It is the most amazing thing if you get box you can open and see the babies or handle them each day to see the startling amount of growth/changes every single day! Our boxes are right under the power line and the parents will sit on the line and watch us and sometimes chirp, but they are a- ok with their babies being handled as long as you don't let them get chilled and are gentle. I learned the hard way to stop trying to hold them after 12 days when i made one batch fledge early. Kept trying to put them back in, but it was too late and the parents really got mad about that. I don't think we've ever had a nest that went much beyond 16 days though, so it's interesting that they are supposed to stay in 21 days. I don't even open the box after day 12. Yes, predators love blues (any baby bird). When you figure out where you want to put a house, make sure cats, coons or snakes can't get to it. Grease the pole or use a baffle or mount the box in such a way that nothing can get in. BTW, the big boxes sell very reasonably priced cedar blue houses- like $12 last i looked. You may very well get some competition from titmice or chickadees- they all like the same size, so you could get multiples and hang them (titmice are the fiercest mamas- they won't budge and will hunker down and hiss at you!). Blues happily nest close to the others but won't nest close to their own kind. And they love to have a choice of boxes. Some years i've had 3 out of my 4 boxes full. The only ones you may want to evict if the get into the box would be the alien house finches. Knock on wood, i've never had it be a problem, but have head from others that it can be.

Keesha, I really appreciate your 'starling 101' post above too. Your info about seed/feed types was very good. My feeders contain black oil sunflower, nyger and safflower - no corn or millet - and I was considering getting corn cob squirrel wheels, so it's good to hear they won't attract bad birds. Of course, the racoons and possums are a whole 'nother story! I've been feeding birds for six years now here and never had a starling flock until last week. First there was just one on the suet feeder, next day 21 - at least! - guess the first one was a scout. I took in the suet feeders and all was quiet for two days. Then we got a magical snowfall - 6" of beauty, rare here! - so I put the feeders back out for my regulars (including a couple types of woodpeckers who are such fun to watch!). Well, no joke, within 20 minutes the yard looked like a Hitchcock movie set - I've heard that birds have a highly refined sense of smell, this was proof positive! With snow on the ground, I left the suet feeders up ... starlings were piggy, but pretty well behaved, not beating up the locals whom I didn't want to be deprived. But, they did scoff up the suet at warp speed. Snow is gone now, the suet feeders are empty and I'm going to leave them that way for at least a week, in hopes the starling flock moves on. Here in the South, my suet feeders are only out for a short time - I'm more than a little ticked that this season I have to minimize that time frame ..... because of the darned starlings! :o(

I have one house that's being used this year. Same one as last year. The new houses I built and hung last fall have no residents. I've read they are territorial and will reuse the same nesting box for several years. I was hoping to have a few pairs, but I'll take the one. I tried to get photos inside the house yesterday, but mama bird wasn't too eager to let that happen. And I didn't want to scare her away. I've been seeing other broken eggs laying around the yard. They're tiny and white. I'm thinking the squirrels are the cause.

Any luck with the mockingbirds? I have the same problem.