How was your female Blue killed? If it was House Sparrows and you don't manage them it is best just to take your box down especially seeing this has happened more than once. Is your box on a slick metal pole with a predator baffle? If not it should be. Because you asked....it is illegal to remove a native birds nest. However what you do is up to you. I highly doubt taking the TRES nest out will deter them if they want to nest there. I have found them to be VERY persistant birds. We have paired boxes about 20-25 feet apart and the TRES that claims one of the boxes will build nests in both boxes to keep other birds out. I take the dummy nests out constantly and they just put them back in even though they have a nest already in the other box. Once they lay eggs this extra nestbuilding stops though.

If you can manage any House Sparrows in your area and if your boxes are mounted properly you may want to try adding another box at least 50 feet away from the one you have and maybe you can get both the Blues and the TRES. TRES are very fun birds to have around.

I am adding a link to the sialis site, the best place for all the info you need to properly host bluebirds and other cavity nesting birds.

Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: Silais - Bluebird site

Thanks Donna, for responding so quickly. We have no problems with House Sparrows in our area---suburb of Philly, but do have hawks and assume it was a hawk that killed the female.

We have a purple martin house about 30 feet away from the bluebird house and tree swallows have been nesting there for years. Recall reading somewhere that TRES will build many nests before actually laying eggs. That's where my dilema is---they already have the purple martin house-- I want my bluebirds back! WAHHHH.

Jody

Have the TRES been around the Purple Martin house too or just the Bluebird house? Maybe if they are doing the dummy nestbuilding in the Bluebird box you could take it out?? Do you have Purple Martins? They are such cool birds our neighbors had them last year, haven't seen them back this year yet though. You still could try adding an additional Bluebird box to see if you can both the Blues and the TRES in those boxes. We had so many pairs of TRES this year that I ended up plugging up some boxes so they wouldn't take over everything, they already had six! I wanted some empty ones in case a Bluebird pair needed one, thankfully we now have three empty boxes if a Blue does show up. Hopefully you can get the male Bluebird to find another female and come back, sorry you lost your female. Just this morning I was watching a hawk go after some birds, didn't get anything though.

Good luck!!

Donna

I have never heard of Tres building dummy nests.

Hey Cathy, our TRES make dummy nests all the time. They seem to do it with paired boxes. I am thinking to make it look like both boxes are taken if other birds come looking. One will be a complete nest the other will just be a smaller one. We also have a purple martin style house out front and you are never quite sure which hole the TRES is actaully nesting in until she starts incubating as they take grass into every possible hole at first. You would probably never see this if you don't have paired boxes. It is odd.

Donna

I took the nest out and you are so right, Donna. The Tres ARE persistent little creatures. They kept coming back to build a nest. I removed the nesting material for a couple days, then decided to let them alone and see what happens.

Today there are four white eggs. Read up on Tres and bluebirds nesting close by. I am going to put up a new box this week to see if the bluebirds will come back.

Got my information from the following site.
Thanks for your guidance.

http://www.treeswallowprojects.com/tresvsbb.html

Hey Jody, good luck with putting up an additional box. Hope you get a pair of Blues back. We actually have Blues that just finished nest building, should be an egg soon, I hope. We have TRES, Dees and now Blues! Something fun to do with the TRES is offer them feathers. If you have a slightly breezy day throw feathers up into the air and watch the TRES catch them midair, sometimes they play with them but mostly they will take them into their nestbox.

Donna

Hi All,

I had TRES build a nest in one of my boxes two years ago. After the nest was there, nothing else happened. I was monitoring that box just like the rest of my boxes that had blue birds. I alway felt like I pressured them too much and ran them off. I didn't see any TRES activity last year in any of my boxes. This year I saw a pair of TRES sitting on a box after a pair of blue birds had raised and fledged a family. I was out bush hogging the field that the box was in, so I pulled the tractor up next to the box an sure enough there was a partial nest. A few days later I checked and nothing new, still had the partial nest. A few days after that, the same thing. Again, I felt like I run them off. About a week ago I noticed a pair of TRES looking at a box right in my yard. I checked it and sure enough, there was a nest in it. I have been extremely hesitate about bothering the box again for fear that I might run them off. I see them every day from my house going in and out of the box. I really want a pair of TRES to raise a family in that box. I will check out the websites recommended in this post. It seems from this post that they can be tenacious when they claim a box, it's just that has not been my experience yet. Some of my questions are, do they tolerate weekly nest checks? Do they accept a sparrow spooker? Do the Winter in my area (Southern middle Tennessee)? Do they eat mealworms? I know, so many questions, but I REALY want this pair to raise a family here.

