Oh yeah, If you even have so much as a few, you'll have to deal with them! They get out there every year so early (a week or two before the blues) and start chirping from the top of that nest box. (So annoying) lol I put the Van Ert in a box where I couldn't get a HOSP the previous evening and watched in the morning from the house as he kept landing on the front, and then you hear a "Snap!" TRAPPED!!!!

Well, so far Lexa there are little - no signs of HOSP using my boxes. So no Van Ert Trapping. For the first time in at least 2 years - my bluebirds have staked a first claim from one of my box pairs. There are now a few pieces of grass formed into a circle in one of my boxes. The male and female bluebird were hanging around behind the box, so I'm thinking it has to be them. Plus I haven't seen any HOSP on/near my boxes yet. Unfortunately, today I trapped yet another Chickadee. 4th one. My brother put some bait in there I didn't want him too, so this is probably what got the chickadee. The little guy was going back and forth. Approaching I saw it but couldn't tell what it was. Was thinking "come on, HOSP please" nope, another Chickadee. Although frantic, he had no damage and appeared healthy. It took him a minute to find the exit. Little guy bursted out and the next minutes he was up in the tree calling away. I'm not giving up yet! I've brought bread crumbs to the equation. I should have one eventually. Indeed with the "rogue" sparrow Lexa! I am gonna convince my neighbor to get a universal trap for his Martin Trio house, as removing the HOSP last season caused European Starlings to move in and start nesting. The Spar-o-door traps are too small for Starlings. I'm just glad my overall efforts to get rid of the HOSP have been successful. I've really changed things around here.

Thank you Kendra! And that nest continues to have additions. It's pretty tall now, I think they just have to line it. By the way, some how, at my 2nd site, I had to AGAIN trap another HOSP, used my drawstring bag, and somehow I managed to let it escape! I was so angry! Wasn't careful enough. Hope the %^&t4d doesn't come back!!

What a story, ohsoblue. I've also had a crazy season. I had a bluebird box in my backyard with no activity, so I put up another bluebird box out of sight on the side yard. Chickadees started nesting there and there was a beautifully built nest of green moss. I couldn't see inside the nest to see if there were any eggs, but soon it didn't matter. We were out working in the yard and there was a lot of commotion amongst the birds. The chickadee was trying to fight off the bluebirds for her nest and kept on trying and trying. The male bluebird actually took over the nest and built his own for his ladybird. So then by the next day when I checked there was a bluebird nest on top of the neatly built moss nest. This is the box where there are five nestling bluebirds about to fledge any day. So then the chickadee went to be bluebird box in the backyard and built another nest and laid eggs quite quickly. Another bluebird pair kept going back to this box and sitting on it, watching over it, etc. So I begged my hubby to put up another nest box in the front yard and maybe they'd find it and use it. So we got the other house up and eventually they found it and it took about a month for Mr. BB to convince the timid ladybird to take it, but I checked last week and there was 2 eggs. I checked again yesterday after getting back into town and there were 5 bb eggs and 1 chickadee egg, which I removed because I didn't want there to be any problems with the chickadees again.v The bluebirds are watching over this box and seem to be very comfortable and I haven't seen any sign of chickadees in this nest again, but I'll keep checking. Do not give up hope because it took the bluebirds a number of weeks to decide to build in the new nest box in the front yard, but they are doing very well so far. I'm anxious to see if there are any chickadee eggs in the first nest the bluebirds built on top of that one. I'm very surprised that the bluebirds did that.