Hey Lisa...it does kinda seem like she may not have accepted it, not sure about the grass moved though. I guess if it were me I would lift the flap up or take it off and see if she goes in at all then. Does the wren guard have sides on it at all or just the front flap? I had a pair one year where I put the guard up after the third egg and didn't get another egg, took it off and she then laid her fourth egg. I left the guard off with them and hoped for the best. Luckily I didn't have any wren problems. Hopefully she is just waiting to start incubation however I haven't ever had that happen before. I did one year have a blue pair stop at three eggs when the weather took a major turn for the worst, but she started incubating them and they all hatched on time. Good luck. I know what you mean about being a worry wart, I always second guess myself. Luckily this year my Blues box is not in wren territory!

Donna

Donna, I have never had one not accept the guard. I know I saw an attempt to go in she was clearly hanging on the hole and looking in, I just don't know if she WENT in. This is a fairly large guard, meaning there is quite a bit of room between the box and the guard so it is not cramped at all. The sides are open. The weather has gotten much colder the last few days. I did mark one of the eggs today. I have a feeling she checks on them first thing in the AM (I hope)If the eggs have not been moved I will remove the guard and see what happens. This is a new female, kind of "different" looking and as I said has white eggs. UUUGGGGG Yes I think ill have another drink! LOL

Well I got my answer :( She has abandon the nest and I am sure because of the guard. I did not hear them this morning and I was afraid they had left. I cant believe I didn't pay closer attention. I was confident she had accepted it when I saw her under it. I guess I have been focusing more on trying to get these damned HOSPs. The good news is that there in a completed nest in my cam box I can hear anytime anything enters the box so I guess I will be working upstairs on the laptop until I have 8 day old babies! Now my new worry...I wonder if I should pull the nest with eggs or leave her the option of returning to it since it's been less that a week and she COULD still incubate those eggs. AAARRRRGGGGG (cant have a drink gotta go to church)! LOL

So sorry about that Lisa, I was worried that was the case though but like you said, you would think if she was under it she would be ok with it. I knew that one year they weren't going to accept it. I had made mine with sides though so much harder for them to accept that way since they cannot see the hole from any angle. Last year when I had blues in a box more in wren territory I made the guard in steps. Added it with a short front on it first, then made the front longer, then added a short side and then a longer side. She was fine with it. This year she is in a box not in wren territory so I will not add a guard.

I sure hope they come back for you Lisa! Wish they knew we were just tryig to help!

Donna

Well I do have the completed nest in the nest cam box and they have been here quite a bit today. This pair is quite different than any pair I have had. I've never seen this female before (at least not in adult form)They have been checking other boxes out even after the first egg was laid in the original nest. The male does not feed the female but brings her to the feeder. They never spent much time on or in the box while the 3 eggs were being laid. I guess that's why I wasn't to worried. Today the female WENT INTO THE HOSP box!!! I nearly crapped myself, later the male was on it. I took one of the weeds the HOSP had in there and wove it over the hole hoping to keep the Blues out but the HOSPs can get in if they really want to. (the HOSPs have not bonded with any box yet). So my Blues are still here but what to do next I have no clue, I still have Dees checking boxes but 3 of 4 have some sort of nest in them, I can put up more boxes (the TREES are here but not box shopping yet) aaccckkk I'm getting to old for this!

So is the nest in the cam box the same pair that just abandoned the other nest or is this a different pair? I wasn't quite sure. Our TRES are box shopping now, the love the two new boxes I put up down at the park of course I have noticed a pair of HOSP eyeing it up too, gotta keep an eye on that.

I had a female blue once that had an active nest, I believe she was in the laying phase yet, that went up under a wren guard (with sides) to look in a Chickadee nestbox! I nearly freaked when I saw that and added a reducer on the hole right away. I hadn't before since the wren guard was there and I figured no one would find the hole. Guess not!

Donna

Well.......I dunno, I assume it is the same pair because as I said the female is quite unique looking and shes been in the feeder with the male a lot today. I have not seen any other female but the silly birds paid no attention to the new nest at all today but were quite instant to get in the HOSP box. The HOSPs are also playing with the Martin house (there are 5 HOSPs that I can tell) The new nest in the cam box is suspiciously tall and could easily be one nest on top of another I did fluff through it to be sure there was no dead bird in there, the nest was not there 3 days ago. I will have the cam on all day tomorrow. I am SO confused!!!!