that is surrrounded by corn fields and is less than a half of a mile from a large lake. The past two years we have been successful in raising blue birds with a total of six babies hatched and fledged successfully last summer. This year we were especially excited to see that Mom had layed five eggs this year and later we found 5 beautiful babies in the nest. Yesterday morning we noticed that four sparrows had begun looking over the nest. Mom and Dad bluebird were not in the area so we did our best to run the sparrows off ourselves until the bluebirds came back. The bluebirds were doing a bangup job of fighting with the sparrows when we had to leave. Upon our return check of the box, the babies were gone, way too early as their feathers were not on yet. Then last night we found three of the babies with their heads pecked in and dead lying a few feet away from the box. This, to say the least, infuriates me and makes my heart bleed. I am new to the "art" of bluebird nesting and would welcome your trials and error approaches to preventing this travisty from happening again. I am sure that I am not the first one to ask this question on this List but still hope that you will help anyway. Also, I have been reading a bit about PVC nests and would welcome some direction to a website (?) for instructions on building one of these for our yard. Thanks a bunch,
Date: Wed, 30 May 2001 21:08:38 -0400 Hi. I LOVE this list! I live in Northern Kentucky and was lucky enough to receive two bluebird boxes for Christmas. I early March, we put them on galvanized poles, approximately 6 feet above the ground and about 20-25 feet apart. In a couple of weeks the bluebirds came. I was so excited! In passed summers I was lucky to see one or two bluebirds fly by. I always thought that I should stay away from the boxes. It wasn't until I began researching that I discovered I should be monitoring them. All I know is that one box has five eggs and the other box only has one. My questions are (and please forgive if they are very basic); How long does it take for eggs to hatch? How long from hatching do they leave the nest? Will they stay in the area? We have many birds in our yard. At any given time are feeders surrounded with gold finches, chickadees, mourning doves, red winged blackbirds, tufted titmouse (or is that titmice?), nuthatches, cardinals and lots and lots of robins. Should we be offering the bluebirds special food. Our feeders contain Niger thistle or wild bird feed. That's all the questions I can think of right now. I'd love to learn all I can about these beautiful birds. Thank you for such a wonderful board. Tammy
Date: Thu, 31 May 2001 10:21:37 -0400 Randy Jones ----- Original Message ----- From: tammy624"at"juno.com My questions are (and please forgive if they are very basic);
How long How long from hatching do they leave the nest? 16-21 DAYS. Will they stay in the area? DEPENDS ON WHAT YOU MEAN BY AREA, AND WHAT TIME FRAME. MINE FLEDGED TWO WEEKS AGO AND WE REGULARLY SEE TWO BABIES WITH THE FATHER IN THE YARD. WE THINK THE OTHER TWO HAVE BEEN KILLED (OR DIED) AND THAT THE FEMALE IS ON ANOTHER NEST SOMEWHERE OTHER THAN OUR PROPERTY, OR DEAD. NEXT YEAR, WILL THEY COME BACK? DOUBTFUL, BUT WHO KNOWS? Should we be offering the bluebirds special food. SOME PUT OUT MEALWORMS, SOME ARE ADAMANT IN OPPOSING THIS PRACTICE. Our feeders contain Niger thistle or wild bird feed. USE OF MIXES CONTAINING MILLET SEED ENCOURAGE HOUSE SPARROWS, WHICH KILL BLUEBIRDS. A GOOD BLUEBIRD BOOK IS DORENE SCRIVEN'S BLUEBIRD TRAILS, PUBLISHED IN 1999 (3RD EDITION). IT WOULD ANSWER ALL YOUR QUESTIONS. IF YOU RECEIVED THE "WELCOME TO BLUEBIRD-l" EMAIL, BE SURE TO READ IT. IT WILL GIVE YOU WEBSITES WHERE THESE AND OTHER QUESTIONS ARE ANSWERED. IF YOU DIDN'T GET IT, WRITE BACK, AND I WILL SEND YOU THE ADDRESSES.
