here anyway the red wing blackbirds usually nest around water. it can be irrigation ditches or ponds or springs and river banks especially where there are cattails or marshes. there is still lots of agriculture around here with farms and hayfields and orchards ect. there are many flocks of red wings around in early spring to late summer. i get flocks of the birds especially after the young fledge twice each year. I don't get any nesting here but they are close enough that they come and go everyday. i put my seed feeders out further from the house in summer to keep them away from the house. There is a chorus of sound when they are around.

I don't let House Wrens nest in my yard, as soon as I see sticks in a nestbox they are removed so they never get a chance around here.

Redwings nest around water, we have a park with ponds near our house so we always have plenty of Redwings around. They do divebomb you when you get near their nests but really aren't that bad.

We don't have Starlings nest in our yard, no place for them but we seem to have tons of them when fledging time comes so obviously they are nesting somewhere around here.

I have never seen a Grackle nest nor do I know where they normally nest.

Obvsiously we don't let House Sparrows nest either, they are disposed of as often as possible.

Donna

I would not welcome House Sparrows or Starlings. Otherwise, I enjoy the experiences I get to have with many different species nesting in my immediate area.

The only un welcomes here ...HOSPS and HOWR....nobody else has been a problem. Now if a Sharpy Hawk came I would do everything within the law to try to discourage it but would take my feeders down and let it be. I have really not lost any nest to other birds (except 1 clutch of eggs to HOWR) as of yet "knock wood".

Starlings, Hosps, and Howrs...all terminated! (Howr only as a last resort)

Since I live near a small man-made wetland. This may explain why there are red wing black birds. I have not seen nest near our house.

Grackles supposedly built communal nest so that a flock of them will built a nest together. If they build one in your yard, they will swarm you. You won't be able to use your yard until you destroy their nest.

Paul

Grackles supposedly built communal nest so that a flock of them will built a nest together. If they build one in your yard, they will swarm you. You won't be able to use your yard until you destroy their nest.

No, that is untrue. Like most song birds, they are secretive in nesting, and do not flock in that time. Individual birds will dive after predators, just like many songbirds do.

I was reading the article in the attached link

Of course not everything on the internet is true :-)

Here is a link that might be useful: Dealing with Agressive Black Birds

I am in the minority in that I am glad to see the grackles here. They are amazing in their ability to gobble up winter moth caterpillars and other tree defoliators. The caterpillars are extremely destructive and anything that lowers the population is welcome.

I live in a rural area and the grackles nest somewhere in the woods across the street (the red-wings are farther away, probably around the pond down the hill).

When the grackles fledge, there is a raucous scene as the young are lead to my feeders and groups will forage in the lawn and plant beds for a while. As soon as the fledglings are competent fliers, the grackles leave - this is in early summer so I have no clue where they go.

I've never been attacked; in fact they fly off at any disturbance.

Claire

According to the Migratory Bird Act, it is illegal to remove nests of any native migratory birds.

"Unless permitted by regulations, the Act provides that it is unlawful to pursue, hunt, take, capture or kill; attempt to take, capture or kill; possess, offer to or sell, barter, purchase, deliver or cause to be shipped, exported, imported, transported, carried or received any migratory bird, part, nest, egg or product, manufactured or not."

"Birds protected under the act include all common songbirds, waterfowl, shorebirds, hawks, owls, eagles, ravens, crows, native doves and pigeons, swifts, martins, swallows and others, including their body parts (feathers, plumes etc), nests, and eggs."

There are over 800 species of bird protected by this act. My understanding is that the only birds whose nests it is legal to destroy are House Sparrows, European Starlings, pigeons, and a few odd others (escaped parakeets, e.g.). Even house wrens are protected.

http://www.sialis.org/mbta.htm

Here is a link that might be useful: Migratory Bird Treaty

To clarify - it is legal to remove the sticks of a house wren nest, but once the nest cup is built, it is not.

Are Bewick's Wrens lumped into the same undesirable category as House Wrens? The Bewick's Wren is a regular visitor to our yard, and one of my favorite, particularly when he regales us with a lovely song. I'd hate to think of him as a trespasser.

As far as I know, the House Wren is the only wren species considered a nuisance. According to what I have read here they will take over other birds' nestboxes and wreck their nests and eggs. Ever since I started to participate in this forum I have read how people dread having House Wrens on their property, pretty much like House Sparrows.
We have Carolina Wrens here that we really enjoy, so I understand your concern, but I think your Bewick Wrens are safe.

I'm pretty fed up with a Gray Cat Bird. He is very dominant and chases away all the Warblers and Tufted Titmice. He ousted the Northern Mocking bird and Brown Thrashers. He has become so tame he waits for me to set out special things like fresh fruit and walnuts. He is here first in the morning, bouncing up close to me as if to say, "I'm hungry, where is breakfast?" (Despite 5 feeding stations)

I watched a Grackle nest last year in our neighborhood. It was in a large arborvitae up against a house. It was a single pair and didn't create any real problems. I've seen Blue Jays attack humans (swoop at them) when they got to close to a nest. Large raptors can be very messy nesters and just through thier trash over the side. I discourage the invasives, but it seems like the other birds already have a plan on who nests where and don't really listen to outside input. So, I just let nature take its course.