While I agree that many seniors enjoy the experience of watching the birds, I disagree with leaving the nestbox on the tree. I don't think any person, senior or otherwise, would agree that the joy of viewing the birds outweighs providing them with safest possible housing. A snake needs less than an inch of leeway in order to enter a space-we can only imagine the terror a mother bird would experience in this situation. Snake predation is not the only possibility, either. Can you imagine being inside that nestbox and having the paw of a raccoon or cat reaching for you? Definitely not worth the risk. If you decide to keep the nestbox, Donna, at least consider relocating it from the tree to a pole equipped with a predator baffle. Kathy

Sorry to hear this Tim. If I were you I would remove the HOSP nest and hope the blues return. I doubt you will get the female HOSP now that the male has left. In my experience with TRES I see them highly motivated to run off any bird in paired boxes when they are nest building. Once they are laying/incubating and feeding nestlings they focus much more on that then defending the other box. I have lots of paired boxes and that is what I have found anyway. As far as the Blues letting the HOSP take over the box...well they know they cannot win I suppose, no eggs or nestlings to defend so it is hard to say. I think each bluebird is different too on how hard they defend things. This year I have a hugely territorial male, never had one like this before. He has chased off my chickadees and is trying to chase off all the Tree Swallows in the yard. He is defending four nestboxes, two of these are 65 yards or so from the box they have eggs in. Nothing will be nesting in the box paired 35 feet from the blues nestbox...he won't allow it. The chickadees weren't even house hunting, just trying to eat out of the birdfeeders and he won't allow it. A couple times I have seen a HOSP come to the feeder and I quickly try to get the bb gun but the Male bluebirds chases it away before I can even think about it. He won't stop chasing until it is out of the yard too. I am curious to see if he calms down a bit once the eggs hatch which should be next week. Good luck to you, hope your blues can get down to business now that that HOSP is gone. Donna

GOOD MORNING, we are back from Boston. My daughter is officially graduated from college! We had a beautiful weekend and now I have a few days to breathe before she comes home to roost!! In the nestbox I have three 18 day old young birds. Mother was NOT on the nest with them when we checked last night. These babies are stretching and flapping their wings. It looks like at least one of them is a boy. Mother doesn't come all the way into the nest to feed them but she still comes all the way in to take sacs and do other housekeeping. (I thought they stopped going into the nestbox when the babies were a certain age.) I also noticed that the babies do not all gape when parent comes. If one has been fed recently he might not open wide for more food while the others do. They are also getting out of the nestcup and sitting up more. I haven't seen any peeking out the door though, so I don't think they are ready to leave. It's pretty cold here so I'll see what happens today. Probably tomorrow will be the day. Anita

I've been away for a while, and now catching on your replies to my posting. I had no idea that I would inspire a debate, but at least it was educational. Here is what I have observed, at least so far. I have a pair of mocking birds nesting not far from the wren nestboxes, in spite of Rachel's warning that I would have no other birds nesting in the vicinity. It is very well hidden in a densely foliated bush. I haven't actually seen it, because I hestiate to pry into the bush for fear of disturbing the nest. But I hear the babies chirping when the parents visit to feed them. I am amused that when the parents see me looking towards the nest they will wait nearby, and as soon I look away, they dart into the bush. But I am looking out of the corner of my eye, or over the top of my glasses. There are no bluebirds in my area, which was a concern to some. But I have chickadees in the neighborhood, and passing through my yard, as well as the wrens. They must be getting along somehow. Currently, all three wren nestboxes are empty, including the one that I emptied of spruce twigs after the wrens filled it up. I am thinking of enlarging the hole of one of the nestboxes to accommodate chickadees, but haven't done so yet. Does any one know how chickadee nesting preferences differ from wren preferences?