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2001 21:35:05 -0400 I was wondering if there is still enough time for the EABB's to build another nest? I was planning on moving one of my boxes to a better location on my property after the resident HOSP's have left but might be ahead to just get another box for the better location as one of my 2 boxes is in need of replacement this winter anyway. Thanks
Date: Sun, 3 Jun 2001 23:14:55 -0400 (EDT) Hello Tami and all, Yes there is plenty of time for another nest in Ohio. Eastern Bluebirds will continue to build well into July, so keep boxes ready. The problem is so will the House Sparrows. Joe Huber Venice, Fl. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 09:14:51 -0400 Kyra, Monitoring the box is a good idea, but try to avoid doing it in the morning and in the later part of the evening. More often than not, the bluebirds I have had experiences with lay their eggs in the morning hours. It is usually best to check the nest, at least in my opinion, in the afternoon, between 12 and 6 pm. If you check the box later in the evening the mother may be sitting on the eggs. As for putting a trap in the box - DON'T. Only put a trap in the box if you know for sure that a HOSP (House Sparrow) has taken over the box. You will know this when the HOSP is consistantly around and perched on the box chirping his brains out with that annoying "cheeep". It is possible that the mother was scared off and the HOSP got rid of the egg, but wait and see until you put a trap in. You may have scared the mother from laying an egg that morning, but she may come back. I can't say that for sure, but give it a little time and see what happens. Bluebirds are very tolerant to humans. As for the camera, I can't help you there. There are so many to choose from and I don't have alot of experience with them. I'm sure someone on the list has. Check out these two websites if you haven't already. If you end up with a HOSP problem or need any kind of bluebird info they might be a big help: http://birds.cornell.edu/bluebirdslarry.htm http://bluebird.htmlplanet.com Good Luck, ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kyra Huddleston" khuddleston"at"texoma.net Hello All,
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 13:42:09 -0500 Any advice for a "newbie" who is hoping to attract a nesting pair of BB's? A male has been inspecting all 3 of our nest boxes for the past 5 days, but no female has been observed. In fact, I haven't seen him today at all. Hopefully, I've just missed him. On my daily inspections of the boxes, I see a few wisps of dried grass but no nest-building evidence. Could it be that the female does not approve of my "digs"? I believe I've followed all recommendations re: placement and I have even "jumped the gun" by ordering some mealworms in anticipation. Golly....I've "lost it" even before being adopted. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. Renee in SE Wisconsin
Date: Tue, 5 Jun 2001 15:23:22 -0400 I have noticed here that the male starts the ball rolling by finding several possible nestsites, then advertises availability to passing females until he gets one to come. She then looks over the real estate, chooses the house she likes, and moves in. Sometimes they come as a pair, but this is the pattern when there is not a pairing yet. I suspect that's what you have. Hopefully, he will be successful, and you will be happy! Randy Jones ----- Original Message ----- From: Ruby Tuesday ...
Date: Mon, 4 Jun 2001 16:14:21 -0500 Hello All, Just the newbie from McKinney, TX again with questions. The bluebirds have built another nest, one egg was deposited Saturday. I checked on Sunday, but caught the female in the box, so closed the door quickly without seeing if another egg was there, I may have cuaght her in the act. Just got home today...no egg! What happened, did I scare her off and she took her egg with her? I didn't see any remnants of it on the ground anywhere. I am about to order my huber trap and sparrow ground trap. I really have tried to watch these pesky sparrows and see where the most appropriate placement might be for the ground trap, it is tough. Possibly in under the trees nearby or the brush in the burn pile, hopefully kill a few when its burned. Any suggestions? I guess if the bluebirds have been scared off, it will be the appropriate time to put the huber trap on the nest box, huh? On another note, as I sit and watch the purple martins and bluebirds from my patio with my binoculars, I sure would like to be able to get the same or better magnification and snap photos, any suggestions on a no brainer camera, digital or regular that would have good enough zoom to snap the birds? Thanks all, Kyra
Date: Fri, 8 Jun 2001 18:12:51 -0500 This is my first time posting to this list. I am very new to this experience. I bought my one and only bluebird box at a craft fair this spring. The Illinois Bluebird Project had a booth there. After tearing out several HOSP nests, I was very excited to see the bluebirds move in. I have been reading and learning the last 2 weeks ever since I found 3 eggs in my bluebird box. (She laid one more after that). This is my first experience with bluebirds and I have been waiting anxiously for them to hatch. Well, today is the 12th day and 2 of the babies have arrived! I now have a few questions that I know have been asked before. How often should I check the nest now that the babies are here? Is there a better time of day to check? I would like to put out a few mealworms, but I do not have a feeder. Is there any other way to put them out? Is there anything else I should be doing? Thanks,
Date: Mon, 11 Jun 2001 22:55:05 -0400 Dear Cinda, Bluebirds usually nest twice a season - so you are still in good shape for a second nest. Tree Swallows only nest once unless they loose a nest, so their season is waning. However, there may still be TRES in your area that haven't found a box, or lost their first nest - so they'll still be looking. From what you describe at your home you might think about house sparrow (HOSP) control FIRST before you try to attract bluebirds or TRES. Otherwise you may well have a potential disaster on your hands. There are many different ways to control HOSP and surely you'll be exposed to many different methods from this list. Best of luck and ask lots of questions and keep us posted! :-) H Cinda J. Salisbury wrote: Cinda from Shippensburg. Pa.
