I have recently been having some major issues with the HOSP's trying to claim the Bluebird boxes here in my yard. I do own a repeating trap but never seem to have much luck with it. One of my friends mentioned the "monofilament" technique of deterring them. I had never heard of it. The sialis site mentions it. You just hang some long lengths of weighted fishing line onto the BB box and the HOSPs will supposedly avoid the house as a result. I hung the fishing line onto both of my BB boxes, and so far so good. I am not seeing the HOSP on the boxes anymore. My little Bluebird pair has already claimed one of the boxes for nesting! here is the sialis page with the info. Just scroll down the page until you come to the word Monofilament on the left. Here is a link that might be useful: HOSP control/sialis site

Tara, sounds like it is going well. Congrats on the five baby blues. I think it is so cool that you have an in-box camera to watch them. I bought one this year, but too late to install it. I also have learned so much from the wonderful, experienced people on this forum.

Thinking further about it, I don't need to prop open the cold frame, which would make a 4-foot long narrow opening. I have two ventilation holes (2 by 4 inches) in the back wall, blocked by hardware cloth and 16 inches above the ground. All I need to do is remove the hardware cloth, then install hole reducers to reduce the holes to 2 by 2 inches each. Each hole reducer can also support a shelf/perch INSIDE the box, which will allow the birds to check the interior after entering. The inner shelf will also restrict the downward reach of any predator paws. The box is so big, though, that birds can easily stay out of reach of any predator paws. I thought of putting the cold frame up on the railing of the rear deck, where in a corner position, the railing would support three corners of the frame, needing only one temporary leg for the last corner -- but my wife vetoed that idea (too unsightly). (It was designed to be portable, in three stackable sections of about 30 pounds each, with a hardware cloth plus porous plastic bottom.) We have no snakes of any kind in this suburban area. Rats and mice are under control, because since I have been killing them, there are no more signs of them trying to tunnel into my shop/storage area, which has a dirt floor. But just in case, I can add a smooth hard material to the back wall of the cold frame so that rodents cannot climb up to the entrance holes. The other possible predators are wandering cats (common) and racoons (rare). The inner shelf/baffle will stop them. I have st least a dozen small plastic pots that I can lay sideways in the cold frame in case some birds would like to roost in them. A bed of leaves and perching branches are the other options to offer. As for the 'wren' nestbox, the downy has enlarged the opening to 1 1/4 inches. I cleaned out old twigs and put a pile of sawdust in the bottom.

Alisand...what a wonderful photo! Can you tell me what camera and lens you used. It's perfect! The house wrens' natural instinct is to protect their food sources, their young, and their territory from other birds. That's why they search out and destroy any eggs they can find within a certain area. It's just the way they're programmed. They're not big enough to "fight" for territory and chase off competitors. The Carolina wrens do not have this habit. I agree with you; house wrens make perfect porch companions. I had them nesting in my front yard, next to my "reading tree" last season. I'm trying to determine just how big one nesting pairs' territory is, so I'll know where to let them nest next season. I've been juggling tree swallows, chickadees, robins, nuthatches, and, of course, my beloved Purple Martins all season long. Now if I could only get Blue Birds in the mix I'd be in Heaven. I do love the little wrens; they're the comics of the yard (at least not when they're not being the axe murderers.) Still, I try to bother them just enough that they move across the street. This year they won the battle for my side yard. As always, I gave in graciously, and "legally."