Can you get any mealworms and or waxworms. You could try attaching a dish to the roof of the house temporarily. You can even try the dry mealworms and just rehydrate them. We have babies due to hatch today (day 14) at the park near our home. We had two inches of snow last night, high yesterday was in the morning of 42 (with wind and rain all day) and dropped througout the day. Today it is 42 right now at 2PM and windy supposed to freeze hard tonight. Tomorrow should be sunny and 58 with light winds. I sure hope those three little ones make it. I don't attempt to feed the Blues on that trail. I did set up a mealworm dish not too far away from the Blues on our property though, they are incubating five eggs right now. Good luck to you and your BLues! Donna

OH man what to do??? I wouldn't plug the hole cause that for sure would make them go to the bluebird box. Adding a wren guard now to the blues box would be a bit risky unless you could really watch closely after up put it up to make sure mom and dad accepted it. A really easy gaurd is using a shoebox, cut one side off and attach to the roof so the other side is covering the hole, this way it has sides too. You could try it anway as long as you could watch closely, I think that is what I would do. Chances are though with the boxes that close the wren may have already seen the hole in the blues box. I sure hope it doesn't go over there. Like I said those nestlings aren't safe until day 7. Donna

Lol Donna. Unfortunately I don't have the time and dedication to feed the blues mealworms. However, one year the male lost his mate and had 4 nestlings to take care of, and I fed waxworms that were in a small cup on top of the box. Mr. Blue would grab one or two, then immediately go in to feed. When they ran out, he was chit chit chitting, as if to say "more worms, please!" I would think, however, that one or two days old would be too young for them to eat mealworms/waxworms. I'd think they'd only need a little food. I think I'm more concerned for the parents being able to feed themselves, but I've seen them dive for insects in 30-40 degree weather! Thanks for the feedback!

They ARE worth it Donna! But I was so close! Loosing what I've lost this season makes me realize just how fortunate I WAS in previous seasons! About it being the same HOSP...Donna, my boxes are paired somewhere between 50-150 yards apart, and I've had HOSP show interest at more than one box at more than one pair. I wouldn't at all be surprised if it was the same HOSP. The thing that is bugging ME is that the HOSP that got past my Spooker isn't building a nest..just leaving droppings in my boxes and isn't around 95% of the time, making me worried I won't catch him soon enough. That is weird that they would only attack some and leave the others. I've had Wrens peck at 8 day old bluebird babies! Some wouldn't believe it..but seeing the bird perched atop the box soon after was all the proof I needed! Luckily all fledged. I saw the pictures over at the bluebirdnut forums. Poor things! I also have less worry for the TRES. I get MOBS of them some times! (earlier in the season mainly) I do think there may be less blues, but their territory is so much LARGER than TRES so it ends with less bluebirds. When I lost my first male Blue this year, suddenly 3-5 bluebirds started showing up! I rarely saw more than 2 before this. There are more out there...but they're strongly territorial, and despite what seems like a football field of distance between my boxes, I only get 1 pair. They (the bluebirds) have started a nest! But I've seen the male chase a Male HOSP all over the place, who has been chirping behind the boxes all day! He almost landed on the adjacent box, was fluttering near it, before the male BB picked it up instantly and chased it. I now have EIGHT HOSP fledglings in the DRST! HOW MANY ARE THERE?????? I've been catching 1-2 per day for the past 3+ days at least! I haven't caught any parents. Take that neighbor lady! lol. ~Tim~