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2001 19:15:03 -0400 Yesterday, when we had company over, one of my neighbors' children noticed blue feathers on the ground outside my bluebird house. There have been eggs in the house for about a week, but, upon checking periodically, have never seen the mother. In case the mother was killed, is there anything that can be done to have the eggs hatch? Mark Date: Tue, 12 Jun 2001 09:33:15 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Hi Mark, unless you knew when the eggs were laid and when the mom was killed I believe there is no way to save them. If you knew the above info, and had other boxes you could of potentially relocated the eggs to another nest and let them be raised by other nests with same age eggs. But you'd have to know when the eggs were laid in order to match them up with other nests with same egg laying dates. Your best bet is to take the eggs and nest out and figure out WHAT exactly killed your bluebird. This is your best bet for protecting your bluebirds with the next nesting. Let us know how what kind of box you have and what it is mounted on, and how high is the box. Do you have a predator baffle on the pole? Do you see scratch marks on the box??? Are there house cats nearby? Is the nest disturbed at all? My first thought was a house cat. These things will help us figure out what got your bird and how to prevent it next time. :-) H Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2001 08:01:49 -0700 Hi, I'm fairly new to bb-ing. A female built a nest about two weeks ago, I've been monitoring, but no eggs! I don't see her going near it. It's been about 10 days with no activity. Do I remove the nest? Or is ther a chance she'll come back and lay eggs. I also have HOSPS, but have traps etc. If I remove the nest, will they rebuild? I also have another empty nest box, which the male goes in and out of, but no nest. Please advise me as to what to do, or not do!! Pat from segrest"at"voyager.net Date: Thu, 28 Jun 2001 21:47:03 -0500 Bruce, Dusty, Fawzi. Linda, John, Randy, Haleya, Dan, anybody, can you please help this lady? Thanks, Dottie, Brown County, Indiana "My neighbor and I have been trying to attract Bluebirds....She had a pair take up house in a nestbox that doesn't open.... We have now bluebirds usually but this year we had this pair....We live in Lee's Summit, Missouri.... in a housing developement.... She has a field behind her.... We found the mother bluebird dead in Donna's front yard...no marks on her...She has a flegling in the nest, at least one, and we want to know if the father will take care of it??? A Sparrow punctured four of the eggs a few weeks ago...We were sick.... Can you tell me if the daddy will feed the baby..????Will the baby survive without it's mother.??? " Thanks Carla Corwin ......carbocorwin"at"aol.com
Date: Tue, 26 Jun 2001 21:32:49 -0500 Hi Fawzi, Rhonda, and all, Showing my ignorance to all, I have a few quick questions about EABL: 1) Where do the mother and father sleep at night? Now that we have 4 eggs in the EABL house, do they all sleep together? 2) When the babies come out of the cavity hole, do they ever fly back in? That is all. Thanks again, Fawzi, for including me on this list! Paul From: "Fawzi P. Emad femad <at> fpemad <dot> com ... Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 08:34:02 -0400 Paul, I am not sure I know the answer to 1) but here is what I think: the mother stays with the eggs, she and *not* the dad can keep them warm (she has a bald spot on her belly so she can actually be in contact with the eggs to keep them warm.) The dad sleeps outside the box at night. When the babies fledge, they do not return to the box. As soon after they fledge as you like (I usually wait a day or two) you can clean the box so a new nesting will take place. There is time for one more cycle! Take care Paul, Fawzi ----- Original Message ----- | Hi Fawzi, Rhonda, and all, Date: Wed, 27 Jun 2001 09:59:03 EDT It's not ignorance at all--just finding out! 1) Where do the mother and father sleep at night? Now that we have 4 eggs in the EABL house, do they all sleep together? Mom stays on the eggs, and apparently stays with the nestlings, at night. (I try not to disturb the nest after dusk, but the few times that I have checked, mama's in with the nestlings--brooding when they are younger, more loosely over or next to them when they are older.) I've never seen where papa stays at night--I'm sure he doesn't intend to be seen! Probably perched nearby. 