Hello and a question

11 years ago

Hi all my name is Tyler and I am in west central ohio. I have been blue birding since I was 13. Now at 26, I have moved out from my parents house in the country to the city with a decent long narrow partially wooded back yard. I have many new birds here including chickadees, titmice, nuthatches, woodpeckers, etc, but I am missing my country birds like Tree Swallows and Eastern Bluebirds. I have 3 gilbertson boxes and 3 home made pvc pipe boxes. I plan to put 2 pvc boxes in my neighbors yard. It has been a cold spring so far and the most activity i have seen is a chickadee going in a box and back out. I trapped a few sparrows over the winter. My neighbor has martin houses and I just convinced her to plug the holes to keep the sparrows out. Hopefully they leave the area soon, but she does feed them in her yard too so I need to have her switch food to nut and berry or stop all together. I just put blue wash rags on 3 of my boxes yesterday and moved them out in the open a bit more away from trees hoping to attract a pair of EABL. I forgot about that method. I had EABL every year at my parents house, so really hoping to get some at mine as well. What are my odds of getting blues this year?

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Comments (11)

ohsoblue77
11 years ago
Hello Tyler, and Welcome to the forums!

You're in good company! I Started at 12-13 myself and am now 18 and probably my last season for a while. I live in NE OHIO, about 20 or so miles south of Cleveland.

Sounds like you already have a lot of knowledge!

If that box is a distance from significant woods, and in a sunny, open location, you stand a very good chance of attracting EABL!! The problem with wooded areas is the infamous House Wren.

Also beware of the Tree Swallows. The bluebirds may fight with them. If you pair another box about 20 ft away, both will often nest next to each other without conflict, and may even team up against House Sparrows!

Good luck!

~Tim
tmann05
Original Author
11 years ago
Thank you for the warm welcome. I like to think that I have some knowledge lol. I have links to pictures of my backyard and my neighbors backyard. What do you guys think? I circled the boxes in red in both my yard and my neighbors. My neighbor has 2 of my boxes in her yard and 2 purple martin houses which she plans moving out into the open more. I have not seen any house wrens but I do expect to see some in the next month or so. I haven't seen any TRES here at all yet. I did however see a flock of a dozen EABL fly over my area last fall before winter.

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h267/t_mann05/photo1_zps2cbbffb2.jpg

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h267/t_mann05/photo-2_zpsb9c85f75.jpg

This post was edited by tmann05 on Thu, Apr 4, 13 at 21:42
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ohsoblue77
11 years ago
Tyler, it looks like you need some protection from predators on those poles! Raccoons are probably one of the most common in an area like that.

Check out my link below on predator prevention.

Also, when you do expect to see wrens, you may want to look into a wren guard. You use wood or cardboard spaced in front over the hole, basically covering it but leaving enough space for a bluebird or swallow to fly under/behind it.

You could certainly draw Bluebirds but I would also watch out for those Wrens. They're native, House Sparrows are not, and so you have more limited options when it comes to Wrens.

Hopefully some others chime in. Should be a booming forum right now, wouldn't ya think? Haha.

Here is a link that might be useful: Nestbox Baffles
tmann05
Original Author
11 years ago
Yeah I have seen a raccoon and a possum before. I did put a baffle on the pole in the center of the yard. I need to buy some more shortly. That one was about $10 from tractor supply. So they do make wren guards for pvc / gilbertson boxes? Yeah I found this forum an figured it would be way more active. That's ok though I will stick around, even it if it just you and I Tim! I check it everyday and offer advice. I drove through a local cemetery about a mile from my house and spotted some EABL. I may start a trail there if I get permission! One way it another I will have my Blues! Activity I saw today was the chickadee checking out the box in the garden, going in and out.
maryra
11 years ago
Hello!
I, too, have a chickadee this year starting to build a nest in the bluebird box. I put up a second box just last week and the blues have been going back and forth between the two. Now the chickadee has selected one. Should I continue to remove the chickadee nesting materials and hope 2 pairs of blues move in or just let the chickadee have one?
tmann05
Original Author
11 years ago
First please do not remove chickadees nest. They are a protected species. Do you have two pairs of EABL? If so maybe put a third box up. The birds will sort things out and each one will take a box. Just give them time. Congrats on your activity!
bluebirdbabe
11 years ago
Hi Tyler, it is so awesome to see young people interested in bluebirds :) Welcome!! I have been here for a long time and I have learned many things regarding the blues. This is the best site to go to for any information: http://www.sialis.org/

this should answer any of your questions.

Maryra, PLEASE LEAVE THE CHICKADEES ALONE. You are so lucky that they picked you to nest with.
tmann05
Original Author
11 years ago
Just an update. I got permission from the cemetery to put up some nest boxes. I put up two today. I also got permission to monitor the existing ones there and across the street. So in addition to my two, I will be monitoring 4 others at the remote site. So 6 at a remote site, 4 at my house, and 2 at my parents house. Hoping to get a variety of birds this season!
tmann05
Original Author
11 years ago
On this cloudy cool day of 40 degrees I saw 3 Northern Flickers foraging on the ground in my backyard! Snapped a picture with my iphone through my binoculars lol

http://i66.photobucket.com/albums/h267/t_mann05/photo2_zps5ee1ce73.jpg

This post was edited by tmann05 on Fri, Apr 12, 13 at 16:36
Windmillman
11 years ago
OK I'm fairly new to bluebirds. Tell me what it is about blue wash rags and how they are attached. I have had limited success and need to do anything that adds appeal to my boxes
tmann05
Original Author
11 years ago
Yeah there is a trick some would say helps draw in EABL to your nest sites by using a blue wash cloth, blue ribbon, or a wooden blue EABL decoy. I simply screwed one corner of a blue wash rag to my nest box and it blows freely in the wind. I am hoping it will draw a pair in but I am in a more wooded area so it hasn't helped me yet, but I am hoping for the best. Give it a try! What have you got to lose? Someone may call you crazy but if it works its definitely not crazy!

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