Thanks for the reminder Ray. While we never let our cat outdoors, a lot of the neighbors do. I have a good sized (8") wobbling stovepipe guard and have never had a cat, raccoon, or snake get into one of my boxes. The conduit pipe and good guard are extremely important.

Hi Dana. Bless your heart. Thank you so much for wanting to help the Bluebirds by buying a house for them. :o) Unfortunately, successfully hosting Bluebirds usually involves more than just erecting a house. I think that dzyg is trying to say that it would be best for the Bluebirds if everyone who erected a Bluebird house would take a little time to research them and their nesting preferences and to learn about how to offer the safest place that can be offered to them. The sialis website offers so much valuable information. It's a wonderful place to learn all about what you will absolutely need to know. The first thing you want to do is to learn about nest box placement to be sure that yours is properly placed and also has appropriate guards in place. Once you have accomplished that, you need to know about what can go wrong and what to do about it. House Sparrows (HOSP) are not native to this country and are not protected by federal laws. Thus, it is legal to remove their nests, eggs, chicks, and to trap and kill the adults. HOSPs cause so many problems for the Bluebirds that a Bluebird host really has to deal with them swiftly and diligently, never ever allowing them to nest inside any nest box. Even if the only thing you do is to plug up the hole to prevent the HOSPs from entering the box, that is doing something good for the Bluebirds. Once a male HOSP has laid claim to a box, it is really really hard to deter him. If you close it and wait patiently though, he will eventually move on. Of course, you may miss out on a chance to have the Bluebirds nest as a result. Still, that is better than allowing the HOSP to have the box. Bluebird pairs will raise 2-3 broods per year, so you still have plenty of time. If you can deter or eliminate the HOSP, and the Bluebirds build a nest in your box, you can place a "Sparrow Spooker" onto the box to deter the HOSPs. The sialis site tells you about those, and they can be purchased or made easily at home. I hope that helps you, and please feel free to e-mail me privately if you want to.~~Angie Here is a link that might be useful: Sialis/ Advice for New Bluebirders

Hello Michael, First I am glad you found this site, I was happy when I found it to, but I would like to invite you to join the bluebird nut cafe and we will provide you with all you need to know about these birds. It is way more active and you will get fast answers to your questions. Hope to see you there. http://bluebirdnutcafe.yuku.com/ Secondly your bluebird pair have committed to that nest with eggs so they won't abandon it easily. How much rain are you getting? One year I had blues there were several days of rain and no bugs except earthworms around to feed the babies. They didn't survive despite the parents efforts. My guess is your pair has left to find a food source and will return. I do find it odd that they left when you are providing mealworms. I would recommend you ask this question on the bluebird nut cafe site to get other's input. -Tyler

Let me know what you have and what i might provide in exchange! Thanks, Molly