2) When the babies come out of the cavity hole, do they ever fly back in? Not until they are house-hunting on their own account. BUT-- what about the juveniles who feed their siblings? Do they only go *to* the hole, or will they go in to feed the nestlings, as the parents do? Funny how one question sparks another. Rhonda Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 09:23:47 -0400 Hi You-all, I am a new landlord of BB's in Western West Virginia at the edge of the Ohio River (3/4 of a mile away). I had saw BB's in my yard last Fall which was my first at our new home. This year I received a BB box for Mother's Day and promptly nailed it to a tree (I know better now but to late). Within three days I had activity. Within a short period I had three eggs and found I finished with four. They all hatched June 8th and I had hours of enjoyment watching the activity as the box is only 25 feet from the edge of my porch (I'm new at this). The BB's didn't pay me any mind and I had the first baby fly right over and land on the table out side of my window, 4 inches from my camera that I had ready for hopeful pictures :-) gotta laugh at that one. I am thankful that the first one landed on my porch so that I was able to watch the other three fledge. It is amazing the emotions that you feel. I hadn't seen the baby's since fledging on the 25th till yesterday. I was at the back edge of my yard when I saw them. My husband had brush hogged about 1 1/2 acres the day before they fledged. There they were flying in amongst the pine. They are so chubby. When do they have the change with their feathers? I was going to ask how long I should check my box to watch for activity before I give up on them having another clutch of baby's this year but this morning as I left the house there they were in the pine's above the box both Mama and Papa (didn't see the baby's). Hope you-all don't mind my sharing but who knew it was this much fun!! I have since been given a bird Id. book. I feel like I have a jungle out there. I know that its just I am now seeing what God put there to begin with. Thank you for all your comments and stories as they have helped me more than I can say. One question - At what point is it ok to move the box off of my pine tree or should I? It is in the middle of about 1 acre of cut grass speckled with pine trees and my home. Thank you for the help that I know will come from you-all.
Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 09:55:18 -0400 (EDT) Hi Jessica,and all, Yes by all means move that nest box off of the tree before a new nest has been started. A tree trunk is not really a safe mounting place for a nest box. Just because you were lucky once doesn't mean it will be ok other times. Don't take chances and mount the box on top an iron pipe up 5 ft. or so in an open location. You can choose a spot that you can watch from inside your home so trouble can be spotted if anything goes wrong. The Bluebird will not object to you moving the box between nestings so should move right in when time comes for another nesting. Joe Huber, back in Ohio for two months. Charter member NABS, Charter member OBS, Life member OBS Joe
Huber http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/HOUSESPARROWCONTROL http://community.webtv.net/hubertrap/RoostingBluebirds
Date: Tue, 3 Jul 2001 11:03:07 -0400 Jessica, and other interested folks, Maybe in W. Va. pairing is not as vital as it is here. I do it chiefly to minimize Tree Swallow competition, but maybe you don't have Tree Swallows down there. Do you have anything else that competes with Bluebirds for your boxes? Like Violet-green Swallows? House Wrens? Chickadees? Pairing is simply a means of providing space for competitors so nobody gets crowded out. I know a lady in MA who puts up her houses in THREES ! And it works. Sometimes she has all three houses occupied by three different good species, including Bluebirds. Unfortunately the House Wrens, though they're 'cute' little things and have melodious songs, are NOT good neighbors. They're nest-robbers and, in fact, murderers. Remember, though, that they're native, and federally protected. And by the way, Joe Huber's advice is always excellent. He has vast experience and knowledge of this subject. Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy, Sunapee NH P.S.: In 1943 we had our winter maneuvers in the W.Va. mountains. (Elkins) Are you near there?
