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battling wrens

17 years ago

I'm having a hard time this year with the House Wrens. I've had one BB nesting that went well, and one TRES nesting that went well. The whole time the wrens were building in the third box. We came home from a weekend away to find the nestcam box filled with sticks. Needless to say that box is cleaned out and open. I guess we won't be having any second nestings this year.

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Comments (6)

dzyg
17 years ago
Sorry about that Anita. Down at the park where I monitor nestboxes the Blues had fledged and I noticed them back around the box a little over two weeks after fledging. However there was also a wren there putting sticks in the box. I cleaned it out twice and now both the Blues and the wrens are gone. Not sure if the Blues renested elsewhere or what. Here at the house the Blues are nest building the fledglings are back around the yard and I don't have a wren problem. Maybe your Blues will be back and if so hopefully you can control the wrens.

Donna
bluebirdbabe
17 years ago
The wrens took over my blues nest box 2. They laid an egg in it. Mom blue just had a ring of pine straw and that stupid wren laid an egg in it!!! The blues did pick another box and I sure hope the wrens leave them alone.

Sry bout ur blues not being able 2 nest again. Dang wrens!!

Karen
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Bet, Thanks for the response as the email had some kinda error & was returned. Okay, obviously I've just been lucky so far. If I take down the boxes in the thicket (woods) & put wren guards on the BB houses in the fields, remove "dummy" nests-is there anything else? I didn't actually encourage them in the first place, these boxes used to be in a grassy area but I let it grow up for a more woodland habitat. Also the CA Chickadees use one of the boxes in the thicket & this year sucessfully fledged 5 young!The dees fledged before the HOWR arrived. I would like to return the boxes in the fall for the flying squirrels & sometimes the downy's roost in them. Unlike the Carolina's who will come right up on the porch, the HOWR seems to stay down the hill in the cedar thickets-of course the Carolina's are year round residents & the HOWR aren't so maybe that's the difference. Thanks for everyone's sage advice & hopefully "my" wrens will not take revenge when I remove their boxes. (after they fledge this batch) Susan
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michelle_4466
17 years ago
We kept our Wrens busy by removing just the top layer of the sticks that they were bringing in.They worked on them long enough to give our Blues the time they needed to lay the eggs and hatch them.The Wrens then decided to relocate.
michelle
anita55
Original Author
17 years ago
I'm glad your wrens re-located. I was removing sticks like crazy, too, and that kept them occupied until the babies fledged. I know the blues would have a new nest by now, so they probably went elsewhere for their next brood. I'm sad for ME, but in this neighborhood I'm sure they found a good place to nest. I see blues everywhere when I walk around here, and it makes me happy if I had the tiniest part of helping them to thrive.
dzyg
17 years ago
Hey Anita, the Blues down at the park that I thought found nesting elsewhere for their second brood have a completed nest now, I guess the wrens gave up! I checked on Sunday and there was still no activity of the wren or the Blue kind. I had taken sticks out twice before that. Hadn't checked it again until today and low and behold what looks to be a completed nest. I expect eggs any day now.

Donna
anita55
Original Author
17 years ago
that is wonderful news, Donna. I hope the wrens have gone for good now!

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