Whatever raided the box will raid it again. Can you put a pole same height in the general area and move the box to the pole. I hate to tell you it's a lost cause if those eggs are going to hatch but you surly don't want whatever got the nest getting the Mama too!

You should have taken the old nestboxes down...most of us have to learn this the hard way. I agree with what lisa said. Hopefully these eggs are ok. Just keep watching and see if the adults tend to the eggs..if one hatched these should have been hatching soon also. Good luck. Oh and your new ones that you have on the pipe...are they baffled? Raccoons can easily climb up unbaffled pipes too so I would suggest stovepipe baffles asap on all the boxes if they don't already have them.

Donna

I agree with the others. Get that box on a pole with a baffle as soon as possible. Whatever pulled that nest out will come back. I had a box up once that had no baffle. I had bought the baffle and had intended to get it on as soon as possible, but I was too late. Something got a whole nest of BCCH. So we all learn the hard way. I would always put the pole and baffle up first before putting up the house now. I wish you luck.

Thank you all for your help. Being kind of new at this stuff I really am learning the hard way. Mom has not tended to the eggs, they were ice cold. I took the eggs out and cleaned out the box. My boyfriend replaced all the 2x4"s with pipe. What kind of baffles should I get? I have one of those metal cone type baffles for feeders, we have stove pipe on a couple houses already. Mom and Dad blue are still around and still eating worms. They seem interested in the box close to the one that they occupied. It is a new box I built over the winter, it is deeper and has a hole instead of a slot. I am hoping for the best that they stay and nest again. I will what ever I can do to protect them. I cried when I saw that pile of nesting on the ground, however I am grateful that Mom is okay. Thank you all so much for your help and suggestions.
Can you tell me what to get for baffles and I will get to it ASAP.

Stovepipe baffles are pretty easy to install and aren't costly. That is what I have on my boxes. The cone shaped baffles are for squirrels and are not good for nestboxes as raccoons can climb over them. Sialis.org has info on installing stovepipe baffles. I think it says to put hardware cloth at the top but some people just use the stovepipe endcaps with a hole drilled into it for the pole to go through. I am glad your blues are still around...hope they renest with you soon. Glad to hear you are so willing to try to correct things. There are many that won't take their boxes off of posts or fences and it is sad.

Oh and pretty much alot of us learned things the hard way. My first year I had a box on a wooden post..raccoons got them! I was in tears! That was six years ago and I have learned so much in that time. Stick around here and keep us updated, we always like to hear from fellow bluebirders!

Donna

Good news! The BB pair has chosen another one of our houses! it is closer to our house so I can keep a better eye on things. The house is a slot style on a pipe. They have a nest built already and I have a plan in place to protect them as best I can. We will put some stove pipe on the pole tomorrow and as soon as I see an egg I will have a wren guard on the house. I am praying that they will make it this time?.
funny thing happened this morning. My cat brings chipmunks home on a daily basis. I told him this morning that if he brings home some wrens there is big rewards in it for him. I was drinking my coffee and here he comes with a dead wren in his mouth!! He got a big ole hand full of crunchy's. I watched some video on Sialis of wrens and sparrows raiding blue bird houses and it made me so mad. Im not one to celebrate over dead animals but this time its personal and IM on a wren and sparrow beak hunt! Thanks again for your support, the world is a better place with lots of blue birds and friendly birds alike. =)

I'm so glad your birds have chosen a better house. Putting up the stovepipe guard is pretty easy. Don't forget your sparrow spooker. Those things really do work. Hopefully all will go well this time around.

So my BF put on the stove pipe plus the squirrel baffle just under the house. Mom and Dad blue are busy completing the nest in the box. I moved the worm feeder last night and they came fluttering in to eat this morning. I really want to do everything I can to help my blue buddy's and will. What kind of sparrow spooker is best for this slot style house they are in?
Thank you all again and again. I will post some pictures of Ma and Pa soon.

One other thing to do to keep the Blues safe is to keep your cat in the house. It is a proven hunter as you know. It can easily stand gaurd around the nestbox and catch the adults when they are feeding the nestlings. Plus once those nestlings fledge...they aren't all good flyers, they could easily be what your cat brings home next.

If you have a stovepipe baffle, this deters squirrels too, you really wouldn't need the cone shaped baffle plus the stovepipe unless you didn't close the top (of the stovepipe) off with an end cap or hardware cloth. Sparrow spookers are pretty much the same no matter what type of box you have. Two dowels coming out over the top of the box (all the way to the front) with mylar streamers coming off the dowels. I usually have at least four streamers on each dowel.

Good luck!
Donna

Your cats don't know the difference between Baby Blues or birds you don't want....PLEASE keep them in the house! Baby Blues are clumsy at best so are baby Robins and other Native birds Thanks for trying so hard to keep the Blues safe!