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 10:28:30 -0500 Good morning. I guess I will get brave after weeks of reading all the interesting bluebird info. I put up a nestbox last year after seeing my first bluebird ever in my Sumac in early March. It was quickly filled by TRES, so I put up another nearby. That got wrens, so I bought and put up 3 more, 2 were used by TRES and one had EABL! I am not much for peeking into nestboxes, as somehow I felt that birds needed to be left alone. I was just so glad to have birds. This year I bought 2 more nestboxes and was all ready to put them up when I read an article in the April issue of Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine. The cover story was bluebird recovery and had a lot of recent research on bluebird nestbox design. The jist of it was a change from the Hill Lake design to the Peterson design. (That article is what got me researching and eventually to the Bluebird-L.) To make a very long story short, I followed the suggestions of putting 3 pieces of 2 X 4 in the new box to raise the depth, put it up as a single and had bluebirds the next day! I am currently enjoying watching the first clutch feed and bathe in my birdbath and after a short period off (read and realized they were between nestings) I now have 4 eggs in that nest as of yesterday, and 3 in the other that is nearest my house. I guess it is beginners luck, but as I continue to read from the list, I guess I have near perfect conditions. (40 acres, no neighbors, lots of perching areas, food, water, fruit trees, and I have never seen a house sparrow in my yard). This is really fun. I have a dog and a cat, coons, snakes, a tiny pond my family calls the water hole, but my fruit trees are literally for the birds. I am an avid gardener too, so I can relate to a lot of the stuff I am seeing reading the posts. A couple questions: When is the best time of day to check on a trail? Is it really OK to pester them on a daily basis? How do you deal with wrens? I finally chased mine out and they moved to a post top up under my deck. I think I am out of what I read to be "ideal conditions" yet I have another box. Save it as a spare, or continue to pair. I had the best luck with the single box! Thanks ahead for any info. Put me at the keyboard and I don't know when to stop.
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 15:30:09 -0400 After three years of trying my neighbor and I finally have bluebirds in two of our houses. We have provided housing, food - including mealworms, water, etc. One family has fledged and the second should be hatching at any moment. Now that we are finally new landlords I have a few questions. Once the babies fledge do they go back to the nest at night? What about the parents? When should we remove the first nest in hopes of a second nesting? Is there anything else we should know/do? One more question. I read about using monofiliment to discourage HOSP. How is it used and what do I do with it? I am sure that I will have more questions as we go along, but right now we are just so proud to have finally gotten our first nestings that we want to encourage the bluebirds to stay/return. Thanks to all for the interesting and helpful information that I have found on this list. Anne Musser
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 16:57:02 -0400 Anne, et al, I think it is generally agreed that fledglings do not return to the nest once they have flown, even for the night. They normally stay up in the trees. I always clean out old nests immediately after the fledglings have flown. Usually they are dirty and flattened, and often they are infested with something or other. Bruce Burdett, NH Bluebird Conspiracy
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 19:55:55 -0400 Jeanne, et al, When you say " I put up another nearby," what do you mean by "nearby?" To me, "nearby" means within 15' or less. Is that what you mean? We've heard from folks who think that 100' or 50' is "nearby." Apparently "nearby" means different things to different people. We've learned on this List that Tree Swallows will sometimes nest 15' or less from other Tree Swallows, but that it's unusual, and mostly in the more southerly states. I've NEVER seen them take both boxes of a pair when the boxes are 15' apart. All my pairs are at least 300' from the next pair. Bruce Burdett, SW NH, blueburd"at"srnet.com P.S. : This evening, after supper, a perfect boat ride on the lake, (Lake Sunapee, 9 mi. long) - fair, calm, cool, quiet, slow. And the most amazing thing, - everything worked: motor, horn, running lights, bilge pump, depth-finder, spotlight. I can hardly believe it.
