Need help with pole for bluebird chateau
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4 years ago
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4 years agoRelated Discussions
New Bluebird houses, need advice please
Comments (10)I second all Jane's thoughts. If you can be prepared, bluebirding is an extremely rewarding experience. Many of us(correction: MOST of us) have had to deal with house sparrows. I can't tell you how many people I've known who, in the first year hosting bluebirds they have success, and for some reason, the house sparrows become a bigger problem in the second year, and people are taken by surprise (or shock) when the house sparrows kill the male in the box, or the female as she incubates eggs, or they smash unattended eggs, or toss the eggs out. In my first experience, a male house sparrow killed 6 newborn hatchlings by pecking them on the head. So if you decide to proceed, just be prepared. Bet's web site, www.sialis.org is a wonderful resource, and we will be here if you need us. Another option is to add hole reducers and host chickadees, if they are in your area. The proper hole reducer will prevent house sparrows from entering. You might want to read up on that at the website linked below. P.S. The little round wooden thing that many bluebird nestboxes come with (some people call them "predator guards") which extends the entrance does not protect anything from predators. BlueBars Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.sialis.org/...See MoreBluebird sadness
Comments (2)If any babies fledged it will be considered a successful nesting! If I were you I would monitor more closely. Good notes can help you determine what may have happened. Blowfly feed at night and as the other babies left they would have had only the one chick left to feed on. I'm not saying that's what happened but it is a possibility. I know we are not supposed to interfere so much but I would have tried to at least pick the baby up to be sure it was not stuck on something and examine to see if there was something obvious that was keeping it from leaving. I did have 3 TRES babies that just were not strong enough to fledge (due to loss of a parent and bad weather). It is sad but sometimes there is not anything we could have done and it's just Natures way. Good luck on the next nesting!...See MoreNew to bluebirding...need advice
Comments (4)You can move a nestbox with eggs but you have to be very very careful...it is much easier to move a nestbox before the eggs are laid. Conduit is the easiest thing to mount a nestbox on, 3/4" or 1" is the sturdiest. I usually just have a 10ft piece and pound 4 1/2 feet into the ground but 3 feet would be plenty to have in the ground too (some have only 2ft) so you could have it cut. Get a piece of 6 or 8" stovepipe (they come in 2ft lengths) and an end cap for the stovepipe. Drill a hole in the endcap the size of the conduit and place a emt clamp on the pole where the baffle will be (I have mine about 6" or so under the nestbox) set the endcap on the clamp to hold it in place and place the stovepipe around that, attaching it to the cap. Those are from instructions that make it pretty easy...I do mine just a bit differently as I am not up on power tools. ( I clip the top of the stovepipe and fold it over the top of the cap part and use a tin snips to cut the hole in the top/cap. Oh and it should be wobbly...that is what deters the coons the most is the wobble. I then use one hole straps to attach the nestbox to the conduit. Two hole straps aren't as sturdy and won't hold the box as tight as you need it to. Good luck..hopefully you can get things moved quickly before they start laying again. My first year with bluebirds I had them nesting in a nestbox on a wooden post. First nesting went fine..nestlings fledged. Second nesting the nestlings gotten eaten by raccoons when they were 12 days old. I was so sad! After that we put up a properly mounted nestbox and then added more and I also have a small trail at a park now too. Good luck..let us know if you need any more help, especially if you end up moving things when there are eggs. Oh and check out the sparrow spooker page on sialis.org in case you have House Sparrows in the area. Also wren gaurds in case of House wrens...they aren't always needed depending on where you box is located. At my place the boxes on the west side of the house normally need guards as they are closer to the woods, on the east side I never have a wren problem as a road and an open field are there. Donna...See Morekeeping bluebirds safe
Comments (4)Christy, I don't have very much experience on this yet, so hopefully one of the experts on here replies :). First of all, did you have a sparrow spooker on the box? It most likely was NOT a sparrow if you did not see any blood or anything, however it is always a good idea to hang one up. Secondly, it may have been a House Wren, if your box is near woods or brush, it's a good possibility. You can try a wren guard next time for that (you may have to relocate the house a little or rotate it some). To eliminate snakes as a possibility, you should put up a large stovepipe wobbling baffle on a slick metal pole. Go to this link for better information and how-to --> http://sialis.org/baffle.htm There are also snake traps described here that you may want to try. Bluebirds often don't nest a second time in a box where an attack occurred. If the Bluebirds don't seem interested in the box anymore, I would take the nest out and either relocate the box or put up another box. I have had bluebirds every year at my house, and I have had several House Wren attacks, but the bluebirds seem to come back year after year. They should continue coming to your yard if you have houses available for them. Good Luck! If you need any more information, check out this website --> http://www.sialis.org/ Ken...See MoreUser
4 years agoUser
4 years agolast modified: 4 years ago
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