Thanks guys for your comments. I would love to be able to keep my cat in the house, I have tried this many of times and he litterly rips the house up trying to get out. The cat IM speaking of was found on the busy road we live off of when he was he was just a tiny baby. From day one after getting over the shock of everything, all he wanted to do was be outside. He is a big tom. The last time we had BB's in a box close to the house, he just walked by and Dad BB dive bombed his ass and off Camo (my cat) ran. Now. IM not saying he is not capable of harming them, I worry about that, but if I were to see him anywhere near the box all I have to do is yell at him and chase him away. Im kind of helpless here because I would love for him to be an indoor kitty because I worry about losing him all the time. But it is nearly impossible. I am determined to protect my bb's to the fullest this time, that means keeping a good eye on the house,Camo and anything else that can harm them. My boyfriend thinks IM posessed because IM always watching them and thinking of ways to protect them. IM not posessed, I just love those birds. Im gonna get an air horn to scare Camo off if he is around the house, maybe that will do it?

My poor cats only get a little time outside first thing in the a.m. then inside all day due to all the wonderful birds on my property. My very avid little hunter has finally given up after pacing and crying the blues all day for days. Wah wah. I assume your cat is neutered otherwise it would be a losing battle trying to keep him in. I say to my little darling " if it's so bad here I'll drive you back to the 'hood where I found you starving and flea and worm ridden and you can have all the hosp you can catch" then she turns into nice kitty. You have to show them whose boss!

All my animals are spayed or neutered. Im almost a certified dog trainer and spend lots of time volunteering at our local shelter. I see far to many animals without homes from not spaying or neutering. It is still a losing battle for me to keep my boy inside. The good thing is, Our yard is huge on a dead end road. The blue bird houses are on the back slopes of the house right next to a stream. Camo cat tends to walk the front side of our house and the neighbors yards. I only see him down by the BB houses once in a great while. The stove pipe and baffle will keep him off the new house my pair built. He is 10 years old and does not go out nearly as much as he used to, and I always make sure he is in at night. At any rate, my pair seems to be almost ready to lay egg's again and I am watching them, if you will...like a halk. I am hoping and praying for the best.
Thanks again everyone for all your help, keep the suggestions coming and I will do anything I can to help my gorgeous blues survive.

I always mention that 'cause some people don't spay and neuter you would be surprised,but I know you know from working at the shelter. My little angel brought home a finch she had killed and that was it for me, she's in from now on. I try and keep the other cat's nails trimmed so if they caught anything in the short time they are out in the morning they couldn't latch on, but they aren't hunters like she is, it's sad to live in the country and not let my cats out but I don't trust them to not kill.

Hey bluesoblue...want to come train my dogs? LOL!! JK...they get to be a bit much when we are out on our walk and they get this pack mentality (I have three), there is one that is afraid of other dogs but when she is with her pack she gets just a tad aggressive when she sees another dog and the barking drives me up a wall! I tend to try to avoid other dogs....with people they are great they love people!

Anyway just a fyi..a baffle isn't to deter cats so much as other predators because most cats can jump the height of a normal nestbox. I have a neighbor that puts their cat out on a tieout..so she gets outside time but cannot run away or do any damage. Also some people make a sort of kennel for their cats too with a top of course so the cats cannot get out but are still outside. I don't have cats but if I did I would be very worried if they were outside...so many dangers to them besides the danger they pose to wildlife. I think after fledging is when your cat would pose the most danger to your Blues.....good luck...hope your Blues are successful.

Donna

Hi Donna. I dont want to piss anyone off here talking to much about dogs because it is a blue bird forum. But dogs on leashes tend to be more aggressive than when not. Level one and two training classes help you to teach your dog to walk on a leash. Socialazation of your dogs with other dogs and people is crucial, but it has to be done early in dogs life or it may not be reversable?.
I have been watching my Camo cat very close when he is out. I could never tie this cat out, he is 12 very lean pounds and would hurt himself trying to get off for sure. So far he has not gone near the box. IM not blind to the fact that he could be a danger to my BB's. We had a successful pair in a box right next to the one used now. Because I was a real newbie at BBing, I never did anything to the 2x4 the house was on, or any type of guards and luck be with us that year, they fledged 4 baby bb's!
I worry about my Camo cat all the time when he is outside, I love him so much. We live on a dead end dirt road abbutting a mountain range. Up behind the house is a huge field. The wildlife is crazy.Bears,coyotes,foxes, hawks you name it. When Camo does not come in at night I find myself staying up until he is in safe. IM do my best to keep my BB's safe. The BB brinks is in place.