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 08:41:03 -0400 Shouldn't we all try to encourage Jeanne Mease to "peek" into her houses more often, - maybe every week or ten days? Monitoring is an imoportant part of bluebirding, and it doesn't bother the birds at all. They seem indifferent to it. Bruce Burdett, SW NH blueburd"at"srnet.com
Date: Tue, 17 Jul 2001 08:24:57 -0400 Anne, watch for the welcome letter, and copy it for future reference. I keep it on my computer under "My Documents." It includes website addresses for several places where the answers to these and many other questions will be found. It is also helpful to get a copy of one or more books specifically on bluebirds. I have three, but use Dorene Scriven's BLUEBIRD TRAILS more often than the others. After saying all that, let me try to answer your questions below in CAPS. Incidentally, I spent a semester at VMI during the war before being called up, and often stop at Rowe's on the way from Allentown to Asheville NC! Randy Jones After three years of trying my neighbor and I finally have
bluebirds in NO. ONCE OUT, THAT'S IT. What about NO. IN WINTER, BLUEBIRDS USE NESTBOXES FOR ROOSTING IN COLD When should we remove the first nest in hopes of a second TWO SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT NOW, BUT MY OPINION IS CLEAN OUT THE NEST ASAP. THERE ARE OFTEN MITES AND BLOWFLY LARVAE IN THE FIRST NEST, AND THE SECOND ON TOP OF IT GIVES THEM A HEAD START ON THE NEXT GENERATION OF BABIES. Is there anything else we should know/do? LOTS. SEE MY
SUGGESTIONS ABOVE. I'M NOT UP ON THIS. ANSWERS ARE AT THE WEBSITES I MENTIONED. CONGRATULATIONS ON YOUR SUCCESS. MAY YOU HAVE MUCH MORE AND DO IT EVERY YEAR! Thanks to all for the interesting and helpful information that
I have Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2001 12:02:24 -0500 At 10:28 AM 7/15/01 -0500, you wrote: Good morning. I guess I will get brave after weeks of reading all the ... Bluebirds seem to lay their eggs early in the morning, so once a nest appears to be complete, I check later in the day. When I see the first egg or two, I will give them several days to complete laying without disturbing them (usually one egg per day) then I will check to see how many eggs there are. While the female is incubating, I will look in the box only once or twice, making sure to let her know I'm coming so she can exit if she wants without being startled, but never too close to sunset. She needs to incubate at night, and may not return to the nest if it gets dark before she feels it's safe. I check hatchlings any time during the day (except too close to sunset - same reasoning), but when they are new I don't bother them much, and I don't worry about counting them if they are all huddled together in a blob. At some point I will see all the little heads and figure out how many hatched. I have monitored as frequently as every day, especially with my first nestbox, but now a lot of my "monitoring" is simply observing the box from a distance and making sure parents are feeding. I look in the box about twice a week, unless I were to observe some agitated behavior or lack of activity at the nestbox for an extended period. If you take a quick peek, close the nestbox and leave the area fairly quickly, the parents are pretty tolerant. Kate Oschwald
Date: Mon, 16 Jul 2001 22:28:18 -0500 I have to agree that monitoring your BB boxes makes sense. In my case when I opened up one of my BB boxes to check it recently, I found ants all inside the nest and all over the BB eggs. Thanks to Dan Sparks, I was able to rid the box of ants and five BB babies are ready to fledge or already did this weekend. There were big eyes looking at me last Wednesday when I checked it. If I had not monitored the box, I would not have found out about the ants. In addition, my friend would not have discovered that her BB babies were dying of hypothermia (just recently) if she had not been monitoring her BB box. However, they all did die at the rehabbers but, maybe next time, they could be saved. So I'm all for monitoring at least once a week. DOTTIE
Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 17:43:36 -0500 I need your help again this year. It has been a failure trying to raise bluebirds in Western Kentucky. After several eggs, or fledglings were killed I was able to live trap 4 raccoons and take them far far away from here. Then last week I finally have a successful hatch and all is well. Until I discovered the neighbors cat had killed the mother. I have been watching closely and the father has taken over the feeding until today. I have not seen him all day and I am in a panic. The babies are crying constantly. I have tried so hard to give these little guys a life, and am constantly beat down. I subscribed to this list last year and was beat up so horribly that I had to unsubscribe. If there are any kind and compassionate people who can explain some about the bluebirds and how I may be able to help, I do hope to hear from you. Sincerely, Denise Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 19:25:14 -0500 At 05:43 PM 7/25/01 -0500, you wrote: ... Denise, how old are these babies? In their first few days of life the mother broods them to keep them insulated from cold or heat. The father is not able to do this. However, once the babies are past this stage the father could, in theory, take care of them. There are reports of single parents successfully feeding their young , so