Phil

Hi Phil, I have always checked the TRES boxes like the Blues boxes, well at first at least, later I tend to not monitor the TRES as much. The Blues I check every to every other day. My TRES divebomb like crazy but I have yet to run any off, I think they like my yard too much. Last year I even caught one in a van ert inbox trap and it came back and nested there anyway. Lots of times once they are incubating they won't even get off the nest when you monitor them. I have never used a sparrow spooker on a TRES nest as they are a little better at keeping the nest tended than the Blues are. Usually one TRES is in the box at all times once incubation starts. However I think they would accept a spooker without a problem. They don't eat mealworms as they eat on the wing. They catch flying bugs while they are flying around the yard. Good luck, hope you can get a pair of TRES nesting in your yard, I would send some of mine if I could. OH also TRES only have one nesting per season, not sure of the nesting timetable in your area but ours here in WI are all incubating eggs at this time, some should be hatching soon.

Donna

Phil,

I also have a pair of TRES nesting in one of my boxes. Like you, I didn't want to run them off because I was so happy to have them. Until they were really commited to the nest, I only monitored while they were out. Like Donna said, they spend a lot of time either in the box, or guarding it. Just my personal experience, but I found they both tend to be out of the box early evening and I can check it then. Today I checked it late afternoon, and she was in there sitting on eggs. She did not budge, so I quietly closed the box and let her be. I do use a sparrow spooker on the box, but not a wren guard. They seem to be quite good at keeping an eye on their box. The sparrow spooker didn't seem to bother them a bit. They winter in South America, like other swallows. I so love having them. I hope you get some to nest in your yard too.

Thanks Donna & Kendra,

I checked the box yesterday (I tried not to, but I just couldn't help myself). Still no eggs, but they contiune to go in and out of the box today. I swear to all here that I will not open that box again until this weekend! Now, if I can just get my wife to lock me in the bathroom until Saturday, I will keep that promise.

Phil

Phil, Tres can fool around forever doing nest building or waiting forever to lay eggs. I think they just like to drive us crazy. I monitor mine all the time and usually they don't even get off the nest when I knock and open the box. They will dive bomb me though when they babies are ready to fledge. I always use a spooker with Tres bcause I have lost females to hosps twice before eggs were laid. (no spooker yet)
Cathy

Ditto on my female refusing to get off the nest when I try to monitor! DO use a sparrow spooker.....DO NOT use a Wren guard. Much of the Mom and Dads raising babies depend upon them being able to see one another coming in so the other can leave. It's like air traffic controll, they have it down, a Wren guard hinders this.

I have 2 boxes about fifteen feet apart, and usually the TRES claim one, and either the BB claim the other or it stays empty. I have not seen any dummy nests built by TRES either. They do seem to take forever to build and start laying but they only do one nesting so they have the luxury of time!~

You know I wonder if we get the dummy nests by the TRES around here because there are so many TRES competing for nesting sites. Just a thought. Cause in every paired box that we have (two pairs here and two pairs at the park) we have one pair of TRES claiming and nestbuilding in both boxes, until egg laying starts and then they leave the extra box alone some. Both pairs of paired boxes at the park are 15ft apart and we never get anything nesting in the other box just either TRES or Blues in one of them. The two sets of paired boxes at our house, one is like 20 feet apart and the other set is like 25 feet apart. Last year in the 25 feet apart one we had both TRES nesting in them but in the 20 feet apart one we had one pair of TRES and the other box nothing nested in. This year The ones that are 25 feet apart we had a pair of TRES in one and defending both boxes until eggs were laid and then we now have Blues in the other. The 20 feet apart ones we just have one pair of TRES. All of these boxes had partial TRES nests in them by a pair that nested in just one of the boxes. We do have an exceptionally large amount of TRES in our area each summer. Last year just on our property we had 25+ TRES fledge and at the park we had 11 fledge. Not sure if that is why they build dummy nests here or not.

Donna

Found this wonderful forum two weeks ago. Am gathering so much info.

Phil, guess you and I are the novices with the TRES. I checked the box this past week-end and there are so many feathers in there, couldn't see the eggs. Was apprehensive about disturbing anything, so quietly closed the box, as Papa Tres watched from above on the Purple Martin house--(no, never got purple martins).

We put up another box on Sunday, since we saw a female BB investigate the first box. She was swiftly swooped away by Mama Tres. We placed the new box about 15 feet away from the existing one and am waiting--waiting--waiting to see if the Blues will come back to us. Fingers crossed.

Yesterday was on the back porch and noticed that a mockingbird perched on top of the Tres box. Mama came out of her nest and was dive bombing the intruder, to no avail.

Then out of nowhere came 2 more Tres swooping and attacking the mockingbird to get off. Voila---success.

Thanks Donna, for advising me to stay with the Tres nesting in the bluebird house. Am enjoying the ride.

