Hi all! Thought I would come by and bombard you with a few pics. Paul, I want to go on vacation with you. B.B. COLLINS (named for a neighbor of mine hybridized by a neighbor of mine :) BORDER SENTRY CALYN AND CAITLYN CHEROKEE BEAUTY FORESTLAKE POINT LACE INQUIRE WITHIN KING OF MASKS ORGANIZED CHAOS REIGNING PINK LEMONADE ROSE PARFAIT SHRIMP AND GRITS Dakota grooming a scape for his first time entering a daylily show Dakota winning Best Youth Award with FOOLED ME. He was a half point from winning Best In Show overall. I was proud as punch! Kids at the Knoxville Zoo last month. Us at neighbor's house. Maleah in the neighbor's garden. View of the Smoky Mountains from neighbor's garden. This garden is like a half mile from my house up on a ridge. The couple who owns it are dentists. The wife is from Vietnam and is the neatest person. We first met them a few weeks ago and never knew they were up there on the ridge behind our house. She grows the yummiest veggies! Ok, I am done for today :). ~Canna

Rachel, A quick pull on their neck and they are done for. House Sparrows do not belong here at all and they are not humane at all when they raid the nest box of a pair of Bluebirds. They grab the skull of the female most often as she tries to defend her nest inside the cavity. Then they slowly pinch and pinch until the female Bluebird is dead. I have even see where they have built their nest over the dead body of the female Bluebird and her eggs. Because of this I feel no pity at all for them and no it is not their fault they are here but that is no reason to tolerate them in any fashion. Once you trap and destroy these no good birds for a few seasons you start noticing how many more native American birds are starting to show up at your feeders and that is a wonderful thing. Getting rid of House Sparrows and Starlings helps all native birds not just the bluebird and because of my trapping and killing them native birds of all kinds are very common here...Mike

20 PAIRS?! Count yourself lucky there Ray! I only have 6 boxes and two nestbox pairs and I am lucky to get more than 2 pairs. Plus, the Tree Swallow population seems to only be growing. They're as much of tyrants as House Sparrows! Without all the murder that is! I do enjoy their company and cooperation nesting aside my bluebirds. Ray, you must realize that that's A LOT of bluebirds! I know you have a large trail, and I'm only a backyard bluebirder, but you're truly fortunate! And to be able to work with these birds for 23 years? LUCKY!!!! I'm an extremely young bluebirder who might have to move to keep life going. Every day with these birds is precious. If I move away I have to adapt to the possibility of not having ANY bluebirds! This is only my 6th season and next year might be my last year with them for a while. I'm a young adult looking into college. If I do leave for that reason, I wouldn't keep my boxes up if someone doesn't manage them! That would be disastrous! To also mention one hell of a war I've put up against my local HOSP! Here in Ohio, any sunny drive during the day in the country finds a male or female bluebird perched atop the electric wires. Within a few miles is another pair. Also, realize that Bluebirds' nesting territory is HUGE!! Tree Swallows nest within 100 feet of each other! The swallow project website brings up a big fact...we will probably never get bluebirds back to their original population levels. There is simply too many HOSP, too much development, too many Starlings, etc. Be fortunate for what you have! How can one manage/afford all these nestboxes? It amazes me. Especially those with full time jobs!! Good luck as well. Enjoy the bluebirds you have. They're beautiful and amazing. But you simply can't have blues colonize like Martins, who, to me, seem to be even less of! They require much more specific requirements! Enjoy our amazing Bluebirds. They're one of a kind. ~Tim~

Well If you have ever seen TRES fledge theres no way a baby Blue will make it. I would almost opt to candle the eggs and if there is little to nothing there get rid of them. Is it possable to tell the difference between babies at hatching time? I would want to put them in the Blues nest but that could cause problems too. Lets think babies not eggs here. No way a blue can survive with a TRES Mom, overloading a Blue or having babies hatch days before her clutch could result in dead babies. Yikes this is one for Bet, Malinda or Cornell. Im still thinkin destroy the eggs so no babies ever suffer.