keep an eye out for the father. Others on this list can perhaps tell you how long it is reasonable to wait before intervening if you see no sign of him. In the meanwhile find a wildlife rehabilitator near you and give them a heads up that you MIGHT be bringing them some babies to care for. Kate Oschwald Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 20:52:41 -0500 I was able this evening to purchase mealworms. My boyfriend cut them up and hand fed these 3 little ones. One was absolutely famished and after awhile all it wanted to do was sleep. The other two had to really be coaxed to eat. There was 1 egg that had not hatched and of course the nest was nasty. This nest was built really high, so high in fact the babies had no trouble in sticking their head out. I hope I did not do a bad thing by removing the top half of the nest. There were also a bunch of red ants. All seem to be resting nicely now. Thank you nice people for your help and suggestions. Will write to you later for it is now getting late. And of couse we will see what tomorrow will bring. I do wish to contact an expert, and will contact the fellow in Paducah whom I have been referred to. Thank you all so much. Denise Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 22:38:40 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst, MA Dear Denise, I want to apologize for any "beating up" you felt from the list. As Wendell long calls the "bullies" on this list - just delete their Messages. If you stay subscribed and "take what you like and leave the rest", you'll be able to get so much support and help! :-) As for your babies - I am so sorry. I don't have the URL handy - but someone else can email in the URL for rehabbers to you. If the babies are quite small - I think (someone can help clarify this) if they are 10 days old or less, you can feed soft canned DOG FOOD - on a Q-tip. You can use that in the a.m. until you find a rehabber. Sounds like you are doing a great job and we hope you stay with us!!!! If you get any nasty emails - let someone on the list you know in on it. Maybe we can help "have a word with them". Keep us posted tomorrow. :-) H Date: Wed, 25 Jul 2001 22:39:07 EDT http://www.tc.umn.edu/~devo0028/contact.htm Dear Denise, Here is the link for Wildlife Rehabbers. Good luck! Donna Ulloa Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 07:24:18 -0500 Keith Kridler Mt. Pleasant, Texas If the adult male does not come back this morning you will need to feed the young birds again early this morning. I would leave them in the nestbox and feed them all they will eat and then replace the nest material. This will give them several hours for the male to return. Through out the day about every 2 hours you might attempt to feed the young, again all they will eat. You should be able to feed them uncut mealworms and be sure to squeeze the insects head before feeding them. This applies to all crickets or grasshoppers or other insects which have strong chewing mouth parts. It would be best to find another box of bluebird young the same age where you can foster parent these into another nest! Some one in your area is bound to have nestboxes up and could be contacted for help. Some small town radio stations would broadcast this appeal for help during the "hometown news or a farm program". Even when we raise young birds to adulthood and they can feed themselves they still need to be taught about predators and even how to sing from adults bluebirds. If the foster parent idea is not an option then after a no show by the remaining adult bluebird today remove the young and get them to a rehab center. KK Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 07:35:40 -0500 I'm brand new. Can anyone list for me some of the effective ways to eliminate House Sparrows to allow bluebirds to nest in my boxes? -- Date: Thu, 26 Jul 2001 09:20:46 -0400 Dear newcomers to the list - and those who have been with us! Two questions came up this morning about feeding mealworms and also about house sparrow control. Please note that the Bluebird Reference Guide is a great source for this info as is the BEST OF Bluebird-L. Use the search engine or scroll through till you find the info you are looking for. :-) H You'll find all your bluebirding resources (including newbie
info) in
From: "Robert E Rager" rerager"at"bright.net A friendly neighbor has a farm in around Monroe, Louisiana he uses in the winter. He has some BB houses and ask me some information. Can someone advise when bluebirds start nesting and end of nesting season in Louisiana. I thought in March and continue throughAugust but know they stay year around. Robt Rager N/W Ohio
Date: Sat, 17 Nov 2001 16:07:57 -0600 I live in Madisonville, a small town just across Lake Pontchartrain from New Orleans. I have only just started with Bluebirds, but have had successful nestings for 2 years now. Here is what has happened for me. Last year I only had 2 nestings from March 'til July. This year has been great! The first 4 eggs are laid by March 20 and the second nesting of 3 was in May. The third nesting of 3 were laid around the end of July. Nancy Robert E Rager wrote: A friendly neighbor has a farm in around Monroe, Louisiana he
uses in
