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Should I evict my Carolina wren?

17 years ago

I have 3 BB houses on my property. Two have nesting BB families. The third had a chickadee nest with no eggs, now, an (identified) Carolina wren is building a nest on top of the chickadee nest. Should I leave them be, tear the CW nest out, or tear both of them out? Thanks.

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Comments (4)

bbcathy
17 years ago
Are you sure it's a Carolina not a House wren? Is the bird adding twigs or is it grass/leaves on top of the Dee nest? It is illegal to take out a nest with a cup unless it is house sparrows or starlings.
Cathy
byrdlady
Original Author
17 years ago
Yes, it is definitely a CW and not a house wren.
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mulchmamma
17 years ago
If no cup in the CARW nest, I would take out the nest and put on an 1 1/4" reducer. The dees can even handle a 1 1/8" reducer.

CARWS can nest anywhere, the dees are more specific. You could try a more shallow box with a slot opening and place it in a protected spot near your house. My CARWS seem to prefer these boxes in sheltered areas.
bluebars
17 years ago
It is just natural competition. Carolina wrens are harmless native birds, not invasive imports! It is illegal to disturb their nest. If the Carolinas are building, then the chickadees have already moved on.
Anyway, I think they can enter with a 1&1/8-inch reducer.
Why not put up another house? Maybe the chickadees will try again. I would be THRILLED to host either one or both.
BlueBars

Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/nestboxguide.htm

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