Hmmm....Well, I wouldn't give up on her just yet. By all means, take those Wren twigs out of that box as fast as they put them in. Once you have a nest of Bluebird eggs, I would put a Wren guard on the box. In my experience, Bluebird females do not reuse a nest of their own or anyone else's. Instead, they build another one. So, if that Blue female doesn't come back (and she still may) then I would remove the nest and save it in case you need it at some point in time to replace a nest. You really do need to discourage those Wrens though. JMHO~~Angie

Here is a link that might be useful: sialis/House Wrens

I know.. i have tried moving the box further away from the back of the property, but the male is set on the post that it was originally mounted on.. He's definitely stubborn! How long should i wait until i remove the nest. I was going to save it if I had to remove it. I need a water gun for the wren! LOL

Well, is the box too close to a tree line? That might encourage the Wren. If you feel that you need to move the box between nestings, the male will come to where you move it.(if he is set on nesting in your yard) I would wait several days (?3) and if I didn't see the female AT ALL, I'd probably take the nest out. Those pesky Wrens can really cause some problems, hey?

Hi there carin.....2 things come to mind. First off you said "post" so I am wondering if you have it mounted on a wooden post (that's a no no) or if it is on a slick pole? Secondly the Wren knows the box is there so a Wren guard may not help. I would do as Angie suggests, give it a couple days to see if the female comes back. If she does, let her lay her first egg then move the box and put on a Wren guard. You need to monitor to be sure she accepts the guard. www.sialis.org has instructions on how to do all of this. Good luck!

Well yes Liza wooden isn't prefered but I use 2 X 4's with slick PVC pipe over them and haven't ever lost anything with them (Knock on wood) Before this I had raids occur on TRES, BBs, and yes, even HOSP!

Carin, you should find that the blues will accept the box if it's within reasonable home range ( a few properties)

Blues have large territory's, and if they weren't that far ahead they shouldn't hesitate to try again.

One other thing...how close are your boxes to woods/brush? I moved my boxes into a neighbor's field (with granted permission) and this eliminated House Wren competition. If you have some friendly neighbors ask them nicely if you can place some nestboxes. It depends on who it is but with my neighbor's the only issue is mowing...as long as they can mow their large field/lawn w/o interference from my boxes...not a problem! In fact they enjoy seeing and hearing about the birds.
~Tim-

Box is on a pole, not mounted on post. I moved the nest on Friday to an unused box.. Bluebird pair back Saturday morning in full nestbuilding mode.... Finished on Sunday morning... by Monday afternoon there's an egg in the box... Now, the pair have been back, no egg on Tuesday, but it's been terribly hot.. heat index 105 and humid.. The pair was around this morning when i left for work about 6:15, so i'm hoping.. I have heard the house wren, but i have not seen the wren come anywhere near the box..

Wonderful news!! That is how it often happens. You get that nest out of there, and they are right back at it. I'd take the old nest and store it in a bag in the garage. That will free up your other box for another cavity nester, maybe even another Bluebird pair if the boxes are far enough apart. Keep us posted.~`Angie

first egg hatched yesterday... Maybe the other two today.... Papa was not happy with me when i peeked in the box! LOL

Wonderful news! Others might disagree, but I make a point to intentionally be "in their space," which does makes them less wary of me. I am in my yard a lot, and I really do think that they just consider me part of the landscape. They sit up in the tree and talk to me while I check the box, but very rarely do I encounter overt aggression. I talk to them while I check the box, and I talk to them when I'm in the yard. My current male has a habit of coming to my windows to peer in at me. He just lands on the ledge outside and looks in. No aggressive gesturing. He does have favorite windows. :o) My pair is gearing up now for round #3! They have fledged 9 healthy babes so far. I see them out there in the yard right now trying to decide on a house. Yay!

So happy.. All three hatched! I have been away for the past few days.. so I will be peeking in the nestbox again this afternoon! I hope he gets used to the intrusions! LOL... Looks like fledging will be right around the 4th of July.. then maybe round 2????