WBNU is the abbreviation for the white breasted nuthatch, so I assume it'd be BHNU for brown-headed nuthatch. TUTIs are wonderful tenants and parents. Last year I had a pair in a bluebird box where the brood was almost wiped out by HOWR (house wrens). There were 6 eggs and the day before they would have hatched, I found all of the eggs on the ground below the nest box pecked to varying degrees. I put the least damaged egg back in and it hatched. I had a nest box camera and saw that the female nuthatch RARELY left the chick alone and stayed with it every night of its life. I don't know if that's normal or it was this female's reaction to having only one chick. In any case, they are a delight. Hope you have a nest of them someday. Bluebird blessings, Linda...

Linda My guards are just cardboard too> I use a cheese it box inside out to make them and mine have sides. I really really believe in the sides cause the little DEVILS are very persistent. I use screws (short screws) to attach them with. I screw them right into the roof and then they don't come off. I tape them too. I will have my daughter post some pics of how I do it. I have never had trouble getting the Blues or Dees to go into them until this year. I had a real dumb Bluebird and had to cut a flap in the front to expose the hole and then taped it back into place and she got it. Usually they flutter in front of the box and when they finally lose altitude they see the hole or they sit on the baffle and finally see it. This one never fluttered. It sometimes take a few attempts but they always figure it out within a couple hours and usually minutes. Except this one dumb Bluebird pair. I would try to get a guard on the Blues house asap. I'm afraid because this wren has already been in that house he will figure it out too. I'll pray for your birds. Cathy

Ken, I post the pictures at a photo hosting site (webshots) although there are many. Webshots generates the code for me to paste into my messages, so it's just a cut and paste for me. Thank you for the compliments, by the way! Also, now have four eggs in the front nest box, and a second BB nest in the backyard! Keeping my fingers crossed! Quietman NE Ohio Here is a link that might be useful: Webshots

Wow sorry Linda, I hear your pain. We have HOWR here every summer and we did lose 1 egg (of four) in July 2007. But I don't think our wren situation is as difficult as yours seems to be. We see them nearby occasionally, and often hear them not too far away. But we chase them off if/when any come on our property. And our parent Blues (Missy & Mr.B) both discourage them ferociously if they ever come near Missy's box. This pair has successfully fledged 41 baby blues in the past 3 seasons (8 completed nests with a 9th underway), without a single loss of either egg or chick to the wrens. We've made our decision not to use a wren guard for reasons we are comfortable with. And frankly we've heard just too many accounts of HOWR destroying nests in boxes that had wren guards installed. We know that many bird lovers willingly allow and even encourage House Wrens to nest and breed, and this can lead to their forcing many other songbirds out of a habitat completely. (The same could be said of the House Sparrows). So, I'm not sure how to offer you specific advice or comfort. I fear it will be up to you and your Bluebirds to overcome your local HOWR problem. Best luck to you and your birds, Kenn Here is a link that might be useful: Kenn & Temple's Bluebirds