Didn't know what 'sparrow spookers' were, since we don't have a problem with them. Did a google search---Wow!!

Wish you were all my neighbors.

Jody

I have 11 blue bird nesting stations in Churchville,NY. By Audubon recomendations I post two nesting boxes at each station; one for the blue birds, and one for the tree swallows. Last year my blue bird nesting hobby resulted in fledging less than ten blue birds, and 55 tree swallows.
At the moment I have five blue birds nesting; one nest has six eggs; blue birds usually have five eggs.

Hi Jody,

I have been very lucky with my blue birds. I also have plenty of woodpeckers, chickadees, carolina wrens, titmouse, goldfinches, humingbirds, red wing black birds, and many, many others. But I have never had a purple martin or tree swallow. So I am very excited about this. I learn something new on this forum everytime I log on to it. And you know what, we are all neighbors on this forum. I'm glad you're all here.

Phil

TRES have built a nest in on of my BB houses. There are 4 eggs in the nest. It's been 2 1/2 days and I have not seen them. Mind you I work all day but I usually see them in the morning and evening. It's been miserable here pouring rain and temps in the 40's. There was no one near that box last evening. Do you think they desserted the nest? I don't know what to do or think. I have not been constantly monitoring them or bothering them. I had to look last night after not seeing them still.

nhsuzanne,

I would guess they are staying away because of the weather. My TRES tend to do the same thing, and I assume they are off feeding. Since it's been so cold and rainy, there are not as many flying insects locally (at least around here). We have a conservation area 3/10th's of a mile from here. I see tons of TRES feeding low over the water in lousey weather. I'm sure that's where mine go too. This weather is supposed to clear and I bet you'll see them this weekend. Once the weather warms, she should finish laying her eggs.

Kendra, you were right! The weather cleared this afternoon and when I got home they were there! I am new at this and thought that once the eggs were laid they need to be sat on right away! I am so happy that i don't have to stress about that! Now, for the Blues to come back and do some more house shopping!

I put out 2 boxes in May and hatched 5 Blue Birds. They fledged yesterday. About 2 weeks after putting out the boxes, I had a pair of TRES claim the 2nd box. There are 3 eggs in the box as of last Friday. Talk about beginners luck!!

I put out 2 boxes in May and hatched 5 Blue Birds. They fledged yesterday. About 2 weeks after putting out the boxes, I had a pair of TRES claim the 2nd box. There are 3 eggs in the box as of last Friday. Talk about beginners luck!!

O.K. So my wife let me out of the bathroom today and I checked the house that the TRES have been on. There were 3 TRES eggs nestled in a bed of feathers. I am thrilled. The parents sat on the fence next to house and watched me check. They did not dive bomb me or act agitated. They just watched. I put up a sparrow spooker and step away to see if the parents went back to the house. I did see one of them land on the front of the house and look in. It did this several times. I hope they are O.K. with the spooker. They are such neat little birds.

Phil

Phil,

This is the first year I've hosted TRES, and I went through exactly the same thing as you. I worried, and worried that maybe I would scare them off with the sparrow spooker. I also saw what you are seeing - they would cling to the hole and look in. But all went along splendidly, and they continued on with their egg laying. I read somewhere that it is almost impossible to get a TRES to abandon their eggs, so that kept me going. I did a nest check yesterday, and they were in the process of hatching. There were three eggs, and three tiny, naked babies. I had to deal with a HOSP today, which I hate doing. But I know if I didn't, I would not have the nests of these wonderful, native birds. I would instead have a HOSP factory. The insects are plentiful, and I have every hope of three successful nests fledging their young (1 nest with TRES, and 2 nests with BCCH)

I went out today to check the TRES house to see if another egg had been laid. As I stood next to the house, I could hear the Mother flitting about inside. So I knocked on the side of the house to see if she would fly out. She stuck her head out and looked right, then left where I was standing. She staired at me for maybe 30 seconds (as if to say, "yes, may I help you"). She disapeared back inside. Again I knocked. She stuck her head back out and looked straight at me for another 20 to 30 seconds. She went back in, so I opened the box and looked in with my mirror. She was hunkered down on those eggs and nothing I could do was going to pry her off. She had some real moxie, some real chutzpah. I closed the box and walked back to the house. I am still smiling and laugh out loud every time I picture this in my mind. Can you imagine the nerves of steele it took for this little bird to protect her eggs from this big hulking monster (me) looking at her and her eggs. What an inspiration and life lesson these little birds can teach us.

Phil

LOL I agree Phil My Tres have always been this way and my Dees are just as bold. Nothing I could do to get the little Dees out while I tried to monitor them. When they hatched all I could see was one little mouth sticking out from under Mama. She refused to let me see them. I did see one of them fledge yesterday tho.
Cathy