From: "St. Tikhon's Sem Libr" library"at"stots.edu Encyclopedia Americana, 1849 Thanks, I enjoyed reading that! I'm a new subscriber to this list, and it is my favorite list, even though I delete most of the Messages that come through, without reading them. It is enough that each Message reminds me that bluebirds exist, and I'm happy to have that very cheerful note several times a day. I have several bluebird boxes here which I built on the grounds of our monastery in NE PA some years ago. If anyone lives in that area (we are 25 mi. east of Scranton) and would care to come and look at them and offer some suggestions about placement etc. maybe we could get better results than we've gotten in the past. We've had some bluebirds but we get an awful lot of swallows and sparrows. I read the book (by Larry Zeleny?) some years ago so I know the basics. Hieromonk Juvenaly
From: "Darcy & Jacque Turner" turner"at"texasisp.com To All You Bluebird Folks Out There On This Bluebird-L List: I am one of those that got onto your list by accident, not really realizing what I was getting into. I was doing some research on getting a bluebird trail started and typed my email address in, thinking I would be getting some type of bluebird newsletter, I guess. Anyway that was Saturday, November 23, and have since received 44 emails from all of you Bluebird People talking about old books with bluebird excerpts, two-holed birdhouses, the debate on setting aside land for the birds, the "unsubscribe me" group, etc. It's been quite a weekend reading all of this. I have felt like I've been reading your personal emails, which I guess I have! Is this how it is supposed to work? I have been a birder for several years now. My husband and I are currently starting to build a house in the country, and for several years it has been my intent to get a bluebird trail started out there. The timing is just right now, since we are out there pretty much on a daily basis. My request for Christmas this year has been bluebird houses and help from my husband to start a bluebird trail. My youngest son and I started measuring the perimeter of the fence this weekend to be prepared when the boxes arrive. We have about 160 acres, with lots of fence line, lots of overhead power lines over those fences, numerous grasshoppers and insects, and several bluebirds to get going. My husband's grandmother, also an avid birder, lives out on this land and has fed birds for years. She put up a bluebird house a few years ago and has had these blue lovelies ever since. Today, she is going into a nursing home, so I just inherited her bird children. A tough act to follow since she has cooked them cornbread every day for the last who knows how many years! Any words of wisdom on getting started with this bluebird trail would be very much appreciated and thank you in advance for the information. Jacque Turner Breckenridge, Texas From: "Jessica Nichols"
jnichols"at"pkgfo.wvparkersb.fsc.usda.gov I am a first year birder. I have to say that it was vexing to hear my blues but not see them. Finally on the 7th I caught a site of them at the creek drinking and playing but my glasses where fogged, was it truly them (no time to stop and check besides I couldn't see well). Then yesterday at 3:12 in the afternoon 8 of them came through my yard (info just in case there haven't been any sightings in West Virginia). They were on the way back from their drink I am sure. They played in the pines in my yard for a short while before going back to the more protected woods. Finally I was able to see what I had been hearing. I am not very knowledgeable. If they have stayed around through two snows and near zero temperatures at night will they stay the winter? I'm not feeding or watering them, they are doing it all on their own. Thanks in advance for the advise. Jessica Nichols Date: Wed, 09 Jan 2002 13:31:45 -0400 Haleya Priest Amherst MA Jessica Nichols wrote: I am a first year birder. I have to say that it was vexing to hear my ... Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 15:14:55 -0500 (Eastern Standard Time) Hi-Friends, I guess I am doing the right thing. I live in Virginia just o n the North Carolina Line... When do I put out my Bird Boxes?....Thanks.n= ealferrell"at"gamewood.net -------------- Date: Tue, 12 Feb 2002 09:06:54 -0500 I put up my first bluebird house a few weeks ago.....I am so
excited...Sunday had several famillies of blue birds checking it
out. Today, there was a female and male...the were fussing aournd
the entrance to the box...Then both the male and female went into
the box. They then went to my putput Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 13:59:27 -0000 Nancy, you have a good chance of having them nest in your box this year. If they are raising close by, you have the little ones from last year to find nest. If the area is to their liking, they usually stay around where they are raised.You are lucky to be able to see them now. I have enjoyed mine in the yard over the winter.Good luck!!The time is drawing close for the new nesting season!!Jeanette --- In bluebirdtrail"at"y..., "blubirder" nancyfussell"at"m...
wrote: ... Date: Wed, 13 Feb 2002 15:01:10 -0000 It is important in monitoring your blues that you ID correctly any percieved threat...that sparrows are indeed sparrows and not the house finches that come in flocks. Here is a link you might find useful: http://www.nabluebirdsociety.org/sparrow.htm From: "Jenni Sofjan" jennisof"at"houston.rr.com How long might it take a pair to build a nest, once they decide to use a given box? Also, how often is it adviseable to check the box--or, more importantly, to leave it alone? Thanks, New Bluebirders Problems/Solutions (Part 9) |
